Why I Fired a Client (and What It Taught Me About Hiring Partnerships)

I fired a client.

And honestly? It felt really good.

What I didn’t realize at the time was… I had already been quietly quitting them.

I missed a few of their Zooms — not out of spite, but because they’d quietly dropped to the bottom of my priority list. My gut knew before my head did: this wasn’t a partnership anymore.

Here’s what happened:

They came to us struggling to hire a VP. Their expectations were sky-high — which is fine, great even. We like high bars. We delivered. We found them someone exceptional.

They were thrilled. Offer made. Success, right?

Nope.

Right after the offer, the CEO called and asked to change our agreed-upon terms — pushing our 3-month replacement guarantee to 6 months. Our terms have been the same since 2011. They’re fair, firm, and built on experience. But the client threatened to pull the offer if we didn’t budge.

We would never let a candidate’s future be used as leverage — so we agreed, reluctantly. Six months later, on the exact day the guarantee ended, they terminated him. Claimed it was a “6-month contract” all along. Then they tried to get their money back.

But that wasn’t even the worst of it.

They kept asking us for more hires — and we did. We sent strong, qualified candidates. People who made it to case study stage. But they kept saying no. Not because the talent wasn’t there, but because they were too picky, constantly moving the goalposts…

❌ They lowballed top talent.

❌ They ran candidates through six interview rounds, only to offer them titles two levels below what they currently held.

❌ They told us our candidates weren’t “up to par” — all while hiring directly from their network people who didn’t come close to the qualifications they asked us to find.

Let’s call it what it is:

A complete waste of our time.

And total disregard for the value we bring.

Here’s the truth:

Choosing a headhunter isn’t just about who can send resumes fast.

It’s about finding a partner who understands your business, your hiring goals, and the market — and works with you collaboratively and respectfully to build something great.

If you want to lowball talent, ghost candidates, change terms after agreeing, or treat your recruiters like vending machines — we’re not the firm for you.

But if you want a strategic partner who will represent your brand with integrity, advocate for your business, and push for real results?

We’re already in your corner.

Because we don’t chase clients.

We choose them — the same way you should choose your recruitment partner.