Telling a recuiter you took another offer

[bluescrubs, ADN, ASN, RN]

What's the best possible way to tell a recruiter that you took an offer somewhere else? I have different recruiters for different agencies as I am trying to find the best job pay wise and location. I managed to secure a job that's less than an hour away from my moms house therefore I would save so much on hotel, food, etc.  The only real expense I would have is gas and tolls. The recruiter texted me saying they have good news and called but I was unable to answer the phone. Does anyone else feel a little guilty when you take an offer somewhere else after a recruiter has put in a lot of work submitting you to places?

[NedRN]

No. Do you feel guilty not buying a new car from a dealer who tried really hard to find you the car you wanted at the price you wanted? Recruiters understand the game.

That said, you should be open with them and tell them you are working with other agencies. If they object, they are certainly not a good fit for you (or any traveler in my opinion). Ideally, a recruiter knowing you are a free agent traveler will make them work harder to get you into a good assignment fast before another recruiter locks up your services with a contract.

Your responsibility is simply to keep your agencies informed of your availability status. No best way, just the facts of the matter. You do not have to tell them the details of the assignment that you took, that just leads to potentially both of you feeling bad - like when they now tell you that they had the same assignment and could have paid you $5 more an hour!

[caramelwolf089, BSN, RN]

They should be able to understand, companies are looking at the most qualified applicants as well as applicants looking at the best fitting companies. Just be respectful and maybe even give a brief reason.

[bluescrubs, ADN, ASN, RN]

Thanks for the advice. I emailed him and he seemed understanding. With this second wave the rates are going up and I'm trying to make the most out of it. I just had a bad experience with a different recruiter when I told him I took another offer. It was like he was insulted that I didn't want the bread crumbs that he and the facility was offering