I applied for a position online through the employers website after a strong recommendation by a colleague.
A couple of days later a recruiter contacted me about the same position. I took the opportunity to ask them if they knew what the salary range was since they were recruiting for the position. The recruiting firm took it upon themselves to market me to this employer. We had no agreement or arrangement at all.
Now the employer will not interview me on their own unless the recruiting firm concedes their fee. I am not sure how this works since I applied for the position on my own before ever speaking to anyone. I have decided to inform the hiring manager that I plan to withdraw my application from the employer website and cease all communication with the recruiter. That way the recruiter is no longer involved.
How long should I wait to reapply for the position to ensure that the recruiter can't lay claim to me?