Headhunter

A headhunter is an external recruiter who specializes in finding candidates for hard-to-fill positions: executive, management or scarce technical profiles. They work on behalf of the company —which pays their fees— and don't wait for applications: they actively seek out professionals who often aren't even job hunting, frequently for openings that are never posted.

Headhunter, in-house recruiter and agency: the difference

• In-house recruiter: an employee of the company who manages all of its openings, from posting the ad to putting the offer together. They process the people who apply.
• Recruitment agency: an external provider that fills volume or mid-level positions; it charges per placement and usually runs several openings at once.
• Headhunter (executive search): proactively hunts senior or highly specific profiles, in confidential processes with a short list of candidates. They operate mostly in the hidden job market.

In all three cases the client is the company, not you: a serious headhunter never charges the candidate.

How to make headhunters work in your favor

• Be findable: a complete LinkedIn profile with your title, achievements and industry keywords is your main storefront.
• Always respond professionally, even when the offer doesn't interest you: it may not fit today, but headhunters remember who treated them well.
• Build the relationship long term: share referrals and stay in touch. Good headhunters come back with the right opening.

How Ingenium works on this

Ingenium's free 22-point diagnostic checks whether your LinkedIn is optimized so recruiters and headhunters can find you, and inside the Career Accelerator you work on that profile with your Career Coach. When the call comes, mock interviews prepare you to turn that conversation into a real process.