March 15, 2011 in Tips & Guides by Dawn Williams

Difference between Headhunter and Recruiter

What is the difference between a head hunter and a recruiter?

I have been asked this question several times and sometimes people feel that they are insulting you with the term head hunter. Often people use the term head hunter and recruiter interchangeably.

Some of the biggest differences are where you work and how you are paid.  Recruiters can be either internal or external. In some companies the folks responsible for finding talent are referred to as recruiters and their clients are the hiring managers within the organization. Recruiters can, and are most commonly; 3^rd party recruiters who find talent for a fee. Head hunters are always external to the organization and their clients are the companies that pay them.

Another difference is sometimes the way that recruiters and head hunters are paid. There are 2 different ways that 3^rd party recruiters are paid; by retainer or by contingency.  A retainer means that some of the fees are paid up front, prior to any work being done.  When a company wants a head hunter to go after a specific person, they will likely pay a retainer.  This is a very targeted search and the client and head hunter enter into an exclusive relationship.

Some recruiters are paid on a contingency basis. This means they get paid only when there is a placement.  Often these are not exclusive relationships but can be a long term relationship.

The more senior recruiters or executive recruiters and almost always get paid on retainer.

Head hunters tend to be great at “cold calling” someone who is not necessarily on the job market. They are used to speaking to passive candidates and bringing them to the table.

Both head hunters and recruiters work on permanent positions as opposed to agencies who do temp work and mass hirings.

When it is all said and done, there may not be any difference between a head hunter and recruiter. “ A rose by any other name…”