The term head hunter is used to refer to executive recruiters who specialize in recruiting job seekers to fill executive positions in their organizations or client companies. Executive search (informally headhunting) maybe carried out by the board of directors or executives of an organization, or a third party recruiting agency. Headhunters are generally considered more aggressive than in-house recruiters as they have industry experience and reliable contacts and sources.

Head hunters are specialized executives skilled in the job of finding the right candidate for the right position in the organization. These recruiters are focused on finding candidates, who exactly match the qualifications as specified by their clients, rather than finding the most talented or deserving candidate.

Executive recruiters are mostly hired as third party recruiters often when normal in-house recruitment efforts fail. They maybe employed and paid on a contractual or retained basis to help recruit appropriate candidates suitable for various positions.

Firms who are engaged by organizations on a contractual basis are paid only when a search is completed and the hired individual has joined the client’s organization. Again, headhunters who work on retainer basis generally get a majority of their remuneration before the search is complete. They are typically small operations that make high margins on the candidate’s annual compensation if the candidate is successfully placed.

Executive recruiters act as a matchmaker and ensure that top level as well as technical-specialist positions are filled up with eligible candidates. They carry out extensive research work and maintain regular database of resumes and profiles of deserving candidates. They search and locate the candidate, prepare him for an interview, negotiate the salary and finally recruit him for the client house.

They use advance sales techniques, such as visiting candidate office to gather employee contacts. Most of them are tech-savvy and employ various media sources such as advertising and networking to locate the best-suited candidate.

Again they utilize various research methods with the help of internet, industry associations and directories to generate and maintain an efficient database. Headhunters often attend trade shows and other meetings nationally or even internationally that may be attended by potential candidates and hiring managers. They may network, cultivate relationships with various companies, maintain large databases, purchase company directories or candidate lists, and then contact prospective recruits.

Executive search is an extremely lucrative industry and successful consultants can earn large sums. They are members in good standing of industry trade groups and associations. Headhunters are not just a valuable asset for businesses houses, but also for job seekers as they get placed at a position which is most suitable based on their qualifications, expectations and preference.