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Headhunter or recruitment 

Which is the most suitable for your employee search?

The search for the best employees is an important task for any company. After all, every decision concerning personnel has a medium to long-term impact on the success of the company. But how do you find the specialists and executives who are suitable for your company? The decision concerning the type of service is not always an easy one to make, since the differences appear to be minor. Nevertheless, there are some indications that speak more in favour of headhunting or a personnel service provider.
The type of employment, the position to be filled and the qualifications that are required can be decisive for choosing one or the other option. As the market leader in personnel consulting, we'll show you the differences and provide you with some orientation for looking for employees.

Why does your company require a headhunter or recruiter?

The short and understandable answer is: time and resources. Because the direct search for qualified candidates involves a considerable amount of effort and costs a great deal of energy and money. You have to post job ads, review applications, carry out interviews and check references – all of which can be extremely time-consuming for everyone involved.

Headhunters and recruiters like Hays, on the other hand, already have a network of potential candidates at their disposal, and also have the experience and know-how to select the right applicants for your vacancies. Headhunters and personnel service providers also attach a great deal of importance to discretion: They carry out targeted searches without this becoming public knowledge, and without your company's employees finding out about it. Particularly with regard to key positions, a little tact is required. But what are the differences between headhunters and recruiters?

 

Licht
Licht
Licht

What is the difference between headhunting and a recruitment agency?

Be it headhunting or recruitment – both types of personnel search have the goal of finding qualified employees for a company (the client) and providing recruitment support. The only difference is the way in which the search is carried out and the other services that are provided. Headhunting is just one area of recruitment and personnel consulting, albeit a very important one.

What is a headhunter? Headhunting describes the procedure whereby specialised recruiters or companies search for and recruit highly qualified specialists and executives for specific positions by means of direct contact. This is usually proactive, and geared towards specific industries, roles or skills. Headhunters often receive a fee for their service which consists of a certain percentage of the annual salary of the position to be filled in many cases.

What is a headhunter? Headhunting describes the procedure whereby specialised recruiters or companies search for and recruit highly qualified specialists and executives for specific positions by means of direct contact. This is usually proactive, and geared towards specific industries, roles or skills. Headhunters often receive a fee for their service which consists of a certain percentage of the annual salary of the position to be filled in many cases.


Recruiting agencies are agencies or services which help companies to fill vacancies with suitable candidates. They use their networks, resources and expertise to identify, screen and suggest qualified applicants.

Recruiting agencies are agencies or services which help companies to fill vacancies with suitable candidates. They use their networks, resources and expertise to identify, screen and suggest qualified applicants.


Headhunting

  • Single order
  • Individual, targeted search
  • for individual positions
  • High-level job
  • in permanent employment (C-level such as CEO, CFO, CMO etc.) 

Personnel consulting

  • Individual order or permanent service as a partner 
  • Creation of a requirement profile 
  • Broad search in large pool of candidates for one, several or many positions
  • Search for specialists and executives with standard market qualifications 
  • in permanent employment, temporary employment or interim/project assignment (freelancer, service/work contract)
  • Accompanying personnel consulting

Why is Hays more than a headhunter?

As a leading personnel service provider, we at Hays specialise in finding highly qualified specialists and executives from a wide variety of industries using a wide range of recruiting and consulting solutions for your company, which distinguishes us from pure headhunters. We can provide you with highly qualified experts in middle management and senior positions, such as in the areas offinance, human resources, healthcare, sales and marketing.

As far as you are concerned, is the shortage of skilled workers becoming increasingly noticeable in the areas of education, engineering, human resources, procurement or IT? We can find your future employees quickly and easily by contacting them directly in our extensive pool of candidates with more than 700.000 specialists and executives.

Depending on your requirements and the legal situation, we will recruit specialists for you in permanent positions, by means of temporary employment, as freelancers under a work or service contract, and find personnel for your interim or project assignments at home and abroad.

Our services

Are you looking for personnel solutions which can be implemented within a very short time? Or would you prefer a large selection of technically highly qualified experts? And should the recruitment to be compliant and conform with your company's diversity and inclusion requirements? Here, too, our contact persons will advise you individually and support you with their know-how in the recruitment of personnel for your company.

The advantages of headhunting:

  • Access to passive candidates: Also reaches specialists who are not actively looking for a new job.
  • Time efficiency: Saves companies time when looking for candidates.
  • Industry knowledge: Makes use of specific knowledge for a targeted search.
  • Quality of the applicants: Headhunters only present high-quality candidates. 
  • Discretion: The guarantee of confidentiality for sensitive appointments. 
  • Conducting negotiations: Headhunters are used as intermediaries in salary negotiations.
  • Long-term relationships: Maintenance of relationships for future appointments.
  • Market knowledge: Helps companies to create attractive remuneration packages.

In return, you can find out more about the benefits of recruitment agencies.

How do you find the right headhunter or recruiter for your personnel search?

In order to start your personnel search with the right partner in the future, think carefully about the type of agent that is suitable for you and your needs. Answer the following questions for yourself to decide whether a headhunter or recruiter is the right choice for your goals:

  • Which position(s) do you want to fill?
  • How specific is this position?
  • Is it a general job placement?
Tipps

Our tip

The more specific the position to be filled is, the more advisable it is to cooperate with a headhunter. On the other hand, if you are looking for the right person for your general position or you required temporary staff, a recruitment agency will usually bring you faster results.

Arrow Pattern
Arrow Pattern
Arrow Pattern

In any case, it is important that you can trust your headhunter or recruiter and their experience in the respective industry. Recommendations from other companies or colleagues, as well as researching for evaluations and references for the intermediary, are a good option.

Hays Referenzen  Hays Referenzen  Hays Referenzen  Hays Referenzen  Hays Referenzen 

Hays Referenzen  Hays Referenzen  Hays Referenzen  Hays Referenzen

Ultimately, however, the chemistry between you and the personnel service provider must also be right – only then can you collaborate successfully and find qualified employees.

We would be pleased to support you with our recruitment solutions in order to successfully fill your vacancies.

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