Recruiter x Headhunter: differences and advantages

Both belong to the world of recruiting and play similar roles, so they are often confused. Today, we're here to tell you the differences and advantages of each.

First, we need to understand that: yes, there is a similarity in the functions that these two positions perform. 

It is even common for people to refer to headhunters and recruiters as synonyms for the same objective. Both have the mission of finding candidates for a vacancy, but the difference lies in the involvement of each one of these professionals with the selection process.

What is a Headhunter?

This is the person who actively searches for the best talent for the hiring company.

Hunters can work in consulting firms and companies, but also as freelancers and as temps to help in the process of defining, searching, selecting, and hiring for a specific position.

What does a Headhunter do?

To deliver their work, it is necessary to identify the needs, the objectives and even the culture of the company, since this is fundamental to find and analyze candidate people according to the vacancy profile.

This hunter will actively search for ideal professionals. For this, he uses his deep market knowledge, his large networking network, and talent search tools such as LinkedIn. After surveying, evaluating, and interviewing some candidates, a shortlist of the best options is sent to the hiring company, which then makes its selection.

After sending the shortlist, some paths may be followed, but, in general, the Headhunter's involvement in the selection process still goes through the stages of feedbacks, directing the candidate, scheduling interviews, until the hiring and payment for their services.

What is a Recruiter? 

Usually, these are people who work in the talent acquisition, or recruitment, verticals of the HR department.

In many cases, this is the person responsible for the selection process from start to finish, from understanding the demand with the requesting area, to hiring professionals (or, as we will talk about further down, even beyond).

What does a Recruiter do?

It creates the recruitment plan together with the department that is requesting the position, defines the internal hiring goals, advertises the vacancies, selects the resumes of the candidates, makes the first contact and screening, conducts the interviews, and finally, hires the candidates.

Besides active recruitment, many times they are also responsible for passive recruitment, which is the one that captures candidate people through vacancy announcements and applications.

Likewise, depending on the size and profile of the company, this is also the person who can get involved in other daily HR tasks, such as personnel department issues (payroll, vacation schedules, etc.), training and development, employer branding actions, among other functions.

What are the advantages of hiring a headhunter? 

Whether the headhunter is freelance, hired in a consulting firm, outsourced company, or part of a marketplace of headhunters, their focus is on active recruitment, also known as hunting.

Headhunters are able to approach professionals who are not on the radar of common selection processes and who, many times, are also not actively searching for new possibilities in the market.

Counting on the help of headhunters in your recruitment process can bring several benefits and can be crucial in closing vacancies, improving the experience of all involved:

• Because their tasks are 100% focused on active recruitment, they count on more availability to actively find the ideal candidate person for a vacancy, generating well qualified and assertive shortlists;
• They usually have expertise in a specific area (technology, finance, digital products, etc) and can work with vacancies of various seniorities, even C-suites;
• They have a great networking;
• They leave the HR of the hiring company free to take on other initiatives.

What are the advantages of hiring a Recruiter?

• Usually, the person is already a collaborator in the company;
• Participates in the selection process from end to end, and can also help with other tasks in the HR sector;
• They are immersed in the company's culture on a daily basis and deeply understand its business and demands.

Headhunters Marketplace, do you know what it is?

A headhunters marketplace, such as 99Hunters, aims to connect companies with recruitment needs to a community that unites thousands of freelance recruiters around the world to work simultaneously on your vacancy.

Freelance Headhunter x Headhunters Marketplace: what is the difference?

As we have already mentioned, a headhunter can work for companies and consulting firms, but also independently. But what is the difference between a freelance headhunter who works individually and a headhunter who is part of a marketplace of headhunters such as 99Hunters?

Freelance Headhunter

They price their work, for the most part, through the successful delivery of each vacancy. With their extensive networking, they generally work on an individual basis, using profile search tools to find the candidates most aligned with the position.

They have expertise in a specific area and manually monitor and control the stages of the selection process.

Headhunters Marketplace (99Hunters)

It has several commercial models to suit the needs of each company, and can work with individual vacancies or packages with attractive values.

It amplifies the reach, efficiency and agility in the delivery of your vacancy, counting on the networking power of up to 7 headhunters working per position. In addition, it has a team of executives who double-check the quality of all candidates referred by headhunters, providing a more personalized and dedicated service to each vacancy and client.

The community is full of headhunters with different specialties, such as business, technology, high-ranking vacancies, international vacancies, among others. In addition to a super easy-to-use platform for the company to manage its entire selection process by itself, evaluating and approving candidates, giving feedback and scheduling interviews.

After the vacancy is concluded, the company still receives insights about the stages of the selection process and the candidates involved in it, besides counting on 99Hunters' support in all feedbacks since the beginning of the recruitment, since the company is focused on providing the best possible experience for its candidates, headhunters and clients, or hiring companies.

What is best for my company?

Looking at the advantages of each one, we understand that the recommendation will vary according to your company's needs, so it is very important that this be taken into consideration when deciding on the hiring model.

Besides, one function does not annul the importance of the other, since several 99Hunters clients have recruiters on their teams, hiring our solution for specific vacancies and projects.

In this way, your recruiters can conduct some selection processes, support others, and have more time to work on other HR tasks, if this is your case. Meanwhile, the headhunters marketplace, or the outsourcing company of your choice, can take the jobs that your team has a harder time filling, such as urgent vacancies, with high demand (like in the technology sector), or with a very specific profile that is unlikely to actively apply for a vacancy.

If you need help with your recruitment, you can count on us!

And if you want to join the largest global community of freelance headhunters, register for free on our platform: