You need to hire an outside recruitment company but don't know how to start. Recruiting terminology makes you confused and unsure of which service is suitable for you. Wondering if a recruiting company and a headhunting company are the same? All these questions will be answered in detail in this article.
The common of recruitment and headhunting companies
Externally, on job portals, the recruitment agency will write HR Recruitment Agencies, and for headhunting companies, it will be Headhunting firms.
What both have in common is that third-party contractors support recruitment for businesses. At the same time, both will source candidates, select and support the interview process for businesses.
The difference between a recruitment company and a headhunting company
Although having the same purpose, two companies also have differences in the methods as well as others, as following:

- Difference in talent sources:
With recruitment companies, they will often look for regular positions, need little experience or need to recruit in bulk. And their source of applicants will include people who are actively looking for jobs with general skills. Recruiting companies will tend to work with many clients at the same time and can supply a lot of candidates to you in a short time frame.
As for headhunting companies, they will establish specialized networks in each specific industry. After that, they will search the entire market to find the best and most suitable candidate for the professional position regardless of their job status. It can be said that a headhunting company will be a good choice for you when you need to recruit important positions, senior positions or technical expertise in the business.
- Various business models:
Recruiting companies often work on various positions and only receive commissions when a candidate is hired. As for the headhunting company, there are two business models that are:
+The random model means that recruiters are only paid when their candidates are hired. And this model applies to mid-level positions.
+The prepaid model means that the recruiters receive a fee in advance; concretely, when signing the contract. After that, the remaining amounts will be paid during the recruitment process. This model is for senior and limited-time vacancies.
So which plan is right for your business?
If you are wondering whether to choose a recruitment agency or a headhunting company, there are something you need to pay attention to, as following:
- The demand of the number of employees
- Recruitment time
- Experience level of the candidate
- The common or specialized skills
- The recruitment budget
If your business is in development and needs a large number of new graduates with little experience, you should choose a recruitment company. With their talents, they will help you recruit a labour force for required positions in a short time.
But if you want to approach the high - quality candidates for positions such as managers, directors or technicians, etc., a headhunting company is the best solution.
Advice for you
When choosing and working with outsourcing recruitment service providers, it is most important that you have a clear job description to save time for both parties.
In addition, make sure you clearly require the number of candidates in an interview, the number of employees and recruitment time in the contract with the recruitment service provider.
If you still do not know how to choose the right and suitable human resource recruitment service, contact our hotline.