Hiring guide
How to Hire a Headhunter
How to find a headhunter: retained vs contingency, AESC and REC membership, a search-plan work sample, red flags and how to brief an executive search.
The short answer
Hiring a Headhunter comes down to verifying market mapping: building a target list of companies and named people before outreach, approaching passive candidates with a credible, accurate pitch and structured competency-based assessment interviews before you commit interview time. The process below runs 5 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: Sends CVs within days without having discussed a search strategy or target list
- Watch for: Will not say which companies are off-limits because they are existing clients
- Score on: Quality and specificity of the search plan
- Score on: Understanding of your market and competitors
Paste your Headhunter job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →Knowing how to find a headhunter matters most when a senior or hard-to-fill role is not filling from applications and your own network. A headhunter, or executive search consultant, approaches people who are not looking, assesses them and manages a confidential process to offer. This guide covers both routes: engaging an executive search firm, and hiring a headhunter into your own talent team. It explains where to look, what to test, red flags and how to brief or onboard them.
Why this role matters
For leadership and niche roles, the best candidates are usually employed and not applying. A good headhunter maps the market, reaches those people with a credible pitch, assesses them rigorously and keeps both sides informed. A poor one sends CVs from a database, misrepresents your company or the candidate, and can damage your reputation in a small market.
Where to find candidates
- AESC (Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants) member firms, which commit to AESC's code of professional practice
- REC (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) and APSCo members in the UK
- Specialist boutique search firms in your sector, found through peers who have recently hired at a similar level
- Board members, investors and portfolio talent partners, who often keep a shortlist of search firms
- Experienced researchers and consultants at search firms, if you are building an in-house executive search function
- LinkedIn searches for consultants with a track record of placements in your function and region
Skills to look for
Red flags
- Sends CVs within days without having discussed a search strategy or target list
- Will not say which companies are off-limits because they are existing clients
- Pushes for exclusivity without explaining what you get in return
- Shares candidate details without the candidate's consent
- Cannot name recent placements at a similar level, even anonymised by sector
- Vague about what happens if the placed person leaves early
The interview process
- 1
Initial call
Discuss recent searches at your level and sector, their model (retained, contained or contingency) and who will actually do the research and calls.
- 2
Search plan work sample
Share a short brief for a real or past role and ask for a written search plan: target companies, the profile of ideal candidates, the pitch, likely objections and an assessment approach. A job simulation of briefing a hiring manager and planning a search is one option when comparing in-house candidates.
- 3
Meet the delivery team
Meet the consultant and researcher who will run the search, not only the partner who pitches.
- 4
References from clients and placed candidates
Ask clients about shortlist quality and communication. Ask placed candidates how accurately the role was described to them.
- 5
Terms review
Agree off-limits rules, guarantee or replacement terms, confidentiality and data handling in writing. Fees vary by firm, so check their terms directly.
Start the Headhunter interviews from a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Headhunter job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Quality and specificity of the search plan
- Understanding of your market and competitors
- Assessment method and how they evidence candidate claims
- Transparency on off-limits companies and conflicts
- Feedback from clients and placed candidates
- Fit between the delivery team and your hiring committee
Onboarding
- 1Give a detailed brief: the business context, what success in the role looks like and why the last person left
- 2Agree who on your side approves the shortlist and how fast they will give feedback
- 3Share your interview process and scorecards so their assessment matches yours
- 4Set a weekly update on market response and pipeline
- 5For an in-house headhunter, give access to your ATS, LinkedIn Recruiter seat and leadership calendars early
Common questions
What is the difference between a headhunter and a recruiter?
The terms overlap. Headhunter usually means someone who proactively approaches passive candidates, often for senior roles. Recruiter is broader and includes people who manage applicants for many roles.
Should I use a retained or contingency headhunter?
Retained search suits senior, confidential or hard roles where you want a dedicated process. Contingency suits roles where several sources could produce the hire. Check each firm's terms on their site or in their proposal.
How do I check a headhunter is reputable?
Look for AESC, REC or APSCo membership, speak to recent clients and placed candidates, and ask how they handle off-limits and confidentiality.
I am a job seeker. How do I find a headhunter?
Identify firms that place people in your function and level, connect with their consultants on LinkedIn, and keep your profile current. Headhunters work for the hiring company, so they contact people who match live searches.
Hiring a Headhunter? Start with a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Headhunter job description, finds candidates, reaches out to them and runs an AI job simulation of the real work, then ranks them for you.
1,500+
assessments completed
50%
faster time-to-hire
5 min
from JD to assessment
No credit card · 10 free candidates · Plans sized to your hiring volume
From the blog