How internal recruitment teams work with external recruitment firms for their hard-to-fill hires.

My post about Headhunters went viral.

But the comments section revealed a truth…

Most people don't understand the recruitment industry.

Last week, my post about headhunters not posting job ads sparked quite a (healthy) debate. 

With nearly 800,000 views, I was surprised to see SO many misconceptions in the comments.

Most people (even those working in HR) weren't clear on the different types of recruiters.

So, let me clarify…

Internal Recruiters work directly for one company - they're the in-house talent acquisition team.

They manage their company's ATS, post job ads, review applications, handle boomerang employees (those returning to the company), and occasionally do local headhunting. 

Recruitment Agencies typically work with multiple clients, filling positions through job postings, their existing candidate database, and some direct outreach. 

They often work on contingency (only paid when a placement is made).

Headhunters - that's me - 99% of the time, focus exclusively on passive candidates - those not actively looking for jobs. 

We don't post ads because that doesn’t add any value.

Instead, we meticulously map the market, approach highly specific talent, and persuade top performers to consider new opportunities.

So, when internal recruiters partner with headhunters, rather than general recruiters, they're not duplicating efforts. 

The headhunter approaches a talent pool that the internal team can't easily access, creating a complementary & epic strategy.

That’s why the best results come when internal teams and specialised headhunters work together. 

So, next time you're struggling to fill a challenging role, ask yourself…

Do I need someone to help with my existing recruitment process?

Or do I need someone to access talent I can't reach through traditional methods?