What to Expect When Approaching a Headhunter – Outside an Active Executive Search Assignment

Thirteen years ago, when I had just three years of experience in my job, I visited my uncle, a professor of electrical engineering. He asked me what I did for a living, and I replied, "I'm a headhunter" - it seemed to be the simplest way to explain my role. He looked at me and said, "Well, anyone can do that."

And he had a point.

But my spontaneous answer then is still the one I’d give today: "You're right. The only real questions are: How do you do it? And for how long?"

The Purpose of This Article

This article is for candidates who consider reaching out to a headhunter outside of an active executive search process - with the hope of starting a dialogue, exploring options, or gaining perspective.

We’ve observed that candidates often place high hopes in such contacts - especially when their career situation is in motion. And it’s entirely understandable: for many, contact with a headhunter is rare and carries the promise of progress: The headhunter has the expertise to advise and provide potential access to the “hidden job market.”

However, unmet expectations can lead to disappointment - especially when roles, processes, and limitations aren’t clearly understood. We also hear from candidates who felt misled or disappointed by other firms. That’s why we wrote this article: to offer guidance, clarity, and a practical framework for productive interactions with executive search consultants.

Not All Headhunters Are the Same

Headhunting is a fragmented market. Not every "headhunter" operates the same way.

Some work as “agents”, on contingency, initiating contact with companies on behalf of candidates and earning a placement fee. Others – “true” executive search consultants - are typically retained by the client to manage a structured, discreet process, with the clear objective of solving a leadership need.

If they do their job well, these consultants aim to create a sustainable solution for both company and candidate, but it remains to be a project business.

In this model, consultants are bound to mandates. A proactive "door-opening" approach - presenting a candidate without a defined client need - is rare and mostly driven by goodwill. We (subjectively) do not even consider an initiative presentation to be a business model, because we cannot guarantee the result.

Contingent recruiters, on the other hand, often work with broader functional or sector coverage. While they may have a larger network of open contacts, they usually operate with less client intimacy and lower influence on hiring decisions. Very few of them would advise you against accepting an offer.

The dilemma? Headhunters are rare who combine scale, access on one hand, and deep market understanding and unbiased advice on the other hand. In most cases, you get one or the other - not both. Time to adjust your expectations?

Who Is the Consultant’s Client - Now and Later?

Let’s focus from here on out exclusively on retained executive search consultants.

It’s worth repeating: Executive search consultants are engaged by companies - not by candidates.

Some candidates believe: “If I build a relationship with this consultant now, I might be able to return the favor later by hiring them when I’m in a leadership role.”

While this might seem fair in theory, it doesn’t change the nature of the interaction today. The consultant’s attention is committed to current mandates. Future reciprocity is uncertain. From the candidate’s side, it’s often not feasible to guarantee any form of return:

• You don’t know when or if you’ll be in a decision-making role

• You may not have the only decision power to commission a search

• You may not even remember the interaction when the time comes

• You may have spoken with several headhunters, and now you need to decide for one

Our observation is clear: Even when both sides express good intentions, the logic of an intimate, bilateral support rarely holds in practice: Despite all efforts, the candidate cannot rely on the consultant for active job placement. The consultant cannot count on the candidate for future business.

How We Handle Initiative Candidate Contact

We understand why candidates reach out to executive search consultants like us. Especially in phases of transition, it’s natural to seek outside perspective.

However, if we followed up on every contact in the way many candidates hope for - opened doors, reconnected later, shared updates - the accumulated time investment would easily exceed 10-15 hours per week. It adds up easily if not limited, and that’s simply not feasible within a model built around client mandates and obligations.

How do we react on that? We reserve 30-minute introductory calls for selected cases - where we believe we can add real value.

In those calls, we aim to:

• Offer a concise, external perspective

• Reflect how the candidate may be perceived in the market

• Suggest practical next steps - such as how to activate their own network or consider relevant directions

In rare cases (if they occur), we may open doors to a relevant contact. But that’s always without commitment - and based on opportunity, not obligation.

In every coaching session we deliver on career navigation, we discuss headhunters as one (among several) channels in a job search. But it’s not a primary channel. We recommend leveraging existing contacts - those headhunters you already know or happen to meet.

We also say clearly what this article explains: You don’t pay the headhunter - so for them, it’s pro bono work.

What to Expect Inside a Search Process

Once a candidate is part of an active executive search, the expectations shift.

There’s now a mutual commitment. The consultant is engaged to manage a high-quality process - for both the client and the candidate.

In this context, candidates can expect:

• Timely, honest feedback

• Clarity on process and positioning

• In-depth perspectiveeven if the match doesn’t materialize

These insights aren’t guaranteed - but they’re often a natural result of deeper engagement within a search.

Conclusion: A Guide to Engaging with Headhunters

Approaching a headhunter can be worthwhile - when the mechanics behind it are understood.

• Executive search consultants work on behalf of companies - not individuals.

• Personal goodwill has its place - but shouldn’t build unrealistic expectations.

• Useful input may come in short, one-off conversations - not in ongoing support.

• The real value often lies in perspective: on positioning, potential, and direction.

And if you do enter an active search process, you can expect clarity, feedback, and access to relevant insight.

However, we also see clear demand for more structured, professional support in career navigation.

Stay tuned: Later this summer, we’ll introduce a new offering that builds on exactly these needs - based on 15 years of experience and thousands of conversations.