Most people use the word headhunter interchangeably with placement agency. If having problems finding a job in this dismal economy, contact a headhunter, right? WRONG.

The definition of a headhunter is a recruiter of personnel (specializing in executives). Companies will use these recruiting firms to fill executive management or senior executive positions with qualified people who already have jobs. Placement agencies, on the other hand, find jobs for people in numerous fields and levels.

Headhunters are sought after by hiring companies, therefore their main objective is to fill the job, not to place job seekers, says John H. Bannick Jr. in his column at www.tiac.net/users/jbannick/column/colhead2-99.htm .

A company will contact a headhunter with a specific job that is needs to be filled. With this information, says Isaacson Miller, a local Boston recruiting firm, the consultant will research the company and define the objectives for the new executive needed. After background research has been conducted, the headhunter will 'actively pursue and recruit' the most qualified candidate.

'We consult closely with our client to identify industries, fields, target roles, and organizations where we might find candidates who match the requirements,' says Isaacson Miller. Some firms may go about their search by contacting other companies in attempt to recruit a candidate, while others may advertise in different publications or on relevant websites in hopes that someone will contact them.

Depending on the form of search however, the line between a headhunter and a placement agency may become blurred. Most websites, though titled under the category of headhunter, are actually nothing of the sort. If conducting a job search on the Internet, be cautious because some sites are misleading.

iGoHire, an executive search firm with an online job search, specifically states that their site is 'the only Internet based site supporting current and future executives in their career search process.' This Boston based firm offers support for both executives looking for a transition into a different job as well as corporations looking for new executives.

Like iGoHire, recruiting firms will sometimes speak to executives unhappy in their current job and place them with a client they have been working with if that executive is qualified. How this is different from job placement' The answer is that headhunters are only working with executive positions. While www.headhunter.net offers retail job searches, Isaacson Miller recruits for corporations from healthcare to research institutes. In addition, some recruiting firms specialize in different executive career fields. An executive looking for a job transfer should conduct a background check, so that they can match you with the right company.

Recruiting firms make their money from the hiring company by receiving a percentage of the candidate's base salary. Usually the individual headhunter will make commission off of the percentage that the firm received as a whole.

It is important to remember that headhunters are not interested in finding a job for everyone, they are only concerned with creating a successful match between their client, the company, and the potential candidate.

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