Insights
Headhunting or executive search – which do you need?
Both methods rest on approaching candidates rather than waiting for applications. The difference lies in seniority, confidentiality and how the assignment is paid for: headhunting is used broadly for managers and specialists, while executive search is reserved for CEO and management roles.
Written by Jonas Renander
Comparison
| Headhunting | Executive search | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical roles | Specialists, managers, hard-to-fill profiles | CEO, C-level, management team, board |
| Method | Targeted outreach across a defined market | Retained search with systematic mapping |
| Confidentiality | Discreet, but the assignment is rarely secret | Often fully confidential, including internally |
| Payment | Fixed fee, usually in two parts | Retained, invoiced in three parts |
| Time to candidates | 2–4 weeks | 4–6 weeks to shortlist |
| Material per candidate | Written assessment | In-depth interview, references and testing where needed |
| Follow-up | Through the probation period | Six months of onboarding follow-up |
Choose headhunting when
- The role is hard to advertise for but not sensitive to talk about.
- You already know roughly which companies the right people sit in.
- You need first candidates within a month.
- You can run the interviews and the decision yourselves.
Choose executive search when
- The role is CEO, C-level or another post accountable for the whole business.
- The process must stay confidential, sometimes even from the current post-holder.
- A board or owner makes the decision and needs comparable material.
- A mis-hire would cost several times the fee.
What does the difference cost?
Executive search costs more, because the mapping is wider, the assessment deeper and the work continues after the start date. OGR sets a fixed fee in both cases, tied to the complexity of the assignment rather than the candidate's salary. See the pricing model.
Can you switch method mid-assignment?
Yes. A headhunting assignment that turns out to need confidentiality or board anchoring can be rewritten as retained search, with the work already done credited. In most cases, though, the choice is clear after the first conversation about the role.