Are executive headhunters worth working with?

From inside the industry: 'headhunter' specifically means executive search consultants who work on retained mandates — paid upfront by the employer regardless of placement, typically 25-33% of first-year salary. This model only makes economic sense at senior levels: £100k+ in commercial roles, £150k+ in finance, £80k+ in education and non-profit. Below those thresholds, the search is contingent (paid only on placement) and uses different recruiter models.

The misconception about headhunters. Many candidates think 'headhunter' means any recruiter who contacts them directly via LinkedIn. Most of those contacts are agency recruiters working on contingent searches, not retained executive search consultants. The distinction matters because the relationships and access are very different. A retained search consultant has direct relationships with C-suite hiring committees; a contingent agency recruiter is racing to submit your CV before competitors do.

How retained search firms actually work. The employer commissions the firm to find a specific role (e.g. CMO at a £200m-revenue B2B SaaS company). The firm researches the universe of credible candidates — typically 50-100 people who could plausibly do the role — and produces a longlist. They contact 30-50 of those, interview 15-20 in detail, present a shortlist of 4-7 to the employer. The candidate who gets the role is one of those 4-7. They didn't apply; they were approached.

How to get on their radar. The candidates who get headhunter calls are the ones who are visible in their field — published thought leadership, conference speaking, well-maintained LinkedIn profiles, named contributions to industry conversations. The visibility takes years to build. There's no shortcut. Cold-emailing executive search firms with your CV almost never works because they're not looking at applications; they're researching the universe and approaching the people in it.

What to do when a headhunter calls. Take the call, even if you're not job-searching. Headhunter calls are the highest-quality conversations available about your career — the consultant has researched your background and can give you an honest read on the market for your level. The relationship matters more than any single role. Be candid about your current situation, your interests, and your timing.

How retained search consultants can actually help you. Even if their current role isn't a fit, they remember strong candidates. Six to eighteen months later, they have another role that fits. The conversation now is about your career trajectory, not a specific job. Build the relationship as a multi-year asset — most senior executive moves I've seen come from headhunter relationships built years before the actual move.

When NOT to engage. If a 'headhunter' calls you about a role significantly below your current level, they're not actually doing executive search — they're a contingent agency recruiter using the term loosely. Politely decline and move on. If they pressure you to commit before you've evaluated the role, that's a contingent recruiter under commission pressure, not a retained search consultant.

Specific firms in the UK. The major retained executive search firms operating at the top tier: Spencer Stuart, Egon Zehnder, Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds, Korn Ferry. Sector-specialist firms operating at slightly lower levels: Goodman Masson (finance), Eames (tech), Salt (digital and tech), MERJE (consultancy and professional services). The right one for you depends on your sector and seniority.