Recruiter

A recruiter is a professional whose job is to find, screen, and present qualified candidates for open positions. Understanding who a recruiter works for shapes how you should approach the relationship. **Types of recruiters:** **Corporate / in-house recruiter**: Employed directly by a company. They recruit exclusively for that employer. Their job is to fill positions for their company with the best available talent. **Agency recruiter / headhunter (retained or contingency)**: Works for a staffing or executive search firm. Recruited on behalf of client companies. They only get paid when they successfully place a candidate — creating an incentive to move quickly and present the strongest candidates. **Retained recruiter**: Paid upfront by the company regardless of outcome. Used for senior and executive searches. They run exclusive, confidential searches. **Contingency recruiter**: Paid only if their candidate is hired. May be competing with other agencies for the same role. **RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcer)**: A company that fully outsources its recruiting function to an external firm. They act like an in-house team but are employed by a vendor. **How to work with recruiters:** Be clear about your requirements — target title, compensation range, location constraints, preferred industries. Recruiters can only place you if they understand your parameters. Respond promptly; good opportunities move fast. Don't work with too many agencies simultaneously — you risk having multiple agencies submitting your resume to the same company, which creates complications.