headhunt
HED-hunt
/ˈhedhʌnt/
To identify and approach a suitable person employed elsewhere to fill a high-level position.
Headhunting is proactive and often aggressive; the person being 'hunted' usually isn't looking for a new job.
The story behind the word. The term is borrowed from the anthropological practice of certain tribes who kept the heads of their enemies as trophies. In business, the 'head' is the talented individual being taken from another 'tribe' (company).
Word relationships
- executive search: This is the more formal, polite term for headhunting.
Commonly confused with
- recruit: Recruiting is fishing with a net (waiting for applicants); headhunting is fishing with a spear (targeting one person).
Word family
- headhunter (noun): A person or agency that specializes in headhunting.
Collocations
- headhunt an executive
- be headhunted
- headhunting firm
Example sentences
- "The board decided to headhunt a new CFO from one of their primary competitors." Executive Search
- "If you want to be headhunted, you need to maintain a high profile in your industry." Career Advice
Memory hook
Imagine a hunter specifically looking for the 'head' (the leader) of another group. Headhunt = Target the leader.
When not to use
Don't use it for entry-level hiring; it almost exclusively refers to executives or highly specialized experts.
Fun facts
- The first business use of 'headhunter' appeared in the 1950s as corporate competition for talent intensified.
Explore more words
recruitment, proselytize, abduct, spearhead, Hostile, interrogate
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