How do HeadHunters work and what are they?

I’m having trouble understanding their purpose.

Am I suppose to reach out to them or do they reach out to me. I’m an incoming FT and would like to understand how PE recruiting works.

To my understanding, they reach out to me as a potential candidate, if I get hired they get some sort of commission from the PE firm?

I would appreciate if someone could give me the rundown, how I can broaden and cast a larger HH net and how to best position myself for PE recruiting (networking, cold calling, spamming my resume in emails, how to get in touch with them, etc)

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They are recruiters, this isn’t some 1960’s relationship where you have to ask their parents for permission to date. Yes, recruiters will reach out to candidates they think are good fits for firms they work with, but nothing should stop you from reaching out to them. If you are interested in PE, find the large PE recruiters and have the conversations.

As for how it works, firms hire recruiters (at least the reputable ones) to fill openings they have. The firm pays the recruiting firm, either a fixed amount or based on how many candidates they find (agreements can differ by firm). 

You should research recruiters that reach out to you though. You want to work with reputable and trusted places. Some firms will fish for info, others will blast your resume out to firms they don’t have relationships with to try and get their foot in the door. It can be a mess. Only work with “good” firms. 

 

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