Companies that say “we can find candidates ourselves” often crash into reality.
They confuse sourcing with recruiting and end up with a spreadsheet, not a shortlist.
Anyone with Wi-Fi can “find” people. That’s sourcing. Not recruiting.
I know that HR staff, talent acquisition staff, and agency recruiters often mix the two. They think a Boolean search makes them headhunters. LOL, it doesn’t.
Finding people is basic identification. It’s looking up names, scrolling through profiles, and adding them to a spreadsheet.
- Zero persuasion
- Zero vetting
- Zero judgment
Five percent of recruitment is research. The other ninety-five percent is getting people to talk, engage, trust, and finally say yes. That’s the hard part.
A 25-year-old HR coordinator with a keyword search can do that part. It’s the polite way of saying that anyone with a LinkedIn account can type a few names into a search bar. But that does not mean they know what they are doing.
LinkedIn is a tool, not an open invitation
Having a LinkedIn profile does not necessarily mean someone is looking for a new job. Far from it.
People open LinkedIn accounts for many reasons: networking, business development, personal branding, or learning.
Many senior executives keep active profiles to share insights, not to find work.
Sadly, recruiters often assume that a profile equals availability, which is a lazy approach to recruitment and thinking.
A person’s LinkedIn activity does not reveal interest in moving. Even updating a headline or uploading a new photo might have nothing to do with job hunting.
If you are a recruiter or in talent acquisition, when approaching someone, do it with respect.
- Start by confirming whether they are open to a conversation.
- Stop pitching jobs to people who never said they were looking.
- That approach damages your reputation and wastes everyone’s time.
Professional headhunters know this difference. They identify who fits the role first, then assess interest. LinkedIn is a tool, not an open invitation.
It’s not more names you need
It’s not just about more names if you are headhunting for management-level talent.
You need someone who lives and breathes executive recruitment.
That’s where professional headhunters step in. We don’t just find people. We get them to say yes.
Recruiting, influencing, and convincing, that’s the real work.
- Approaching those people the right way, with credibility.
- Calling on senior executives in a way that makes them take you seriously.
- Assessing whether they fit the role, the company, and the leadership team.
- Managing their expectations about money, title, relocation, and risk.
- Keeping them engaged through rounds of interviews, counteroffers, and doubt.
- Closing the deal and staying close so they show up on day one.
- Navigating counteroffers and doubts that pop up late in the process.
- Closing the deal so they actually show up on day one.
Finding names is easy. Getting top managers to say yes is the hard part.
That’s why you need a headhunter who lives and breathes executive recruitment.
We approach, assess, and close with credibility.
We influence decisions, manage doubts, and make sure your chosen candidate walks in on day one.
