Differences in Military Headhunters and Military Recruiters

If you need help finding a job after the military, one the best tools for a successful job search is working with a headhunter or recruiter. While headhunters and recruiters may seem synonymous, there exist many differences between the two career fields, which not only vary in their approach to a candidate's job search, but can also be the difference between a successful career search and a struggling one.

Read on to learn the difference between headhunters and recruiters, and how a military recruiter at Orion Talent can help you find a job and make your military to civilian job transition a smooth process.

Headhunters work in a variety of industries, and are most common in the corporate, sales, and engineering fields. While they can work in headhunter firms, many headhunters work alone. Headhunters traditionally work with a “passive” candidate, or a candidate that may not be seeking new employment. A headhunter finds potential candidates by targeting industries that are similar to their client's, calling employees that are in that particular career field or position.

Typically a headhunter works with candidates that may or may not be seeking employment.  They are less interested in a candidate's employment status, and more interested in if they are a good fit for the position their client is trying to fill.

As a result, a headhunter engages the potential candidate to see if they would be open to a career move, and attempts to sell them on why they should consider a change (most specifically, to their client). Headhunters are only involved in the initial finding stage of the hiring process, and do not have a presence in any additional part of employment.

Recruiters are similar to headhunters in that they work to understand what motivates a candidate, but they do not recruit candidates out of a targeted industry - in the case of the recruiters at Orion Talent, the military. Recruiters provide advice and guidance to help those finding a job to be able to begin a career, and are usually involved in more than just the initial contact of the hiring process.

For those looking for a job after the military, the biggest difference between working with a recruiter at Orion Talent versus a military headhunter specializing in veteran recruiting is that Orion specializes in military transition, most specifically jobs for Military Officers, Technicians, and Non-commissioned Officers.

"Since we (the recruiters) are veterans ourselves, we can give clear direction on what the transition is like, why the company may be a good fit, and sound steps along the way," states Mike Wood, Senior Recruiter and Training Lead at Orion Talent.

The military recruiters at Orion Talent are a great tool for veterans and those transitioning from the military. They can offer guidance through a very stressful and difficult process, provide recommendations on career fields that may be overlooked, and offer resume and interview preparation services. "Recruiters can translate your skills to an employer," adds Wood.

If you are ready to begin your career search, register to start working with a military recruiter at Orion today.

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