What does a recruiter do? Who they work for, and how to work with them.
Recruiters can open doors, but they work for the employer, not for you. Knowing which kind you're talking to tells you what they can do and what to expect.
A recruiter finds and screens candidates for an employer's open roles. Internal recruiters work for one company; agency recruiters work for staffing or search firms that fill roles for several client companies; executive recruiters, often called headhunters, fill senior roles. In each case the employer is their client. A recruiter can introduce you to roles and advise on fit, but they don't run your job search for you.
Types of recruiter
Internal (in-house) recruiters
Employees of the hiring company. They post roles, screen applicants, schedule interviews and manage offers.
Agency recruiters
Work for staffing or recruitment firms and fill roles for client employers, including temporary and contract roles.
Executive recruiters (headhunters)
Focus on senior and specialist roles, often approaching people who aren't actively looking.
Recruiter vs headhunter
'Headhunter' usually means an external recruiter who seeks out candidates, often for senior roles. All headhunters are recruiters; not all recruiters are headhunters.
What it means for you
Because the employer is the client, a recruiter's job is to match you to roles they're filling, not to find you any job.
2 copy-ready templates
Illustrative: names, companies, dates and numbers in these templates and examples are fictional. Replace every bracket with your own true details before you use anything.
Introduce yourself to an agency recruiter
When to use: To a recruiter who specialises in your field.
Hi [Name], I'm a [title] with [years] years in [specialism], looking for [type of role] in [location / remote]. Recent results include [one or two]. If you're working on roles like this, I'd be glad to talk. Resume attached. [Your name]
Reply to an internal recruiter's outreach
When to use: When a company recruiter contacts you about a role.
Hi [Name], thank you for reaching out about the [Role] position. It sounds interesting, especially [aspect]. I'm available for a call on [two time options]. Could you share the job description and the salary range beforehand? Best, [Your name]
Disclosure: TryHired makes HIRED, a paid job-search program, so we have a conflict of interest when we mention it. Everything on this page is free to use without buying anything.
Which recruiter can help
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You want a role at one specific company | Its internal recruiters. |
| Contract or temp work | Agency recruiters in your field. |
| Senior or specialist roles | Executive recruiters who cover your field. |
| Career change | Recruiters rarely place career changers; lean on your network. |
The same move, done two ways
Illustrative example with fictional details.
| Version | Example |
|---|---|
| Weak | Expecting an agency recruiter to find you 'any job' across five unrelated fields. |
| Strong | Contacting two agency recruiters who specialise in accounting roles, with a clear target title and salary range. |
Why it matters: Recruiters fill specific roles for clients. Clear targets in their specialism make you easy to place.
Mistakes to avoid
- Expecting a recruiter to act as your career coach.
- Sending the same resume to dozens of agencies.
- Not asking which client the role is with before your details are submitted.
- Ignoring internal recruiters at target companies.
Keep going
Questions people ask
Do recruiters work for me or the employer?
Is a headhunter the same as a recruiter?
Should I pay a recruiter?
Can a recruiter help me change careers?
How this page is built
Written by Maid Dizdarevic, a career coach and 8x LinkedIn Top Voice. The steps, scripts and timing guides are practical advice, labelled as advice. We do not publish response rates, success rates or shares of employers, and every example uses fictional details.
- How a specific employer, recruiter or manager will act: practices vary by company, industry and person.
- Legal advice: for contracts, background-check disputes, pay classification or a termination, talk to an employment attorney, the U.S. Department of Labor or your state agency.
- Outcomes: no message, plan or program can promise an interview, a raise or a job.
- TryHired editorial guidance by Maid Dizdarevic, career coach, Nov 4, 2026.