I have worked in a recruitment agency and now work within HR Resourcing.

As a consultant I worked in Staffordshire. I recruited senior IT contract workers - £350 - 600 per day working in London mainly. How would this type of account management/recruitment compare to headhunting? -  is this much more focused upon contacting senior mangers currently working for the top organisations in that sector?

I was wondering if anyone would provide me with information on Headhunting - how it varies to senior recruitment consultancy and exec search and selection.  Who are the key players- particularly in the North West.

How would a career in headhunting compare to HR and agency recruitment consultancy?   I hope to grow within HR and attain a long-term generalist career – how would headhunting compare?

I was also wondering what type of background/experience is necessary for a career in headhunting?

The key difference between normal agency recruitment and "headhunting" is in the pursuit of the candidate.

"Headhunting" is usually referred to in senior placements- e.g. director level, where relationship building with the candidate is sometimes more important than the client.

You may find your IT experience may help in this as the Business Intelligence market is really picking up now especially as Headhunting agencies can be used for non senior niche positions.

The key two skills required here are relationship building and research skills in order to find that elusive candidate and have a ready made client to sell him/her in to.

To be honest with you, if you wish to pursue a career in HR as a generalist, you would be better off seeking an In-house recruitment position. This is how I got my "break" into HR and I would recommend it to anyone.

Best of luck to you.

I would tend to agree with JR and his comments re a generalist HR career. That is what I did a number of years ago, having worked first in the City as an IT recruiter in a Search and Selection firm and then I made the move in-house - to one of my clients no less!!

Once you have made the move, you can start to build your generalist HR credentials by switching into other roles, by taking your CIPD quals or taking a Masters degree in an HR related subject (recommended option, as they usually come with all the CIPD bits as well!).  After that the world is your oyser.

Personally, although I progressed my HR career I stayed as a recruitment/resourcing specialist - that may be an alternative career path for you. And remember you can always move back to the supplier side at a later stage.

Mark Gilbertosn