I have rewritten and helped revise a fair number of resumes (without charge to candidates) during my decades as a recruiter, but I've never offered my services for a fee, generally feeling that I should stick to what I enjoy most, which is the actual hands-on process of recruiting, itself. A few of my colleagues who enjoy writing offer their work and service for about $500 to $750 per resume, which I assume is a reasonable rate.



I'm curious about…

Why are Headhunter's fees usually 30% to 50% of a first-year salary for a placed candidate? I occasionally receive questions about the fee structure for placements I make as an Executive Recruiter/Headhunter, and thought it might be constructive to explain.



In the early days of the Industry (i.e. "Search") it was calculated by diligent researchers, economists, CEOs and hiring managers that the fair cost to a company, of NOT having a person in a needed role (i.e.…