At worst, headhunting is seen as expensive, manipulative and secretive: an unscrupulous business of networks and address books, lunches and cajolery.
Perhaps the “secrecy” tag is the most justified of those three misconceptions, for any service industry requiring a high level of discretion inevitably runs the risk of seeming mysterious.
Confidentiality and tact are central to both the success and the basic operation of executive search. Potential candidates cannot be compromised by explicit approaches in the workplace, and anonymity needs to be preserved until late in the process. As far as possible, the hunting has to be imperceptible to all but the hunted.