A specialist in executive recruiting is called an executive recruiter, executive search consultant, technical recruiter (if recruiting for technical jobs), and by that colorful term headhunter. Recruiters plying their profession on the Internet are sometimes called e-recruiters or e-cruiters.

By any name, the recruiter is a third-party professional in the pay of employers. (In-house recruiters, who are human resources department employees of the hiring company, are not considered third-party recruiters.) The recruiter is on a mission to find top-of-the-line employees and is not — hear this! — not working for you, the job seeker. No matter what a recruiter assures you, the recruiter's loyalty is to the source of business, the employer.

In slow job markets, recruiters prefer that you not bug them, especially by telephone — send in your resume and wait. In fast job markets, you can use e-mail to follow up a bit more often.