猎头（Headhunting或Executive Search），是一种于欧美十分流行的人才招聘方式，意思即指「网罗高级人才」。猎头与一般的企业招聘、人才推荐和职业介绍服务的不同是，猎头追逐的目标都盯在高学历、高职位、高价位三位一体的人身上，它搜寻的是那些受教育程度高、实践经验丰富、业绩表现出色的专业人才和管理人才，是一种帮助公司企业招聘高级候选人的人才中介机构。

专业的猎头顾问一般具有良好的人事经理经验，为企业提供人力资源开发指导性建议，提供候选人才的真实情况并进行坦诚交流，阅历丰富，或从事过较高的职位，以提供有参考价值的意见。专业的猎头顾问严守行业规范和职业操守，具备高超的沟通能力和技巧，准确全面的了解客户真正需要。有些猎头顾问还具备较深的心理学、人际关系学等知识。这种专业服务从人员质量及招聘成本上均被许多企业所认可。

Executive search (informally headhunting) is a specialized recruitment service used to source candidates for senior, executive or other highly specialised positions in organizations. The method usually involves commissioning a third-party organization, typically an executive search firm but possibly a standalone consultant, to research the availability of suitable candidates working for competitors or related businesses. Having identified possible recruits that match the client's requirements, the executive search firm may act as an intermediary to investigate whether the individual might be interested in moving to a new employer and also carry out initial screening of the candidate, negotiations on remuneration, and the employment contract.