Hunter vs. Farmer: Which Type of Recruiter Are You? 

There are two types of people in this world. One is an early bird, someone who likes to wake up early because it helps them focus on more tasks. The other is a night owl, obviously the opposite of early - they like to stay up late to do their work or project. Meanwhile, there are also two types of people in a business - people who sell things and people who support the people who sell things. 

While you might be familiar with those types, as a recruiter, you might have known that there are two types of recruiter as well. They are hunter and farmer recruiters. Hunter and farmer analogies are typically associated with sales representatives. But over time, the same concept works for recruiters - which one are you? 

Hunters 

Hunters are identical with being in the wild - do not wait for opportunities to come but they come for the opportunity. They are go-getters, the ones who make things happen. A hunter is excellent at winning the work and they are less interested in delivery. They measure deliverables from a financial sense and are probably best suited to an agency environment. 

See also: 3 Simple Yet Effective Tips to Retain Loyal Employees 

When you are a hunter recruiter, you will have the following traits: 

• Natural competitiveness - you are driven by numbers, the thrill of chasing and winning. You want to do better than your peers and want to win clients over your side. 

• Achievers - you are driven by excellence and want clients to be thrilled. You want your candidates to come out of top every time. 

• Risk-takers - you are likely to weigh pros and cons of playing it safe and are more apt to decide that it is worth the risk. 

• Have the ability to brush off rejection with ease - nothing ventured, nothing gained will be your motto. 

• Like short-term gratification - you tend to love praise and benefits right after you did a well-done job. You want your payoff now. 

• Good at generating leads - you close the deal and grow your business. 

Farmers 

Farmers are those who prepare the soil, plant crops, and harvest the results. They like to play it safe and what they expect to happen usually happens because they put the required maintenance work. This means that a farmer is more of an account manager and usually better at candidate management, less inclined to generate sales and generally enjoys recruitment delivery. They might be more motivated by building an organisation piece-by-piece and, because of this, might have a better career working in-house. 

When you are a farmer, you tend to have the following traits: 

• Good at maintaining relationships - you excel at servicing existing clients but not the best lead generator. Cold calling is not your thing. 

• Task- and detailed-oriented - you are reliable and organised but are not a risk-taker like hunters. 

• Focus on the long-term goal - you know that the efforts you make today will pay off in the long term. You are good with planning to achieve long-term goals. 

In conclusion, farmer recruiters are more passive, whereas hunters are proactive about sourcing, especially passive candidates. Hunters do not assume that a lead will come down the pipeline and actively go after them. Farmers are necessary and good but become less important when there is a lot of competition in the space. While farmers do not like to leave the farm, hunters are more concerned about winning. 

Read also: 4 Ways to Prioritizing Candidate Experience