headhunt

/ˈhedhʌnt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhedhʌnt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhed-ˌhənt/ (ame, mw)

headhunt — verb

  • headhuntpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • headhuntshe / she / it
  • headhuntedpast simple
  • headhunting-ing form

1. to approach a skilled professional working at one company and convince them to t

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to approach a skilled professional working at one company and convince them to take a better-paid or more senior job at another company, usually through a specialist recruiter.

例句

A Singapore bank headhunted Anjali from her role as risk director at a Tokyo firm.

transitive: headhunt + somebody + from + previous role

Liam was headhunted by a German car maker after winning an engineering prize at university.

passive: be headhunted by + organization

同義詞
  • recruit

    broader term covering any hiring, not just luring someone from another job

  • poach

    stronger and more negative — emphasises taking talent unfairly from a rival

  • scout

    often used in sports or entertainment for spotting future talent rather than hiring senior staff

文法句型

headhunt + somebody

be headhunted by + organization

be headhunted for + role

用法筆記

Frequently passive — the person being recruited is usually the subject ("she was headhunted by…"). Subject in active voice is typically a company, recruiter, or agency, not an individual hiring manager.

常見錯誤

❌I headhunted a new job in Berlin.
✅I was headhunted for a new job in Berlin.
💡the person who moves is the object/passive subject, not the actor; the recruiter does the headhunting.