All three help you bring someone in, but they don’t do the same job. The difference that matters most is who the employer is. With a temp agency, the person is on the agency’s payroll and is assigned to work at your company. With a recruitment agency or a headhunter, you employ them from day one.
From there, the way they search and the type of role each one suits both change. This table is the one we usually sketch out when a company asks us.
| Recruitment agency | Temp agency | Headhunter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who employs the person | Your company, from day one. | The temp agency, which assigns the person to your company. | Your company. |
| Which roles | Technicians, middle managers and specialists you want on your payroll. | Peaks in workload, seasonal campaigns, cover and short-term roles. | Senior management and very scarce or confidential roles. |
| How it searches | Its own candidate base, job adverts and direct search. | A pool of available workers. | Direct search for people who aren’t looking. |
An indicative comparison: each company sets its own terms.
When the role is permanent, the person needs to join your payroll and the profile calls for a technical interview to separate those who know the job from those who only list it on their CV.
When you need people quickly and for a short time, or you don’t know whether the workload will last. By law, the assigned worker must be paid the same as they would be on your own payroll.
When the role is in senior management, very few people can do it and hardly any of them are looking for a job, or the search has to stay confidential.
No. A temp agency employs the person and assigns them to your company for a period. A recruitment agency finds the person and you employ them directly.
They are similar. A headhunter focuses on senior management and direct search. A recruitment agency mainly fills technical and management roles.
Yes. When the assignment ends you can employ them directly: Spanish law voids clauses that prohibit it. If you want to do it sooner, check the terms with the temp agency.
Tell us about the profile you need and we’ll call you to talk it through.
