Thankfully, many things in the workplace have changed for the better since the 1960s : Gender equality, hybrid and remote working options, technological advancements, workplace safety, public transport networks, and work-life balance as a right, not a privilege, to name but a few.
It's this same reflection on the progress made that causes me to feel a little uncomfortable with a terminology that is from a previous era, but for some reason continues to find its place in today's modern recruitment process. Perhaps it's an additional indicator of the need for change, like the post-Covid online hiring process that's frankly very challenging.
Human Resources in the online hiring process suddenly feels less 'human'.
Change is needed : When we are still using terminology that is borrowed from anthropological descriptions of tribal warfare, and where there's significant proof across multiple geographies that the current online hiring process is in need of an overhaul, let's be advocates for positive change. It's this realisation of needed change that also motivates me at Swiss Professionals to work towards promoting new ways of addressing the current online hiring challenges; but that's for another post !
So, honest question : Is "headhunter" still acceptable terminology in 2026?
