• The Mandarin term “猎人头” is a paraphrase of the English word “headhunting”, which originally referred to the ritualistic beheading of a rival tribe for survival, expansion, and sacrifice.
• In modern parlance, headhunting is a proactive search to fill high-paying job vacancies, by sourcing for those in senior positions who intend to switch jobs. A similar term is “挖角”, which refers to "poaching".
• In Singapore, the practice of headhunting started in the late 1980s and was initially carried out by multinational corporations. Today, there are also locally established headhunting firms. 

猎头 (Mainland China)