Recruiters vs Headhunters vs CV Writers in Singapore: Who Actually Works for You?

· Keith Kwai

Two people meeting at a kopitiam table with coffee, one resting their hands on a closed folder

Written by Keith KwaiUpdated 1 November 2026

The most useful question to ask anyone who offers to help with your job search is simple: who pays you? The answer tells you whose interests come first.

In Singapore, jobseekers deal with several kinds of people who all say they help you get hired: agency recruiters, in-house recruiters, headhunters, career coaches and CV writers. They are paid by different people, work toward different goals, and are regulated differently. Mixing them up leads to frustration, wasted time and occasionally money paid where it should not be.

We are a CV writing and career coaching service. We do not place candidates and we do not earn fees from employers. That is a deliberate choice, and this guide explains why it matters, along with an honest view of when each type of service is the right one to use.

Agency recruiters

Who pays them

Employers. An agency recruiter is hired by a company to fill a role, and is usually paid a fee when the candidate they put forward is hired. That fee is often linked to the new hire’s salary.

Whose side they are on

The employer’s, first. A good recruiter wants you to succeed, because they only get paid if you are hired and stay. But their job is to fill their client’s vacancy, not to find you the best possible career move.

What they are good for

  • Access to roles that are not advertised publicly.
  • Insight into the hiring manager, the team and what the employer is looking for.
  • Market information on salary ranges for specific roles.
  • Negotiating on your behalf, since a higher salary often means a higher fee.

What to watch for

  • They may present you for roles that do not fit you well, to fill their shortlist.
  • They may lose interest if you are not a match for any of their current vacancies.
  • Some will send your CV to employers without asking. Insist that they ask you before submitting you for any role.

The rules in Singapore

Employment agencies in Singapore must be licensed by the Ministry of Manpower, and you can check a licence on MOM’s Employment Agency Directory. The Employment Agencies Act limits what agencies can charge jobseekers: no more than one month of fixed monthly salary for each year of the contract or work pass, up to a maximum of two months’ salary. Agencies must not collect fees from you before you have been successfully placed.

For most professional roles, Singapore agencies charge the employer, not the candidate. If an agency asks you for money upfront to find you a job, walk away and consider reporting it to MOM.

Headhunters and executive search firms

Who pays them

Employers, usually on a retained basis. The firm is paid to run the search, often in stages, whether or not the eventual hire comes from their shortlist.

How they differ from agency recruiters

  • They focus on senior, specialist and leadership roles.
  • They approach people directly, often people who are not actively looking.
  • They run a more structured process: research, approach, assessment and shortlist.
  • They tend to work on fewer roles at a time, with closer relationships to the client.

How to work with them

You usually cannot apply to a headhunter. They find you. The best way to be found is a strong LinkedIn profile, a visible reputation in your field and relationships with two or three search consultants who cover your sector. When a headhunter calls, take the call even if you are not looking. It is useful market information and keeps you on their radar for the next role.

Our LinkedIn profile guide covers how to set up your profile so search consultants can find you.

In-house recruiters and talent acquisition teams

Who pays them

The company they work for. They are employees, usually in the HR or talent acquisition team.

Whose side they are on

Their employer’s, but they are also measured on the quality of hires and the candidate experience. They want to fill roles with people who will stay and perform.

How to work with them

Apply through the company’s careers site or MyCareersFuture, then connect on LinkedIn with a short note. In-house recruiters often handle many roles at once, so a clear, relevant application is the best way to stand out. Our guide to getting noticed on MyCareersFuture covers the application side.

Career coaches and CV writers

A printed CV between a blank business card and a phone showing an incoming call on a dark desk

Who pays them

You. That is the defining difference.

Whose side they are on

Yours. A career coach or CV writer has no stake in which company hires you. Their job is to help you present your experience as strongly and honestly as possible, decide what roles to target, and perform well in interviews.

What they are good for

  • Rewriting a CV and LinkedIn profile so they pass screening and persuade a human reader.
  • Helping you work out what you actually want next, especially after a retrenchment or when considering a career switch.
  • Interview preparation and practice.
  • Salary and offer advice with no conflict of interest.

What they cannot do

  • Guarantee you a job. Anyone who promises this is overselling.
  • Give you access to unadvertised roles in the way a recruiter can, unless they also run a placement business.
  • Do the job search for you. You still need to apply, network and follow up.

What to watch for

  • Services that are both. Some firms offer CV writing and also earn placement fees from employers. That is not automatically wrong, but ask directly who pays them and whether they will steer you toward their clients’ roles.
  • Guaranteed results. No one controls the hiring decision except the employer.
  • Generic templates. A CV writer who does not interview you about your work cannot write a CV that sounds like you. Ask how they gather your information.
  • AI-generated output with no human input. If the result could have come from a chatbot in five minutes, you are paying for formatting. Our guide to writing your resume with ChatGPT explains what recruiters notice.

A quick comparison

  • Agency recruiter: paid by the employer, on a fee per hire. Best for access to roles and market information.
  • Headhunter or executive search: paid by the employer, often on a retainer. Best for senior and specialist roles. They find you.
  • In-house recruiter: employed by the hiring company. Your route into that specific company.
  • Career coach or CV writer: paid by you. Best for positioning, CV, interviews and decisions, with no conflict of interest.
  • Government career services: funded by the Government and free to eligible Singapore Citizens and PRs. Best for structured support, schemes and job matching, especially after job loss.

Government career services

Singapore has an extensive set of free career services, now run largely by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency, which was formed in July 2026 from the merger of Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore, and by NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). Services include career coaching, job matching, Career Conversion Programmes and workshops.

These are worth using, especially for structure and access to schemes. In our experience they are strongest for mid-level roles and career transitions, and less tailored for senior or highly specialised positions. Use them alongside other routes, not instead of them. Our guide to your first 30 days after retrenchment lists the main services.

How to combine them

The most effective job searches we see use several of these at once, each for what it does best:

  1. Get your materials right first. A strong CV and LinkedIn profile make every other route work better. This is where a CV writer or coach adds the most value.
  2. Build relationships with two or three specialist recruiters in your field, not twenty generalists.
  3. Make yourself findable by headhunters if you are at a senior level.
  4. Apply directly to target companies through their careers sites and MyCareersFuture.
  5. Use government services for schemes, structure and support if you are eligible.
  6. Keep networking. Many mid-career roles are still filled through people who already know your work.

Questions to ask on the first call

Whether it is a recruiter, a headhunter or a CV writer, a few direct questions tell you most of what you need to know:

  • Who pays you, and how is your fee calculated?
  • Are you licensed by MOM? What is your licence number? (for agencies)
  • Will you ask me before sending my CV to any employer?
  • What kinds of roles and sectors do you place or work with most often?
  • What happens to my personal data if we stop working together?
  • For CV writers: how will you gather information about my work, and how many revisions are included?

Good providers answer these without hesitation. Vague or evasive answers are a reason to look elsewhere.

Red flags, whoever you are dealing with

  • Anyone asking for payment upfront to find you a job.
  • An agency that cannot give you its MOM licence number.
  • Pressure to accept an offer quickly without seeing the contract.
  • A recruiter submitting your CV to employers without asking you first.
  • Any service that guarantees a job or a specific salary.
  • Requests for your NRIC, bank details or Singpass login early in the process.

Why we chose not to take employer fees

We built GetThatJob as a service that only works for the candidate. We do not earn placement fees and we do not have employer clients whose vacancies we need to fill. That means our advice on which roles to target, how to position yourself, whether to accept a counter-offer or how to negotiate an offer is not influenced by who is paying us on the other side.

It also means we cannot place you in a job. We help you get the interview and win the offer yourself. For many professionals, especially those moving after a retrenchment or changing direction, that is the help they need most.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay a recruiter to find me a job in Singapore?

For most professional roles, no. Employers usually pay the agency. If an agency charges you, the Employment Agencies Act caps the fee at one month of salary per year of the contract, up to a maximum of two months, and it cannot be collected before you are placed.

How do I check if an employment agency is licensed?

Use the Employment Agency Directory on the Ministry of Manpower’s website. A licensed agency should be able to give you its licence number.

What is the difference between a recruiter and a headhunter?

Both are usually paid by employers. Recruiters often fill a wider range of roles and are paid on success, while headhunters focus on senior or specialist roles, approach candidates directly and are often paid on retainer.

Is it worth paying for a CV writer?

It can be, especially if you are changing direction, returning after a gap, moving up a level, or not getting interviews despite strong experience. Check that the writer interviews you, understands Singapore hiring and does not promise guaranteed results.

Can a recruiter and a CV writer be the same company?

Sometimes. Ask who pays them and whether their advice is linked to roles they are trying to fill.

Start with the part you control

Whoever you work with, your CV and how you present yourself are what get you through the door. Our free CV review tells you how a recruiter reads yours, and our packages cover CV, cover letter, LinkedIn and interview coaching.

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