How Do Taiwanese Companies Work with Headhunters? The Full Process from Brief to Start Date

When should you use a headhunter instead of just posting on 104?

Job sites wait for people who are "actively job hunting" to apply. But the key talent companies really want is often already employed and not browsing 104; these people can only be reached through a headhunter's direct, confidential approach. If a role meets any of the following, a headhunter is usually more efficient than relying on job sites alone: the position is confidential and can't be advertised publicly; it requires specific rare skills or industry experience; you need to fill many positions in a short time; or you've tried recruiting on your own several times without finding the right person.

What channels are there for working with headhunters in Taiwan?

Engaged executive search (Retained / Contingency Search)

The company retains a headhunting consultant who proactively targets passive candidates in a specific industry and function, approaching and assessing them confidentially. There are two types of mandate: Retained (part of the fee is paid upfront, and the headhunter gives the search priority and deep commitment) and Contingency (the fee is due only when a placement starts work; lower risk for the company, but the headhunter's resources may be less concentrated than under a retained search). Contingency is the norm for small and mid-sized companies and most openings in Taiwan.

Staffing

Instead of hiring directly, the company has a staffing agency (such as Step1ne) sign the employment contract with the worker and cover salary and labor/health insurance, while the company only directs the work on site. This suits flexible staffing, project-based needs, or short-term reinforcements such as for plant construction. Before using staffing, make sure your process is compliant; see The Legal Landmines Companies Most Often Hit with Staffing: Article 17-1 of Taiwan's Labor Standards Act for details.

Fee terms to agree on before working together

Below is a basic explanation of the fee structure. For which terms are actually negotiable and the hidden variables you won't see on a quote, see How do headhunting firms charge? Four things to negotiate beyond the rate.

Most headhunting in Taiwan is success-based: the fee is a percentage of the hired candidate's annual salary, commonly in the 20%-33% range, and the more senior and scarce the role, the higher the percentage tends to be. Fees are usually settled after the candidate starts, and some contracts include a guarantee period (if the hire leaves within a set time after starting, the headhunter provides a replacement free of charge). Before signing, make sure the headhunter puts the fee percentage, the calculation basis (whether bonuses or stock are included), and the guarantee terms in writing to avoid misunderstandings later.

How to choose a partner isn't the focus here. If you're still comparing, see How to choose a headhunting firm in Taiwan: 7 verifiable criteria for the full criteria and questions you can use as-is. This article covers what happens after you've chosen a partner: how to nail down the process and contract.

How Step1ne helps companies with executive search

Step1ne (德仁管理顧問有限公司, Unified Business No. 85046127, Taipei City employment service license 北市就服字第0363號) offers three services: executive search, permanent recruitment, and temporary staffing. Our in-house AI matching system works with a talent database of tens of thousands of professionals to score fit across multiple dimensions, including competencies, industry experience, and career trajectory. For urgent high-volume hiring, we can activate several channels at once — our existing database, internal referrals, proactive searches on job sites, LinkedIn, and local communities — so speed never depends on a single source.

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