• 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.
• Headhunting is the same as poaching (also known in Mandarin as “挖角”), in the sense that it is a proactive search to fill high-paying jobs vacancies, by sourcing for those in senior positions who intend to switch jobs.
• In Singapore, the practice of headhunting started in the late 1980s and was initially carried out by multinational corporations. Today, there are also headhunting companies established locally. 

猎头 (Mainland China)