theres a difference between a staffing agency recruiter and a recruiter for a hospital or bank or some other type of corporation. recruiters for banks/hospitals/ect get paid a salary plus bonus on the number of people they hire/positions they fill. recruiters at temp/staffing agencies get paid a salary, and generally dont get a bonus on how many they hire, and they (the company) gets paid a % upcharge on the hourly rate from the employer, so they ONLY make money (the agency) when they fill positions for an employer. headhunters are similar, except they get paid a flat rate by corporations/businesses to find them employees, and are generally only for those who have experience or work in an industry that is in demand, but with low supply of educated applicants. just to clarify a little of the difference of the three in how they usually get paid.
