Guest Comment: yes, you CAN work well with a recruiter

Never ever trust a recruiter. ABS statistics show that there is like 1 recruiter for 400 people. Which means there are way too many recruiters in this country.
The best thing we need is regulation, so we can weed out all those useless human traffickers.
Just like an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, if this issue is not resolved at the governmental level, then there will be bigger problems down the track. Markets are all nice and all, but they don't prevent bad people from starting businesses - especially in the unregulated recruitment business.
Never ever use a recruiter. Always go direct. And employers, always advertise directly. Why waste everyone's time when both the client and candidate hate the middleman??

Phillipe & Beanie,

While it is true that many - perhaps even most - recruiters lack sufficient skills and industry knowledge, I feel you are being unjustifiably harsh by implying that all recruiters are useless.

While they are admittedly in the minority, I have met some very effective and ethical recruiters over the years. Coincidentally, that includes the author of the above article, who helped put me on the path to a career in equities research a number of years ago. I now work for one of the world's leading investment banks. Again, I was helped into my current role by an excellent recruiter.

In my experience, the best recruiters are search consultants/head-hunters from the smaller boutiques (I mean proper search consultants, not those who call themselves "head-hunters" but have no idea of how to do proper search). If you want to find out who these people are, simply ask around the industry. You will find that the same names will repeatedly be recommended.

30-40% of recruitment staff exited the industry during the recession, and are unlikely to return. Those who stayed, many of whom continued to be successful, did so as a result of the relationships they have built with their clients. If the candidate had any such relationship in place it would negate the need for the agency. Certain employers now insist on agency representation as the only means of joining the business (a number of Big Banks specifically). The 'need' for agencies is therefore endorsed from the client-side. Networking is a lost art, call that coffee, chit chat, or small talk if you wish, but in an industry where the line between candidate & client is blurred, a good recruiter will ensure they maintain their reputation in the eyes of all stakeholders. Long story short, the decision to use an agency rests with you, and should be a collaborative relationship. Relinquishing your responsibilities in the job search process is both naive & irresponsible.

Agree completely. The only reason recruiters want to "chat" is to fish for business by kneecapping you and putting forward candidates already on their books.

When I think of recruiters I think of an old saying but with a new slant..."those who can DO, those who can't recruit!". Recruitment agencies are on the bottom of the barrel with real estate agents. Most recruiters lack any knowledge of the industries they work in and spend most of their time "catching up" with people and having "coffees" to justify their existence.

If a person is looking for work they need to utilise their own network and get in touch with employers directly. Whilst there may be a handful of the thousands of recuitment agencies that are actually helpful it is a bit like saying "miracles happen", that doesn't mean you go standing out in the middle of a paddock all day waiting for a leprechaun and a pot of gold to appear.