I got my current job via an EXCELLENT recruiter from an agency. I had been of the view based on my experience that I should have a one page resume. Rather than just setting it aside, the recruiter actually specifically asked me to submit another resume with more. I did, and it was what they were looking for, so I got interviewed and got hired.
During the same time, I was working with a couple of headhunters to find a place for me, some good, some bad. One got me an interview pretty easily, for a job I didn't really fit too well with, but that was cultural really. But that guy was really helpful, and really on task. I had another one though that was super unhelpful because he wanted to talk on the phone before hooking me up with any given job posting, and would only be willing to talk to me during work hours... when I was at work.
You WILL have hit and miss experiences with recruiting, but there's good ones out there.
Everyone I worked with was Chicago local, but James Forberg at Infinity Consulting Solutions was a good contact for someone looking for a technical job here in the city. He wasn't ultimately how I got the job I did, but he was probably the most active recruitment contact I had when I was looking for a job, and he got me the only other interview I did last year.
The great thing about these recruiting companies, is that since the employer pays them for referring you, they do a lot of the job search work for you, and it costs you nothing as a job seeker. This is a life saver if you're currently employed while searching.
During the same time, I was working with a couple of headhunters to find a place for me, some good, some bad. One got me an interview pretty easily, for a job I didn't really fit too well with, but that was cultural really. But that guy was really helpful, and really on task. I had another one though that was super unhelpful because he wanted to talk on the phone before hooking me up with any given job posting, and would only be willing to talk to me during work hours... when I was at work.
You WILL have hit and miss experiences with recruiting, but there's good ones out there.