taking charge™

Waiting for a recruiter who is going to find you your dream job is like waiting for a McDreamy Prince Charming to show up with a glass slipper.  You're going to be waiting for a LONG time.  

Recruiters have one customer or client: employers. 

Retained recruiters are paid for their consultative work with client-employers.   They typically have developed, established relationships with their client-employers.   This means they know a lot more about the business, what the business REALLY needs, and which personalities will be a good culture fit.   When you are placed by a retained recruiter, you can have a better sense of confidence that it will be a good fit.  

Contingent recruiters are paid when they place a candidate with an employer.  They typically do not have developed, established relationships with employers.   This means they are playing a numbers game.  The more jobs they know about, the more candidates they know, and the more candidates they send to employers for open jobs, the more likely they are to hit the lottery and win a contingency payment.

Notice a trend here?  This is not about you.  This is about employers and recruiters, not job seekers.

So when allocating your investment of time and energy during a search, know that recruiters should be a small percentage of your effort portfolio.

Does this mean you don't need to have a relationship with recruiters who specialize in your area of expertise, and/or those who have clients who are target employers for you?   You do.   What is the best way to build that relationship?  Help them!   Recommend qualified candidates for their openings.  You will win twice for this: you will build a relationship with that recruiter by adding value for him, and you will also build a relationship with that candidate by adding value for her.   Win-win.   A good investment of your time.