I&#x27;ll throw in my recent experience:<p>Rewind 2 years, looking for a more-legit DB dev job, coming out of a hybrid client-facing analytical role, with somewhat light dev work.<p>Resume is up in all the usual spots (Indeed, Dice, etc) get a call from a Tech recruiter asking if I was interested in a position paying nearly 2x what I was making. Jumped on it, and less than 24 hours later I was hired. I&#x27;ve come to see now that that was a HUGE red flag. The interviews were non-technical, among many other things.<p>Fast forward to this last month, workplace is horriffic, no process, no management, all the worst things. But I do have 2 more years exp in DB dev, so it&#x27;s time to start looking again.<p>Put resume back up on the usual sites, this time I also put it up on a smaller, more focused site here in CO: builtincolorado.com which is aimed at start-up and post-start-up IT jobs.<p>Had a few interviews through companies I found there. Tons of calls&#x2F;emails from recruiters, nothing catches my eye. Found a company thru BiC, and they go through a recruiter for a lot of their tech screening.<p>This recruiter is completely different than the previous one. Actual assessment testing, recruiters who&#x27;ve working in the field for years. Process took about 5-6 weeks.<p>So all in all, recruiters aren&#x27;t always bad, but many are. And like some have pointed out, many have conflicts of interest in trying to just fill positions. The company I was hired by only uses them for tech screening, and doesn&#x27;t to CTH, which I think helps lessen the conflict of interest, and only uses this recruiting company because they bring quality candidates. The moment they cease providing that, I don&#x27;t doubt they&#x27;d use another screener or do it all themselves.