Deciding whether to use a recruiter in your search for employment can be a confusing process at best. There are as many choices as there are professions. The most important aspect is to find someone who has a compatible personality, work ethic and delivers what he/she promises.
First, you might want to understand what drives a recruiter. It may be only money; it may be a desire to help people, it may be pressure from a manager or a combination of any or all of those, which is more likely the case. Staffing firms have a variety of structures to pay their recruiters; some may be straight salary, some may have commission only and others may have a combination of the two. My company falls into the later category, and is very fair; I might say, even brilliant in their pay structure. No one here asks for a raise; they simply help more people find work, and their commission increases.
You will also want to do some investigating of the company itself. Ask the recruiter who owns their company or the name under which they are publicly traded (if they are public). Then you can go to http://www.yahoofinance.com/ and put in the name under quotes and check out their growth, how stable they've been, etc. You can also check with http://www.bbb.org/ (Better Business Bureau) to see if there have been any major complaints concerning payroll or ethical complaints against that organization. Asking others in your profession which companies/recruiters they think are the best is always a great way to start your investigation.
A really good way to test your recruiter is to ask him/her to call you back on a specific day and see if they follow up. I'm not going to say that I've never made a mistake and forgotten, but a good recruiter will find a way to make good on promises. Once again, finding a good match for your personality is key. You may be someone who doesn't like a lot of "checking in" phone calls, or you may enjoy a weekly conversation to touch base with your recruiter. Talk to a few and get a feel for the one that makes you the most comfortable!
