Creating an action plan, your Personal Market Plan during career transition, will reap rewards during your implementation campaign.  Success in market plan implementation, your job search campaign,  takes the randomness out of job search.  Effective use of third party recruitment firms and individuals can leverage your time and effectiveness.  A GOOD headhunter can serve as an agent within your entire career, but there are no directories of the good ones.

A well conceived Personal Market Plan helps you to manage your time to get the best results for your efforts in discovering the effective recruiters... network your way to them, be a desired candidate! Be qualified-interested-and available as a professional, not a job hunter who is easily screened and rejected. 

YES-NO-MAYBE is not a good choice to create.

Networking through the third party recruitment community is the fifth method/ pathway directed toward seeking your next right work... for the rest of your career.  In the marketing metaphor, these five methods would be your "distribution channels."

1. Networking through personal contacts

2. Conducting face-to-face informational meetings

3. Creatively contacting companies directly

4. The Internet, representing published openings

5. Third-party recruitment firms and individuals

As there is little regulation of the recruitment industry, there are many directories of both firms and individuals who are prepared to help individuals find a job... or so their advertising goes.  The reality is that they are being paid by the firms to recruit people to fill jobs--at a cost. 

Some get paid upfront to seek out and find highly qualified professionals to fill unique roles--these "retainer-based" recruiters thrive on referrals and personal networking.  They operate most effectively at the more senior levels of experience and salary.  On the other hand, the "contingency" recruiters don't get paid until they place an individual... theirs is a highly competitive world that thrives on resume flow and interview skills.  (note: In today's soft job market, many recruiters are being challenged to make a good living for themselves, returning to former, or new careers.)  Some tips on selecting a recruiter that "fits" your Personal Market Plan...

1. Contingency or retainer?  Often this issue, usually driven by salary requirement, varies with industry and function.

2. What is their specialty?  Do they clearly state, and back up, their industry, functional or geographic area of expertise and contacts?  Have they actually experienced that industry or function, enabling them to know the language and have the contacts?

3. How long have they been in business?

4. Are they willing to provide information and leads where they don't have a "job order?"

To be kind, it is very difficult for most recruiters to live up to the promises they make in the marketplace.  The "good ones" will. 

Economic reality is that most recruiters "live in the present tense," with it being a challenge to be more proactive and more long term active with their candidates.  The "good ones" will be.

Posting your resume on a number of Internet job boards limits the ability of the third party recruitment world to help you much.  Companies regularly "mine" these databases for the resumes they seek, and may use that to deny a recruitment firm's fee.  Recruiters, good and bad, don't have time for such wild goose chases.