What's the value of a recruiter? Time (which equates to money). So, why is it that so many of them still have you do most of the work. Just today, I received an answer to a job order...in the form of a resume. Nothing else, just the resume. In this day and age, that's insulting. Anyone can farm resumes. What I'm looking for is someone that saves me time and serves up the perfect candidate...on a silver platter. That takes some work. That requires a thorough understanding of not just the job, but the company, the facility, the culture, peers, subordinates, corporate politics, etc, etc. Obviously, a strong recruiter/client relationship is paramount. You can't accomplish that over the phone or by reading the company website and mission statement. You need to hop on a plane, see the property and meet the people involved. You need to act interested. If a recruiter took the time and made an investment to interview my team in this way, I'd be happy to give them an exclusive.
Next, I expect a recruiter to fill in the gaps...the things I can't see on a resume. I expect to know why someone wants to change jobs, what motivates them, where they want to live and why. I expect to know what remarkable things a person has done in their life and why I should trust them. I expect to see, hear and experience what this person is like...before I ever talk with them on the phone. Yes, every management candidate should have an on-line presence, website, blog, etc. If a candidate doesn't have a package like this, it's the recruiter's responsibility to guide them there. Too much to ask? Obviously, I don't think so. Without a recruiter, my team has to prospect leads and uncover all of these answers, over and over until we get lucky. So, the value of a good recruiter is tremendous, worth every penny...if they do this scope of work. But, simply send me a resume? Sorry, sell that to someone else.