Each person will have to determine weather recruitment is necessary for your job search or if you can do it on your own. If you are in high demand, you may be able to find a job through the want ads or electronic bulletin boards. If this route constantly appears blocked you may want to use a recruiter that provides feedback on why your search is not productive. It may be a bad reference, a poor resume, or a particular skill that you don't have. If you don't see why you aren't receiving any answers to your job search, getting a recruiter can help to widen your search and provide good feedback.
If you determine you want to take advantage of the opportunities available to you through recruitment, you can find agents in multiple places. They often frequent organizations to find new recruits. They can help get you in contact with just the right people to help your career progress along in the right direction. Another place to find recruiters is through recruiting agencies and online.
If you have a job and don't have enough time or motivation to look at other jobs, but are interested in what the marketplace is doing, then you can go through a professional recruitment agency. At no time should you be charged for the services of a recruiter as that fee should be paid by the employer. If they ask you to pay and you are an entry to mid-level employee, then don't go through them. Online recruiters might charge a fee to see listings, but usually this is only for higher-level executive positions.
A professional recruitment agent is great at networking. If you don't have what it takes to network, but know that you are not going forward by a lack of attrition or other issues in your own job, it doesn't hurt to look into using a recruiter. They can network your resume confidentially, saving you lots of hassle in doing it yourself. They can bring long-distance opportunities to your attention and you know that these are legitimate jobs, if the recruiter wants to get paid.
A recruiter will guide you before an interview to give you suggestions on how to present your strengths to the company. They may even give you some indication on the character of the person hiring and the company culture. This is invaluable to making a good presentation. This is called the briefing. If you had to go it alone, no one would brief you or let you know what to expect. If you want someone in your corner while you are interviewing, a recruitment agent can be irreplaceable.
After the interview, the recruiter will also debrief you. They will go through what the interview was like for you and whether the job interested you. After they receive feedback from the employer, they will also pass along that feedback so that you can begin to pinpoint any problems with your interviewing skills or overall background. The bottom line is that there are many benefits to be had when going through a recruiter. Take the time to locate the right recruiter and you will soon benefit from the services available to you through recruitment.