[JimBright]

A good recruiter can easily be discovered: how long have they been with their current agency? The longer, the more likely they're good. Bad recruiters job hop. A year here. A year there. LinkedIn gives it all away. At 3+ years at one agency, they're performing at or above expectations. Most agencies are honest, push honesty, and rid themselves of recruiters that lie or underperform. Good recruiters build momentum through referrals and repeat business. So that's how you tell. Not foolproof, but a solid tactic.

[adamsmith143]

What agencies are reputable? Most recruited I encounter work at some Tech-<buzzword> Inc. variation. For instance if you're interested in the FAANG/Unicorn space what agencies even work with them and how would you find that out in the first place?