[IshKebab]

Yeah I also had a good experience with recruiters. I've only got one job through them but it went pretty well. The two best things I found using a recruiter were:

1. They know about all the jobs. Despite searching quite hard I didn't know that some big companies had offices in my city. They are bad at advertising this.

2. They want you to get the job. That's how they get paid. So they are (mostly) on your side and will tell you things like details about what to expect in the interview. Surprisingly useful.

3. They bypass the normal nonsense application process. You just need a CV.

Would use again.

[frfl]

Where do you find a recruiter or identify a good one? Going on Linkedin and just asking random people who say their a "recruiter" sounds like a bad idea, you'll get a lot of duds and not the type of recruiters you're describing.

[IshKebab]

They constantly spam me on LinkedIn. When I wanted a job I just replied to a few.

The industry I work in (silicon verification) probably helps. It's quite small in the UK and not a target for beginners like web and app development is.