I was recently asked by a prospective client if I "knew" any recruiters. Well, I do maintain strong relationships with recruiters in various fields, but there seemed to be a disconnect in the question.

You see, finding a recruiter is only part of the effort you'll need to undertake in order to be successful. Recruiters find candidates, not jobs.

Let me repeat that again - a recruiter will NOT set out to find you a job. Therefore, even if you do locate a recruiter in your field, the hard work of finding your next job isn't over yet!

Recruiters are in the business of locating desirable candidates to fill requests by the client companies that pay their fees.

Therefore, they will have little reason to scour the corporate world to find new job openings for you, but they may be interested in your qualifications. The key word here is "may."

If you offer a straightforward career trajectory with a wealth of industry experience, you may well be a sought-after candidate by recruiters.

However, if you plan to change careers, your work history is spotty, or you are currently unemployed, you may find that recruiters are NOT able to convince their clients of your value.

What does this mean for your search? You'll need to spend time finding the right audience for your resume, rather than just shooting off a mass email to thousands of recruiters (or finding someone who "knows" a recruiter!).