Do professional job recruiters still exist? Or is your job search limited to a job board posting?

I recall a time when you could go to a job recruiter and they would walk you through the entire process of landing your next job.

There was personal attention given to your job preferences and criteria for you next position. The recruiter took the time to understand who you are and what you really wanted.

The positions that were available were normally those that were not on any job board but they were handpicked for you and then presented to you and discussed and prioritized to fit your preferences.

Ummmm… does this no longer happen?

Wait before you continue reading this is not a knock on the entire industry just a cross section of people I have spoken to and based on some of my own experiences.

It seems that there is a disconnect from the human side of recruiting.

• There are some recruiters that never get back to you not even to say we have received your resume. 
• There are some that just direct you to a job board on their website.
• There are some that get you into an interview and then you never hear back from them as to what happened.
• There are some recruiting sites that will post so many jobs in one week however will not respond to to direct emails for more specific details about the job

Most of the time people that are looking for a job are not just tire kickers. They are actually looking for a new position so they can pay bills, support their families, live life and just generally exist in society.

So why is this not seen by the people that are posting jobs that will help them do something about that?

I have spoken to several people with wide ranging experiences at a recent mixer and they all said that they applied for a job that was posted on a job board. It was the same job they all applied for and the experience levels of the applicants ranged from just meeting the requirements to well exceeding the requirements of the position listed.

After one month none of the people that applied heard anything back about the position. A month later the same position was posted again on another job board and still again no response to the applicants.   

We just looked at each other and wondered why. Poor customer service, lack of caring, not a real position posting, resume building by the company to see how many they can keep on file for that just in case moment.

So many theories no real answers.

With so much technology and so many ways to communicate with people in the current times we live in why are so few places that are supposed to be there for guidance and support eerily nonexistent?

Has anyone else experienced this? Why do you think it happens?