They're not all bad. I prefer in-house recruiters because they tend to work with you better and stay in contact even if the company or you decide to go another

They're not all bad. I prefer in-house recruiters because they tend to work with you better and stay in contact even if the company or you decide to go another route. Now outside recruiters... I've had some outright demand my salary information so that they can sell me for the right price. Just be clever enough not to disclose that. It's entirely a business interaction and not a friendship. They want something out of you, and you may want something out of them. It helps if you can honestly say you want $X and that you're already interviewing with other companies under that expectation. If you don't need to, don't needlessly sign up for interviews and tests with positions that don't particularly interest you for any reason. I've also been bait-and-switched before. There's not too much you can do about that. But if they pull that, you know to end the discussion there. It's not supposed to be a zero-sum relationship, but sadly many will sell you to the lowest bidder if that means a commission. All that said, don't shut off completely if you don't want to. I engage casually from time-to-time. I'll give them a 15 minute call sometimes if my curiosity gets the better of me. And all of that said, it's much better speaking directly with the people you'll be working with or for.