I’ve also had good experiences with agents, but only when I learned how. Early on I was burned by pump-and-dump agents - they send you below-par candidates, bul

I’ve also had good experiences with agents, but only when I learned how. Early on I was burned by pump-and-dump agents - they send you below-par candidates, bullshit both of you, pressure you into saying yes, and then walk away with their commission. They dominate the market because they send everybody as fast as they can, and have the lowest fees. So if it’s your first hiring experience the odds are that you’re working with such an agent, whatever they tell you. Find an agent who takes a long-term view of the relationship by showing them you will be hiring many people over the years. Get them to send you their best candidates - respond to their messages quickly and with useful feedback. Nurture the relationship by also sending good engineers and employers their way. They are often more expensive and send fewer candidates, but the ones they do send are stronger.