"I think that developers can understand developers better " Very true and I am with you on that. However, when it comes to hiring, it is unfortunately not just

"I think that developers can understand developers better " Very true and I am with you on that. However, when it comes to hiring, it is unfortunately not just about developers understanding developers. The reason most recruiters are not really technical is simple. Most Clients do not give a shit how technical a recruiter is. Clients have requirements and the bigger the client is, more lazy they will be to do any legwork on their own in finding good candidates. All they do is to outsource to these "technical" recruiters who charge a fee to find that right fit. So this model works because clients are ok with it. But may be it is ok. Hiring includes searching through endless resumes, screening, salary negotiations, etc. which the recruiters can help with. For a developer, it sounds like nothing (I feel the same way) but clients value those steps a lot and pay essentially for that. Not for how techie a recruiter is.