I disagree. I had 2 good experiences with recruiters so far (I'm a developer in finance in London). In both situations, the recruiters brought two kinds of valu

I disagree. I had 2 good experiences with recruiters so far (I'm a developer in finance in London). In both situations, the recruiters brought two kinds of value: (1) they knew the companies I would want to work for (not positions, companies) that I wouldn't know about without them (I don't have a good professional/personal network that would allow me to source this information), and (2) they put in the hours (talking to employers, arranging interview) that I didn't want to, because I had a fulltime job. If you can satisfy both of these yourself (e.g. a student with lots of free time and friends working at interesting companies), by all means, apply yourself! Otherwise, use a recruiter (a good external one, I agree that most are annoying, PM me for recommendations).