You can get specialised recruitment agencies and I came across a few in London who focus on one area. Head hunters will use all means necessary to get details f

You can get specialised recruitment agencies and I came across a few in London who focus on one area. Head hunters will use all means necessary to get details from a department of the type of people working there. They then do build up a network of people outside LinkedIn or Monster that do have relevant experience inside a specific sector. Then by employing that agency you are more likely to get the kind of candidate you're searching for. But this only works for specialised agencies all the rest is an absolute nonsense. One of the companies I worked for went through various agencies but also put their own ad in the Guardian UK newspaper just because the CTO happened read that newspaper. That's where I came across their job through internet searches. I guess it's just a way of getting 'some' candidates in the hope that you'll find a polished turd in the cess pool. Or perhaps it's to make the good candidates feel like they're not the only one being interviewed.