The State of the Job Market- Why IT professionals hate Recruiters?

In my career, I was a recruiter. I networked and called people from the Job boards. When I transitioned to IT recruiting, I was blown away by the open animosity toward me for merely calling them. It perplexed me because they should be expecting my call since they posted their job online. I then felt I needed to prove my technical knowledge in order to gain respect or slip in that I went to college for IST. Only after transitioning to IT marketing, did I realize that it was the nature of the industry in general. Major corporations outsource almost all of their IT recruiting to agencies. In a down market, a professional will receive 10 calls about a single job in the area. Furthermore, the recruiters did not even read the resume when they called and rarely knew what they were talking about.

Here are the secrets to finding the cod in an overly fished pond
1.) Don’t look on Monster, Careerbuilder, or Dice. Go to the “Velvet Rope” sites that cater to a smaller group. You can also find sites that only cater to internal company recruiters.
2.) Network away- use the social sites to network. Start connecting on linked in, facebook, and myspace. Also, link with old friends from High school, college, and the like. True Story, I went to prom with a guy that is now Sr. VP of IT in a company that exploded and we now have a working relationship...I am so glad I was nice to him in High School.
3.) Don't be afraid to reach out to people that you do not know very well. They might be needing what you offer. A vague amount of familiarity is better than a cold call from the internet.
4.) Always be ready. Carry business cards everywhere you go. You will be surprised what is waiting for you out there. Did you know your waiter does helpdesk during the day? You will if you ask.