Between 10 to 20 percent of job seekers find a position via a recruiter or employment agency. These figures can fluctuate widely, depending on the economy. During the tech-industry boom years from 1998 to 2000, the job search firm business grew more than 20 percent per year. When the economy fell with the burst of the internet industry bubble, and investors finally felt all the hot air escaping from the bogus business plan...

Targeted mailings, cold calling, job fairs, and occasionally other strategies work for some job seekers. Yet, only 5 to 15 percent of job seekers find positions using these strategies, so be mindful of how much time and energy you put into each. Any direct mail marketing campaign, for example, is considered successful if it generates from a 1 to 3 percent response (each batch of 100 letters yielding 1 to 3 replies). To get...