Nobody grows up hoping to be a [INSERT JOB TITLE HERE].
Many occupations could adequately fill this space- including mine: Headhunter. Fact is, I like my line of work though I used to hate recruiters before I was one. Partly because I thought I knew what their job was (and I was wrong); the other part was anyone can be one- and with that means some real peaches call themselves recruiters.
Headhunters help almost exclusively people with a very specialized skillset or business professionals who have PROVEN they are more effective than MOST of their peers.
If you don't fall into either group, there's still plenty of jobs out there- including interesting and/or high-paying gigs. It's just a headhunter can't help you. Oddly, many wildly successful headhunters didn't fall into either of the above groups either. But they somehow found their way into Professional Recruiting. THAT was the thing they did better than their peers and the indisputable proof is 95% of people who get into recruiting either fail completely or tread water. More of the former than the latter.
Have a good headhunter in your mix because even if you have highly marketable skills and/or you've proven to be above the fray in your line of work- shit happens. Stuff COMPLETELY out of your sphere of influence. The chance of this occurring even to the most successful people in their work is high. At some point in your career, it will happen. It might happen more than once. People, preferences, personalities, politics. It's really out of your control.
The other reason to know a good headhunter: Reality. Reality says that you will some day outgrow what your employer can provide. No bad guys here, This isn't a people, preferences, personalities or politics case study here. This is a case study in reality. A good recruiter knows things you NEED to know.
Next week is Be Kind to Headhunters Week so if one gives you a call..