You're right, staffing agencies, for all intents and purposes, are worthless. They get a HUGE pool of applicants, some serious, some looking for unemployment (as was mentioned above). They don't typically turn people down, as I believe the recruiters are paid at least somewhat on the number of people they sign. Really, your only shot at getting something out of them is if it is right after you sign up. Give it a week and there are 100 newer people, and you are old news (if you were ever news in the first place). It's basically a live version of monster.com. If you are going to seek help, get a headhunter. At least those guys have specific jobs to hire, and they benefit from placing the right people.