I doubt you will hear anyone make that claim, but only b/c it's not a flattering revelation. Truly I do understand your points and they are valid.

How about a post then on how to attract good recruiters? Seems constructive....doesn't it?

That's an interesting (and uncomfortable) idea, but a deeper problem is how to tell the "good" and "bad" recruiters apart. This is the same problem of telling "good" and "bad" candidates apart, and the irony is not lost on me.

What is your constructive advice about how a "good" developer should get your attention, while simultaneously discouraging contact from bad ones?

I suspect that the answer is something like "be an experienced executive", which is obviously not an option for most people in the early part of their careers.

Good question and difficult to answer...truthfully I hadn't ever given it much thought until this article.

But first, I can tell good candidates from bad by what they've accomplished, who they've accomplished it for, what they say, and what people say about them.

I'm a good recruiter not because I never talk to the wrong candidate, I'm a good recruiter because I know the difference between the right and wrong candidate.

So yes you are still going to have to talk to bad recruiters. However, the best way to attract great recruiters is to be great at what you do!

...perhaps we should demand to see recruiters' resumes in exchange. :D Asymmetrical relationships tend to create feelings of resentment.

Funny and true.