After being laid off from a long-term position, I was naturally looking to get back "into the pool" as soon as possbile. From the initial contact (via e-mail) to the face-to-face meeting, I was treated like a person, not a number that would only serve to hit someone's commission sheet. Having met with recruiters before, I was anticipating the "typical" and disatisfying experience - and was very pleasantly surprised. While there are no guarantees, of course, if nothing else, this experience left me feeling optimistic.