Looking for an Internet job isn't the joyride it used to be. Employers sense the softening demand for professionals ranging from online marketers to programmers. So they've ratcheted up the requirements for available positions and turned up the heat on staffing firms to keep salaries down. In this environment, if you work with a recruiter to find a job, it's more important than ever to keep your wits about you.

"Job candidates who are desperate in a down market will put up with almost anything from headhunters," says Nick Corcodilos, president of Ask the Headhunter and author of Ask the Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job. Keep that in mind, and check out this advice on how to separate the good recruiters from those who give the industry an ugly reputation.

Build a Relationship

Good recruiters understand they've got to build a relationship with you. "A good recruiter is an empathetic person who understands what a job searcher is going through psychologically," says Jai Shekhawat, CEO of Fieldglass, a Chicago maker of workforce management software.

Bad recruiters regard you as a commodity to be exploited today and discarded tomorrow. "Stay away from people who treat you like a sack of money," says Thomas Licari, president of Regional Technical Recruiters Association, a trade group and recruiting firm in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Recruiters Should Be Candid with Information

Good recruiters will reveal as much as possible about the companies they represent and the jobs they offer. Headhunters may not be in a position to immediately reveal the company's identity with the position you're being asked to consider. "But a good recruiter should be able to share where they have committed clients -- the city and the names of firms," says Shekhawat. Corcodilos believes recruiters should be willing to talk in detail about the position, your prospective manager and the long-term career opportunities at the client company.

Bad recruiters will ask you to show all your cards -- your resume, reasons for job-hunting and salary requirements -- while giving you scant information about the potential employer and the opening. Unscrupulous recruiters "talk really fast, don't give you a clear job description and don't say who the client is," says Licari.

Get Your Questions Answered

Good recruiters answer your tough questions about themselves and ask probing questions of you. Corcodilos says headhunters with integrity "should reveal their trustworthiness by revealing information about themselves." Licari adds, "They should be willing to tell you every aspect of their career and give the track record of people they've placed." Recruiters should be willing to provide two kinds of references: satisfied corporate clients and satisfied job seekers.

Bad recruiters believe their knowledge of available openings gives them total power over you. If you hook up with the wrong headhunter, he or she may, for example, "make you spend too much time redrafting parts of your resume in ways you're not comfortable with," says Shekhawat.

Opportunities Should Be Appropriate

Good recruiters present only those career opportunities that are appropriate for you. "If they take the time to understand you beyond the buzzwords on your resume -- your motivations, your life issues -- that's a good sign," Shekhawat advises. A responsible recruiter won't try to ignore the red flags (e.g., a job that demands 70 to 80 hours a week even though you've made it clear you don't want to work more than 40-hour work weeks).

Bad recruiters send you on irrelevant interviews just to fill up their clients' dance cards. In today's softer labor market, "some recruiters will call you for jobs you feel overqualified for," Shekhawat warns. "They'll push to close deals, and say, 'You have to take this, because it may be the only offer you'll get.'"

Confidentiality Should Be Respected

Good recruiters respect your conditions on confidentiality. "Ask them to sign a letter that says they will run companies by you before they give out your resume or contact information," says Corcodilos. If they balk, you should walk.

Bad recruiters post your resume all over the Web -- without your permission -- for all to see, including your current employer. Enough said.