A new assignment might come up tomorrow, next month, or next year, so an agent has to maintain a database of all of the good guys. It takes time and effort. Most of the resumes that I receive need work. Some are too wordy, covering every type of computer and system that the consultant has ever touched or sat by since the invention of punch cards. Some are poorly formatted, and some need spell checking.
Someone has to clean it up.
Presenting a consultant to a client You gave your name to an agent a long time ago and never heard back from them. You lost hope and forgot all about this company. Then, suddenly, you get a voice mail on your home answering machine, your pager starts beep-ing, and your cell phone rings. They has a perfect project for you, within five minutes drive from your door, and it offers the rate that you asked for. You are now a team.