Keeping in Touch

First of all, let me apologize for my extended absence.  I needed to get away for a little bit, and see an old friend.  An old friend, who, by the way, may be able to help me in my job search.  She isn't making any promises, but she is fairly well connected in her field, so we'll see how that goes.  We're keeping in touch.  She is a good friend, who might also be able to help me out.  Another person who kept in touch with me this past week--a recruiter!  I hadn't connected to this recruiter for nearly four weeks, then out of the blue I get a phone call and email about a wonderful contract job.  Unfortunately, the job isn't easily accessible by public transit, but it was SO nice to be considered.  

I was very impressed by him.  Now, most staffing agencies tell you that they'll keep you in mind for future opportunities, but out of the agencies that I've been in contact with, only three have reached out proactively with potential jobs.  I'm not saying that the onus should be completely on them, but if you say that you're going to reach out, please do that.  That also applies to companies during the recruiting process.  If you give candidates a general timeline for hearing back about next steps, please stick to that timeline, or keep in touch when something changes.  Again, the onus isn't completely on them, but at least be responsive when candidates reach out.  This lack of responsiveness drives me, my friends, and thousands of job seekers up the wall with doubt and anticipation.  

But what do you think, people of the Internet?  Should job seekers be solely responsible for inquiring about potential job opportunities, or should both the job seeker and the agency recruiter shoulder the responsibility?