I need to find a recruiter that is really hands-on with their candidates as you say though it takes effort. Most recruiters I've met just want to fill the role regardless of who it is because why would they spend time trying to improve someone's pitch when better candidates come along that already did the hard work for them.

But what I would be more interested is a talent agent model where agents represent you, the worker, unlike the recruiting model where they represent the companies hiring. However, they seem to be practically nonexistent in the field of software development.

I am seeking an individual contributor role and did not enter this career to get better at sales pitches. IC is the safer route, after all.

Let me worry about sales skills when I decide to take on the riskier path of entrepreneur or leadership roles.