Also, it's one of those things where you don't have to do anything. If you want to pay to get some advantage, then you can.
Thx for the feedback. I'm going to have to think on all of this a bit. Perhaps the "agent" route isn't the best solution.
Saving time submitting applications for applicants has some value perhaps, but the goal is to get a job, or at least an interview, and that's probably only incidentally correlated to number of applications submitted.
I think there are opportunities in the coaching and resume/cover letter tailoring niches. You can find plenty of people offering that but they mainly come from an HR background, not a tech background (probably because tech jobs pay much better -- those who can, do, and those who can't do, teach, in other words).
If I was looking for a job I might consider paying someone who clearly had great industry/geographic contacts, inside tracks, and advice. But then I wouldn't have to pay for that -- I would try to identify the top recruiters and get them to place me.