Pros
The Madison office of Aerotek has several examples of Account Managers making the big bucks, and this is what they sell to every recruiting candidate that walks in the door. A few of them are because they actually have put in the hard work and development to get there... most just happened to have large accounts handed to them from work other people have done. The potential to make $100k+ is seen everyday by people who have made it. Overall, starting pay is not terrible, but they demand a lot of your time.
Cons
First off, every new person starts off as a Recruiter (even though the only crieria for being eligible is having a strong sales background/desire), however the big bucks only come as an Account Manager. If you accept the recruiting offer there a few things you need to know that they leave out: 1) Forget having a personal life, or any life at all (work starts promptly at 7:30am and if you leave before 7:00pm you are shunned). This pretty much rules out anyone with kids/projects/activities going on after 5:00pm... but they also screen for that, targetting new college grads who dont have these restrictions (and who don't know this is NOT how most corporations operate). 2) Don't plan on working there more than 2 years. This is not a career; its a job that some get lucky enough to strike it rich and stay for 5 years. The attrition rate is astronomically high in the Madison office with recruiters coming and going constantly (a very fast revolving door). Recruiters who have been there 6 months are considered "senior recruiters". 3) Don't be surprised if your commission pay is not what they tell you it will be. Most recruiters make between $33k-$40k, with top recruiters making $60k (less than 5% of them). Yes, the potential is there, but the commission structure is EXTREMELY top-heavy. And don't even get me started on the benefits... 4) Promotions are not as promised. During my 1-year tenure with Aerotek there were 3 promotions (one was already a "Account Recruiting Manager", one quit within her first month of being promoted)... far from the promotion promises that told in the interview process. 5) Diversity. If you are over 30, need not apply. If you have children, need not apply. To put it quite simply, if you are not a 22-year-old recent college grad who is good looking enough for the 27-year-old Account Managers who interview you, don't bother applying.