In this economy, when competition for open positions is the worst in decades, some measure of desperation takes over job seekers. How can a person get their résumé in the hands of of the right employers or job placement agency?

In the maelstrom of searching for a job in a turbulent marketplace, many resort to résumé distribution services, posting services, and even direct mail.

But to what avail?

What does the end user think of the barrage of unsolicited résumés arriving daily, and even hourly in their email box, mail slot and fax machine?

I talked to one such recipient, and they basically likened the onslaught to spam. It’s unwarranted, un-asked-for, and oftentimes, not what they are looking for.

“It’s basically money wasted… and I know that people are paying for these distribution services,” this person said. “I feel bad, but when I know what I am looking for, I know where to find the right candidates, and don’t need a blanket email sending me a whole bunch of people I don’t even look at!”

If you chose to follow this path as a hopeful way to improve your chances of a candidacy for a particular position, here are some questions you should ask a prospective distributor and/or posting and direct mail service:

1) Who do you target and what type of relationship do you have with them?
2) Do you match the keywords of the job to the keywords in my résumé?
3) If so, what percentage ‘hit’ on the keyword ratio has to happen before you forward my résumé to the employers?
4) What types of employers do you specialize in working with? (Industry sector)
5) Do you have any testimonials of previous clients who have experienced success?
6) What success ratio do you have?

This is just to protect your investment, and to help provide a targeted approach for your résumé.

Make sure to also do some research on the company to ensure that they are reputable as well.