Should You Use a Resume Distribution Service?

In these tough times, everyone, it seems, is looking for an edge to land that ideal job—or almost any half-way decent job, for that matter. 

 

Many job seekers are becoming increasingly frustrated in their job search. They spend hours looking up the names of HR people and their latest snail mail or email addresses. After that, it’s a few more hours nearly every day typing up resumes, stuffing and stamping envelopes, or emailing job application letters to the job “ether-sphere.” 

 

Is there a better, faster way? Some think so. They’ve resorted to resume distribution services to take the load off this busy work—or what some have referred to as the “administrative wall” of job applications. It’s a shotgun approach that may or may not work for you.

 

It’s no surprise that resume distribution services have recently sprung up over the past few years. But are they worth the money? Some job seekers use them; others don’t. Most of these services operate the same way. For a fee, they will send your resume to thousands of employers and recruiters. You’re strictly betting on volume, since it would take you days to send your resume to all those people. With so many resumes in circulation, you’re hoping that one or two will get to the right people and result in at least a call if not an interview. 

 

The downside of these services is that you're sending your resume to people you don't know and who have never heard of you. You’re hoping that somehow your resume will stand out in the tons of applications they get every day. 

 

Savvy recruiters and HR managers filter these resumes quickly from their inboxes.  They’ll give it a quick once over and delete it. They know that your resume has made the rounds to hundreds of other recruiters and HR managers.  They simply don’t have the time or inclination to compete with all those other recruiters or companies for your resume. 

 

Most good recruiters aren’t heavy users of resume distribution services to find job candidates. HR Managers generally only use them to fill temp positions. By using the scatter-gun approach to resume distribution, your resume loses value and falls into the category of temp staff or low-level candidates.  

 

That said, if you’re still intent on using a resume distribution service, here are the top five:

Clearly, resume distribution services are not for everyone. If you’re fresh out of school and simply need a job to start paying the rent, this approach might work for you. If, on the other hand, you’re seeking a specific job and already have some experience under your belt, you might want to try a more individualized approach.