When you're job hunting, success has everything to do with numbers. The more potential employers have your resume in their hands, the greater the number of interviews you'll be contacted about. And the greater the number of interviews you ace, the likelier you are to not only land a job, but also land one that you'll love.

So how do you flood the market with your resume? Well, you could spend hours sifting through the classifieds and searching the Internet for possibilities. Or you could save yourself a lot of time and trouble and simply contact a resume distribution service. More and more today, recruiters and employment agencies are turning to resume distribution services to find suitable candidates for jobs in hundreds of industries. It's easier, cheaper, and less time-consuming for recruiters to contact a distribution service, versus trying to hunt down potential employees on their own. And an audience with a large number of recruiters is exactly what you need to nail down a new job quickly.

How it works

If you've never used a resume distribution service before, it can seem daunting. But it's really as easy as posting your resume once to those huge job boards—and far more effective. First, you create a profile and submit your resume online. Once you've confirmed that everything is correct and have paid your fee, your resume will be forwarded to recruiters who can help you find a job in your chosen area. You're typically contacted directly by recruiters or companies to further discuss a job opening. If you haven't gotten much response from your resume within a certain amount of time, some distribution services will even help you review and improve your resume.

Why use a resume distribution service instead of going it alone? Here are some benefits to consider:

1. You can pick your plan. Most resume distribution services have several tiers of benefits. For a set price, your resume will be given a certain amount of exposure. You can pick a package that fits your needs and budget. Some even provide resume targeting for military resumes or those searching for executive positions.

2. Location, location, location isn't a problem. If you're open to moving for your career, you obviously stand a better chance of landing your dream job. But if you live in Chicago, will you know if a perfect position opens up in Denver? With a resume distribution service, your resume can be sent all over the country, putting you in front of people who can consider you for hundreds—or even thousands—of great jobs. Likewise, if you want to stay in your current city or state, you can narrow your targets to only recruiters in your region.

3. Discover a variety of possibilities. You know what industry you're interested in, right? For example, doesn't it make sense to put your resume in front of marketing or advertising companies if you're in marketing? Not necessarily. If you're looking in the newspaper under “marketing,” you may miss a great opportunity with an arts studio or a medical practice in need of a marketing specialist because you're not looking in the right place. But a distribution service is the convergence point for a broad array of industries looking for someone with your skills and talents.

4. You get a direct pipeline. If you post your resume on a job board, it's floating out there waiting to be “clicked” by an employer. But a distribution service sends your resume directly to the inboxes of recruiters who want to see it. That direct pipeline considerably ups your odds of being contacted about a position that's right for you.

Additional tips

* It's important to choose your resume distribution service wisely. To ensure that your resume is received by people who are really interested in it, verify that your distribution service sends your resume only to recruiters who've signed up with their site. After all, if it's simply being mass-emailed to recruiters who will delete your resume as “spam,” you're not getting any value for your money.

* Your resume itself is the final variable in this job-hunting puzzle. Remember to pay attention to the quality of the resume you send to a distribution service. They may send it to hundreds of recruiters, but if it's a lousy resume, you won't get the response you're hoping for.