As an executive search candidate, should you post your resume on job search Web sites that recruiters and companies visit to find qualified talent? Or perhaps you should contract with a resume distribution service? What about preparing a targeted email broadcast campaign? Do you know the difference between these three? Are you confused by all these options? Well, let's clear things up.

Resume Postings: Web Sites and Databases

Online resume posting services are the easiest to explain. They're sites where individual job seekers post their resumes for review by recruiters and prospective employers. These services are an excellent way to advertise yourself and get noticed for opportunities you may never have been aware of in other job search venues.

These services are generally quite inexpensive, if not free. What's more, they require little effort on your part, freeing up your time to focus on networking, responding to advertisements and other search activities that can be quite time consuming.

If your job search is confidential, be sure to check with each resume posting service to determine if it offers confidential posting services and how it works.

Resume Distribution Services

There are virtually hundreds of online resume distribution services available to job seekers. These services vary widely, but all are focused on distributing your resume to their network of contacts, generally a combination of recruiters and companies. Some of these companies transmit all the resumes they receive to all their contacts. Others only distribute each resume to contacts interested in a candidate with matching qualifications.

Here's how the latter works: Once you have submitted your resume, it passes through a comprehensive review of keywords and phrases that each recruiter and company has submitted, indicating the qualifications in which they are interested. Once keywords have been matched, the resume is then electronically distributed to all who meet the criteria. What's more, many of these services offer multiple distributions for one fixed price, an excellent feature since companies and recruiters are constantly revising their keywords and phrases as their hiring needs change.

Unfortunately, you may get some response from multilevel marketers. Although most resume distribution companies work to avoid this, many of these companies use fictitious names to mask their real identities.

As with resume posting services, some resume distribution companies offer confidential services. Check for specifics.

Email Broadcast Campaigns

Email campaigns are the electronic equivalent of targeted direct mail. You begin by defining your search criteria as follows:

• Select recruiters based on profession and industry specialization. More often than not, you will not use geography as a search criteria. Remember, a recruiter can be in Chicago doing a placement in San Diego.
• Select companies based on industry, size and geographic location.
• Select venture capital firms based on industry. Again, do not use geography. A VC firm can be headquartered in New York, yet own operating companies nationwide.

You then search the database you've purchased or contracted with, using your criteria to create a customized list of contacts to receive your cover letter and resume. Then, using whatever word processing or mail merge program you are familiar with, you can quickly, easily, and very inexpensively produce and distribute an email campaign to each of these contacts.

It is critical to note that not all of these services are appropriate for every executive search candidate. You must closely evaluate your objectives -- type of position, level, industry preference, ability to relocate -- to determine which of these may be of value to you and your job search.