To effectively job hunt online today, it is more important than ever to target your search.

Easily e-mailed resumés have flooded many hiring managers with more applicants than they can handle. The sour job market exacerbates the problem.

To keep your resumé from disappearing in an electronic tidal wave, employment experts suggest, focus harder on so-called niche job sites. Such sites differ from big job boards because they serve a particular profession, industry or ethnic group. Though smaller sites typically offer a narrower array of jobs, many companies now use these sites more because they charge lower posting fees and allow access to candidates with specialized skills.

Most candidates incorrectly assume that anyone "looking at their resumé has quick and easy and low-cost access to it," says Mark Spoor, principal of Access Partners Inc., a recruiting firm in Denver. He urges job seekers to also target sites that provide recruiters with free access to resumés. Among them are America's Job Bank, a nationwide service with job listings for a variety of cities and regions.

Another tip: Zero in on all of the relevant businesses in a desired geographic location. Don't venture too far from home -- or pursue multiple locales. Even though you are searching in cyberspace, many companies have cut back relocation benefits for new hires or stopped reimbursement for interview travel expenses.

Then, apply directly to a company's Web site. Businesses "want people who really want to work for them to come to their site," says Pam Dixon, author of "Job Searching Online for Dummies." "That way they know they're not just getting people haphazardly."

Paper vs. Electronic

As employers confront a glut of electronic resumés, some smaller firms have begun demanding paper resumés again. "We won't take any electronic resumés anymore," says Eric Starkman, president of Starkman & Associates Inc., a New York public-relations firm. Two years ago, when the company started posting job openings on big sites such as Monster.com, he discovered that "you just get too much junk."

Now, the company's online job postings advise candidates against sending anything electronically. In general, that has "dramatically reduced" the number of respondents while increasing the quality of candidates, Mr. Starkman says. A recent online ad generated more than 300 unwanted e-mailed responses that were rejected without even being looked at.

For the most part, though, "companies are slowly stopping taking paper resumés," says Mark Mehler, a principal of CareerXroads, Kendall Park, N.J. Many big companies rely on electronic databases to keep track of job applicants. "If it comes in via paper, it may wind up in a backroom where some individual will take the resumé and lay it flat and scan it into a database." Along the way, a paper resumé could be misdirected, lost or poorly scanned, he says.

Don't Do This

Here is a short list of tactics to avoid:

Don't e-mail your resumé indiscriminately, figuring it will stick somewhere. Sometimes, recruiters search several databases to fill a position and discover the same job seeker multiple times. "It does not look good at all," Ms. Dixon says.

Don't use your business address to apply online. "People do that all the time," says Allison Hemming, president of Hired Guns, a New York staffing firm for marketing professionals.

You run the risk that your current employer will catch you job hunting. If you leave your current position for any reason, your contact information also will be outdated. It is better to use a professional-sounding private e-mail address.

Don't apply for more than one position on a company's Web site. You could get lost in the confusion of competing hiring managers.

Don't send only your resumé. Include a cover letter addressed to the hiring manager in which you succinctly explain why you are the perfect fit for this particular opening. Even though many applications are initially evaluated electronically, a person will likely read it at some point. A good cover letter helps you stand apart from people who merely click.