Apparently job seekers are still having a hard time with find a job; needless to say since the unemployment rate is still above 8%. In those difficult times "who you know" can be a big time help. If you don't have a lot of friends and resort to finding a job online, you might want to at least keep up with the challenges of doing so today. Just because job postings are up doesn't mean you should shoot off your resume to every Tom, DIck and Harry.

Ok surely by now everyone knows that your resume is a sales pitch to a potential employer. On the other hand, do you know what resume blunders say to your potential employer that you suck badly? Even that question may seem like a settled argument but the reality is that simply isn't true anymore -- the job market has changed. The job market has changed for better or worse to this global job market concept, now let’s add in social media job search and top it off with the big push to automate more business functions than ever before and voila you have a job market that is inherently short term in nature.

So now knowing is half the battle right? While knowing "permanent" is a thing of the past (in fact, if you stay on the job for 4 years you're a long-timer) how do you address that in your resume? Well for starters it depends on your career industry. Some industries are more volatile than others; thus, employers and recruiters in such industries are probably more in tune with the reality that quality candidates will have shorter tenures than a few decades ago. For those employers who aren't in touch with that reality, maybe that's a signal to you of what you would be walking into if you were employed with them. You think? If you're still hell bent on vying for your next position with such an employer than your resume should focus more on what you do and how well you do it than how long you have done it. Focus on things like certifications received on the job, significant achievements and growth in terms of responsibilities during your tenure.

Those are just a few resume tips to elevate your resume above the next guy. The good thing is that with the economy poised for a big turnaround, you won't have the same ridiculous 6/1 job seeker to job odds, like you do now, as we progress into 2011 and early 2012. So, given that the competition will level out here shortly, your primary goal will be to avoid resume blunders that say you suck to a potential employer. For example, too many unexplained short term job stints. Get in front of that situation early and answer questions before asked.