Job Hunting? Stand out in a positive way

With the unemployment rate near ten percent companies are bombarded with resumes, each time they post a position.

Job search site, Career Builder, recently surveyed more than 2,500 hiring experts about how they review those applications.

Thirty-eight percent said they spend less than a minute reviewing a resume, 18 percent, less than 30 seconds.

“We found that employers are getting hundreds of resumes and they're whittling it down to less than 25 that they're actually going to go through and make a decision who should come in for the next interview, and who should eventually get the job,” said Michael Erwin, Senior Adviser at CareerBuilder.com.

Numbers like those can leave job hunters looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. But some attempts miss the mark. Employers surveyed cited examples like a candidate who topped her resume with a picture of her cat.  Another who sent a 24-page resume covering achievements of a career spanning all of 5 years.  And another who informed the hiring manager, "I’ll have your job in five years."

The serious advice from these humorous anecdotes, don't get too personal, and don't be too confident.

“You want to make sure that whatever you're doing to sell yourself, and to put yourself ahead of the competition, you're doing in a professional way,” said Erwin.

For best results, 8 in ten employers surveyed said customizing an application with information specific to a job posting gets their attention first.  Keep it professional. No cute email addresses and no emoticons.  And make it easy to read with bullet points highlighting your best skills