With the unemployment rate at 10% (and rising) and over 15 million applicants currently buying for jobs, getting hired can be pretty tough, even if you are qualified. With that said, why not take all the help you can get? Liz Wolgemuth of U.S. News & World Report, compiled a list of some “insider secrets” from various managers, CEO’s, executives, and human resources representatives. Here’s what they revealed: It’s all in the details.

1: The Cover Letter: Don’t be so “vanilla.” Human Resource offices get hundreds and thousands of resumes a year, so the best thing to do is stand out…in the right way.
G. L. Hoffman, chairman of Jobdig.com recommends that people “Spend two hours going through the company’s website, executive LinkedIn profiles, blogs, and industry articles—before you even touch your résumé or cover letter.” Translation being, if you’re serious about wanting to be hired, then you need to be serious about the company. So many hopeful applicants send in a generic cover letter, when what companies really want to see is that you’re interested in them.

2: Body Language: Book smarts aren’t everything. Everything from small talk, to being aware of your surroundings, to proper posture, and eye contact are crucial.

Karen Burns, author of “The Amazing Adventure of the Working Girl: Real-life Career Advice You Can Actually Use,” says, “If you lack self awareness, it shows. And it doesn’t look good.”

3. DON’T Just Sit There: Volunteer.

Yes, so unemployment may be what’s in the cards right now for you, but you can make the best of it. Being out of a job isn’t the best of circumstances to be in, no doubt, but what it does provide is sizeable chunks of ‘resume-boosting time.’ Burns continued saying, “Volunteering tells potential employers that you are an energetic, compassionate person who, even when faced with problems of your own, found the wherewithal to help others, and that you didn’t let your skills go to waste.” This is a very appealing characteristic to potential employers.

4. DO Sweat the Small Stuff: Dot your “I’s” and cross your “T’s.

Alison Green, a hiring manager for a Washington-area nonprofit says, ”When you’re on a job search, a small blunder can take on far greater importance than it would in most contexts,” Green says. “Here’s what can happen in a hiring manager’s head when a job candidate makes a noticeable mistake: ‘She told me she was going to send me this writing sample Monday, but then she sent it on Tuesday without acknowledging the delay. This might be out of character for her; everyone screws up occasionally. But if I ignore this possible red flag and hire her, and then she turns out to be scattered and bad with deadlines, I’m going to be kicking myself for not having paid attention to this sign now.” This tip goes back  to Karen Burn’s advice on how important being self-aware is.  Whether you didn’t realize you were slouching or didn’t think getting valid, updated reference information was important, it is. Managers have no choice but to judge straight from first impressions, you only get one chance in the business world.

5. Stand Out: Tell them what they want to hear.

So many hopefuls don’t even realize how important standing out in a resume really is. Your resume is your only real place to show that you are different, that what you would bring to the table is unique, and most importantly that no one could do that job like you could. That being said, listing that you could complete the needed “x,y, and z” tasks isn’t sufficient. Green, a manager at askmanager.blogspot.com,  asks “Did you just go through the motions and turn in an acceptable, but not particularly star-quality, performance? Or did you do an unusually good job, one that impressed your boss and coworkers and made them devastated to lose you?”

6. Common Sense: It’s more than just looking the part.

The job might be great, but if you’re not the right fit, don’t waste your time (or theirs). Managers and hiring representatives receive hundreds of job applications and resumes from hopefuls who really have no business applying. Matching the job description is huge.  Green says, “If you don’t have an accurate understanding of what the job is all about, your opinion of how well-matched you are will be based on an erroneous foundation.”

7. Just Be Yourself: (Sort of).

Michael Wade, a management consultant, concludes that the average interviewer really dislikes interviewing. Who can blame them? They are asking the same questions over and over to complete strangers, there’s not really a comfortable element in there. Wade’s advice, “A job seeker can gain an edge by staying friendly, listening carefully, using body language to indicate amiability, and stressing that he or she gets along with colleagues.”

8. Have A Game Plan: A little planning never hurt anyone.

According to research done at the University of Missouri in 2008, after studying the 327 hopeful job seekers, from 20 to 40 years old, they concluded that, “following a plan from the start of a job search will significantly impact its success.” Curt Rosegren’s idea, a career coach, is very similar: processing goals are the key. These are not meant to be life-planning goals, but rather “roll up your sleeves and make it happen’ objectives.”

9. Pick Option C: Sometimes “A & B” simply wont work.

It’s obvious, in light of the recent economic downturn, that many employment fields were negatively affected. In saying that, however, there are still fields, such as the technology and healthcare areas that are thriving; Some are even doing better. Therefore, it may be time to break into a new field.  Suzanne Lucas, a human resources expert, supports this idea when she says, “If a position is hard to fill, they may be willing to hire you if you are willing to learn how to do the work, rather than requiring you to already be an expert.”

Of course, work is still going to be difficult to attain, but with these insider tips maybe you can catch the eye of one of those employers!

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