Looking for a job is (ironically) a full-time job. Especially as competition heats up, it's essential that you tackle your job hunt with the same go-getter mindset and solid work ethic that you will eventually employ at your job.

I read a post at Keppie Careers today that put it this way: you are never really done working on your resume. Since every job description is different, it follows that your resume should be tailored differently for every job you apply for. You can add a lot of strength to your application just by editing the bullet points in the skill and work experience sections. Keppie Careers recommends "fixing" your headlines and highlighted sections so that they speak directly to the job description.

Have you been unemployed and/or looking for work for a long time? Longer than you thought you would be? Remember, this is not a come as you are job market. There are fewer jobs and more people looking. You must do whatever you can to give yourself an advantage over the competition if you want to be gainfully employed anytime soon. For some, this just means looking more carefully at job descriptions and targeting their resumes accordingly. For others, it means hiring a professional to help them identify and outline all of the great skills they have to offer.

Keppie Careers acknowledges that this kind of attention to detail is time consuming and can be frustrating. But how far do you think your paperwork will get when another candidate took the time to obviously organize his/her resume to match the job description? At the end of my post-graduation job hunt, I had more than 20 versions of my resume saved on my desktop, each tailored to a different type of job (event planner, assistant, PR representative, copy editor, writer etc). And it payed off!

The moral of this story is: If you really want a job, you have to take the time to prove that you are the best candidate to fill the position. It shows when you've tailored your resume to match a particular employer's needs.

The neverending Links...

Alison's Job Search Blog Reviews: Lindsey Pollak's book, Getting from College to Career. Alison says that the book is "full of practical advice on how to discover what you want to do... and the best ways to get ahead of the crowd when you're job searching."

Careersthatdontsuck.com Reveals: That your plan of moving to Europe, getting your dream job and living your dream life might have some holes in it. According to the post, the European Union's unemployment rate is the same as the United State's: a fun-fun 8.9 percent.

ERE.net Profiles: A Boston College MBA student who is using a Facebook ad to get a job with Microsoft. Eric Barker says he's having good return with his ad "Considering this was just a little experiment in unconventional job hunting that cost about a half hour of my time and less than $50, it’s been insanely successful. My ad got tens of thousands of impressions and hundreds of clicks and more than 20 people contacted me with offers of assistance."

One Day One Job Says: You could get a job at the Chronicle of Higher Education. There is a college reporter position available that allows you to combine you love of higher ed with the need to make some money. To apply, visit the job page to find out where to send you resume, cover letter and 5 clips.

"Fuchur from The Neverending Story" courtesy schoschie via Flickr's Creative Commons.