The job market has changed dramatically in the last few years. Nowadays, pounding the pavement has given way to scouring the Internet, with job openings on company Web sites and electronic resumes becoming the norm. For the more than 8 million unemployed workers, the new hiring landscape can be baffling.

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That's why it's a good idea for you to refresh your Resume 101 skills. A book I wrote, "Get the Interview Every Time: Fortune 500 Hiring Professionals' Tips for Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters" (Dearborn Trade, April 2004), tackles this new territory .I surveyed 50 Fortune 500 hiring professionals (managers, directors and vice presidents) to find out how the new technology has impacted the hiring landscape. Because I interviewed human resource professionals directly responsible for making hiring decisions at Fortune 500 companies (H.J. Heinz, Continental Airlines, Fannie Mae, Chubb, Bank of New York, Mutual of Omaha, Pepsi and Merck, to name a few), my survey results reveal some interesting trends.

Based on my survey of Fortune 500 hiring professionals, here is my top-10 list for finding a position in today's job market:

1. Spend time on a company's Web site before you send your resume. Determine the normal procedure for submitting (snail mail, fax, electronically), and then use the company's preferred method. It's also a good idea to get a feel for the corporate culture as you scour the company's Web site.

2. Tweak each resume you submit for a particular job and make sure that it contains a number of keywords that match your skills to the open position. You can find the keywords in the company job description.

3. Make sure these keywords accurately describe your skills. An interview will easily expose whether you do indeed possess these skills. Fortune 500 hiring professionals said again and again that job applicants are asked to interview when their skills are the closest match to the open position.

4. Submit a cover letter, whether it's required or not. You should tell the prospective employer what position you are applying for, tell them where you heard about the job and bring to light anything that helps you to stand out above the rest of the applicants.

5. When putting together your resume, spend the bulk of your time on content rather than design, but make sure you have two versions: a plain text version (ASCII) as well as a standard version (with design elements, such as bullets, rules, italics). Fortune 500 hiring professionals said the best resumes are easy to read, logical, accurate, demonstrate a familiarity with the new technology and results-oriented.

6. Make sure your language suggests that you are a doer and not a paper pusher. Verifiable numbers and accomplishments make more of an impression than hype. Nouns are good, verbs are better, numbers and promotions sing.

7. Keep resumes brief. The average resume is two pages long.

8. Check everything. Ask someone else to proofread your resume and cover letter before you hit Send. Do not rely solely on spell check, either. Everything must be 100 percent free of errors.

9. Realize that finding a job can take some time. While you should do your homework and be persistent, do not stalk a job. Follow multiple leads and talk to people in the industry. If you're out of job, put your extra time to good use by taking additional classes or joining professional organizations.

10. Show up for your interview five minutes ahead of time (not earlier or later) with a positive attitude and professional image.