10 Winning Ways to Land the Job You Want

2. Polish your resume and cover letter

You want your resume and cover letter to present you in the best possible light. Cajigas recommends showing your materials to a friend for proofreading before you send them to the company.

"It's kind of like a take-home test," she says. "Why would you fail a take-home test?"

Levit encourages job-seekers to rewrite their resume with the job description in mind.

"Make sure you're clearly addressing those issues in your resume," she stresses. "(That) probably means tweaking it for each opportunity that comes along. If you're applying for jobs that aren't in your industry, I suggest developing a functional-based resume. List your experience by skills -- project management, sales, marketing, budgeting -- so they'll be able to easily see how your experience translates (to the new industry)."

3. Network your way in

Jason Alba, CEO of job search Web site JibberJobber.com, recommends using LinkedIn to find employees at the company where you'd like to apply.

Next: "A professional is not a begging, needy job seeker." >

Bankrate.com is the Web's leading aggregator of information on financial products including mortgages, credit cards, new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees. Visit Bankrate.com to get the tools and information that can help you make the best financial decisions.