The Hard Truth About Getting Hired

If you're trying to get a handle on what works in today's job search environment—I highly advise you take a look at these top 10 job search tips from online marketing executive So Young Park. The advice is straight from the horse's mouth—Park embarked on a job hunt in the heart of the recession. She had an advantage in that she was employed while she was looking, but anyone who's capable of explaining their own successes for the benefit of others is to be treasured.

I recently chatted with Park for a story on the growing use of psychologists in interviews, and she spoke candidly about the lack of response she received when applying to openings at companies where she lacked a connection. "In this economy ...If I was relying on cold calling and just sending in my resume, I don't know how I would get a job," Park says.

If you suspected that you lacked the web savvy, the personal branding know-how, the interactive online resume, to get a job in these web 2.0 times—clearly there's a good chance that's not the case. As much as it mattered in previous decades—or perhaps even more than it mattered then—your network is still king. Your connections are most likely to solve your job problem.

This is not to say that your application materials aren't important. You'll find a really crucial piece of resume wisdom in today's Outside Voices post from U.S.News contributing blogger Alison Green, who writes that the most important question you need to answer in your resume bullet points is "What did you accomplish in this job that someone else wouldn't have?"