By Rod Kurtz

Despite a slight dip in the unemployment rate recently, the hiring picture in the United States remains shaky at best -- with millions still out of work and many of them all but giving up their searches. But with a new year comes renewed optimism, and even the most cynical job seekers find that incentive, psychological or otherwise, to dust off their resumes and begin pounding the proverbial pavement once again. What can they do differently this time to stand out?

While every company is different and every employer has a unique set of criteria for job candidates, there are also certain qualities that can win them over. In some ways, being a job candidate is not much different than being a political candidate (minus, perhaps, the attack ads) and with that comes a certain degree of packaging -- appearance, presentation, talking points and the like. Believe it or not, despite high unemployment, many employers today complain that they still can't find the right people for their open positions. That spells opportunity.

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