In this guest post, Cynthia Shapiro, career expert and author of the best seller Corporate Confidential:50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You To Know - And What To Do About Them, offers some insider tips for resumes.

We all want to make it to the top of that teetering pile of resumes atop the hiring managers' desks. With 400,000 workers laid off in March and 7.8 million unemployed, competition for the top jobs is fierce. But there are a few insider tips that can help you get picked as the top candidate.

1. Be Bold

Think of your resume as a one-page billboard, not a biography. Use lots of white space, bold type and bullet points, and get rid of that vague "objective."

Be specific about your big accomplishments, not your basic job duties. For example, if they ask for "stellar sales skills," say you increased your last employer's sales by 10% within a 3-month period.

2. Be the perfect fit

Mirror the ad's language in your cover letter and resume. If they ask for someone "passionate about customer service," use those words.

Many companies use software that looks for key words to identify top candidates; usually those are the same words as you'll see in the ads.

Even if they go through the resume pile the old fashioned way, by hand, careful wording will make you stand out and appear to be a perfect match.

3. Get out of the slush pile

If your resume ends up with everyone else's, it's less likely to get noticed. In addition to the one you've faxed or emailed, call the company receptionist and get the name and title of the hiring manager (make sure you ask for spelling). Do the same for the manager of the open position.

Mail an old-fashioned 100% cotton or linen paper resume with professional cover letter to both these people, in an envelope marked "personal." This way it will go directly to their in-box.

Don't email or fax it to them, or it will just end up back in the slush pile. Even if your mailed-in resume does end up with a stack of others, it will be folded differently and will feel different to the touch; more weighty, thus more important.

4. Avoid the No. 1 mistake

Make sure your cover letter and resume language exudes confidence. Too many candidates sound like they're asking or even begging for consideration. You're not asking, you're making them aware of all the wonderful things you have to offer.

If you're not excited about what you have to offer, why should they be?

Article by George Lenard, the originator of George's Employment Blawg, has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of labor and employment law, including preventive law as well as litigation. His special interests include employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and noncompetition agreements. He is currently a managing partner with Harris, Dowell, Fisher & Harris, L.C., in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in the suburb of University City with his wife and family.