Dear Ella,

I must have sent out thousands of resumes and filled out hundreds of online applications. No interviews. The job hunt has become so impersonal that it seems impossible to get a resume noticed. Most companies have a no paper resume policy; you must apply online. What am I to do? How can I get my resume noticed when it's buried under thousands of other resumes that have been e-mailed?

Dear Cutting Through The Clutter,

You are not marketing yourself to the right people.

The information you've been given -- that you must only apply online -- is not correct. While online application for employment is the preferred way, most human resource departments would like you to contact them, as it frees up busy business-group directors from being contacted directly. By following this designated "cow path" approach to finding a job, you do yourself and the company to which you are applying a disservice. Sidestep the bureaucracy of human resources when at all possible by sending your resume directly to decision makers, with just a copy to personnel.

In this competitive landscape, you must be your own best advocate in your search for a job. Those who have done their research and can relay how what they have to offer can move a particular company forward, using a variety of communiques including the resume, e-mail, voice mail and letters will get an interview far in advance of those who have relegated their search to the Internet alone. People who only send resumes via the Internet are lazy. It takes work to put together a strong marketing campaign for yourself. Unless and until you use all communication media available to you when marketing your experience and skill set, you will continue to find you're swimming in a stocked pool.

You say you've sent out thousands of resumes -- thousands of companies do not want to talk to you. Use your head and market directly only to those companies and group leaders for whom you are an exact match. Since you've been unable to generate traction with your resume, one can only assume that you are marketing yourself to the wrong people. Only market your resume after you have done your company research.

Direct marketing campaigns, when executed well, can cut through the electronic clutter and get you the notice you're looking for. Marketing directly is not for the faint of heart --you will be hung up on, transferred multiple times only to be asked the same questions over and over again; told that they can't give out names of heads of departments or that they are not currently hiring or taking applications from external candidates. Don't be dissuaded by these roadblocks. It is up to you, the job seeker, to forge ahead, infiltrate and educate company decision makers as to why they need what you've got to sell. By being informed and persistent, not taking no for an answer, and using the communication tools at your disposal, you get what other online applicants alone don't get -- noticed.

Be brave.

Dear Ella,

When a job description requires salary history and salary requirements, what is the strategy? Should I give them my current salary and follow that with what I would like to make, which is, of course, more?

Dear Don't Give It All Away In The Beginning,

Leave questions regarding salary expectations blank and address that question when it comes up during the interview. If you are applying for a job like the one you now hold or previously held, you should know what the going rate for your job or contract services are in that particular field. When asked during the actual interview session, "What are you looking for in a salary?" simply state "My current salary is XYZ, but I am open to a competitive offer depending on the opportunity." Then don't say a word. First one who speaks loses.

Most companies have mid-point ranges that they work off of when filling a position. For example, if a salary of $50,000 if offered, that salary is usually the mid-point of the compensation range for that particular position, skill set and group. The high end of the scale may be $68,000, but high-end dollars are not usually offered when hiring an employee from the outside. Since employees will most likely be relegated to a group for some time before they are promoted or moved to another group, the surplus dollars not given at the time of hire will be used for the standard incremental increases needed to keep an employee in place and happy as time passes.

That said, mid-point ranges do offer some flex when it comes to negotiating up on starting salary. The interview process is ultimately where a candidate's value is determined -- if one interviews very well, that person may be able to add $1,000 to $4,000 to the base salary or obtain a signing bonus to entice the person to leave their current employer and move over to the competition. It's important to remember, however, when negotiating for a high salary that the more money you convince an employer you're worth, the more that employer will expect from you on performance as an employee.

Sometimes it's best to undersell and overperform than to oversell and find you've set expectations you can't deliver on.

Make sure you understand the total compensation packaged being offered before you attempt to negotiate any salary offering. Base salary, bonuses, benefits, company culture, overtime, travel, company solvency and product and service competitiveness and strategy are just some of the compensation variables that should be considered before deciding that the company is underbidding. You may decide to take less in a base salary if the other factors add up to an increase in overall income and personal and professional gratification.