Seem like a strange question? You spend so much time applying for jobs and feeling like you're at the mercy of the employer that it's a radical thought to imagine you actually have control over the situation.

So take a step back and imagine that you are the hiring manager for your ideal job.

Start by taking a look at your resume. What does it say about you as a person? Does it tell an accurate and complete story about your jobs and skills? What words would you use to describe the person depicted on the resume? Successful? Competent? Intelligent? Outgoing? Creative? Or Boring? Non-descript? Not motivated? Just from reading the resume, can you get a complete picture of what you did in your past jobs and what your accomplishments were?

Most resumes I see are way too thin. They need to have complete sentences and should tell a story about the person they're meant to describe. The employer isn't going to look at the resume and be impressed with how few words you managed to put on a page, but they will be impressed when they read about how your career has evolved through the years.

Now take a look at the job you're applying for. Grab a highlighter and highlight all of the words or phrases in the job posting that tell you exactly what the employer is looking for. If you know that you have those skills, are they easy to find on your resume? Do you highlight those skills in your cover letter? You don't stand a chance of getting the job you want if you don't show the employer that you've got exactly what they're looking for.

So, would you hire you, or at the very least do you pique enough interest to warrant an employer calling you for a phone interview? Don't feel that you are at the mercy of the employer. You control how you position yourself relative to what they are looking for, and if you do it well and show them that you are a match, you stand a much better chance of getting that all important phone interview.