By Aaron Crowe for AOL Find a Job

Getting hired is getting harder and harder as 9.8% of the country is unemployed, and being overqualified for a job is one reason too many people hear for why they're not being hired.

While dumbing down your résumé isn't ideal, it may be necessary if you're going for a job that doesn't require all of the expertise, training and education you have.

Look at it from an employer's standpoint: Hiring someone with a master's degree to work as a receptionist doesn't make sense because that person will probably quit as soon as they find something they have more of an interest in. You don't want to be the most expensive receptionist in the office.

By Rachel Zupek, www.TheWorkBuzz.com, CareerBuilder's job seeker blog

Did you think I would say anything but "YES"? Of course mistakes on résumés and cover letters matter - isn't that what we've been telling you, and what you've heard for the past - forever?

If an employer is only looking over your résumé for about 30 seconds, you can bet that if what catches his eye in that time period is an error, your résumé is going in the trash. Same with your cover letter - why waste time reading something that you can barely understand?

Debbie Shalom, founder of Amazing Résumés and Coaching Services

Practice makes perfect

Winning résumés and victorious athletes share several features; they both rely on extensive preparation and hard work.

As you begin to create your résumé, you need to invest time researching the subject. Visit a local library or bookstore and review professionally written résumés that focus on your job title, area or industry. Concentrate on content, format and style. Will you need a section for professional experience, education, technological skills and affiliations? What type and size font should you use? Should your writing style be formal or casual? Once you decide on and are comfortable with your resume's appearance, style and content then you are ready to take the next step.

Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing

Most people, no matter what job they seek or how long they've been part of the working world, make the same mistake when it comes to the resume-writing process. They forget -- or simply don't know how -- to develop their resume from the employer's point of view.

By Anne Fisher

The secret, says a longtime recruiter, is knowing how to "reverse engineer" your resume. Also, if you're a new grad, must you include a so-so GPA?