While some financial experts are beginning to say the recession is officially over, jobs are still scarce. Unemployment remains perilously close to 10%, and while the rate at which jobs are being lost has slowed, jobs are still being lost.

In this difficult job market, those looking for work need every slight advantage they can find. While somewhat old-fashioned in the age of social networking job sites and references through Twitter, the resume is still a centerpiece of any job-hunting strategy, and should be constructed carefully.

The resume expert at the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Don Goodman, offers two quick tests to check the effectiveness of a resume.

One is to simply read the summary section alone and determine if it would make a reader feel they must know more about the person. The second is to write down the message that a potential employer will get after scanning the resume for 20 seconds.

If a resume fails these tests, it should be reworked to bring accomplishments to the fore, to help present a strong summary of who the job hunter is an what they bring to a prospective employer.