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IT recruiter Eric Wallen says he's never seen a job market like this one.

"If you had someone with very outstanding technical skills, in high demand, you wouldn't let that person sit out there for other employers to gobble up," says Wallen, president of Primary Search Management. "Now employers don't have a problem doing that because they know that there are other people out there in the market, and they don't feel compelled to have to grab that person up."

Competition is fierce, and employers are being ultra-selective. So how do you make yourself stand out from the pack? William Arruda, who owns a personal branding company called Reach, says you have to market yourself as a hot commodity.

"One critical factor is how you show up in Google," says Arruda. "In the new world of work, what hiring managers and recruiters are using is your Google identity to determine if they want to bring you in or not. So you want to make sure you Google yourself and see what's there."

According to Arruda, if you don't show up in Google, you virtually don't exist. The key, says Arruda, is to first understand your brand and what it is that makes you exceptional.

"Know what makes you different," he says. "So there's a great exercise you can do called same, different. Think about everyone else who's applying for the same jobs you are. Take a sheet of paper, write same on the left, different on the right draw a line down the center and just start writing the same things about you and everyone else who's applying for that job. And the things that make you stand out, maybe you speak three languages, or you've lived in five countries."

"Then, ask yourself, now how do I make my career marketing materials, my resume, my bio, communicate that value," continues Arruda.

Arruda says personal branding can be expensive. Prices at his company range from $12,000 to $40,000. But, he also says there are some relatively inexpensive ways to market yourself – and the Internet is the key.

"It doesn't mean you have to have your own website," Arruda says. "You don't have to spend a lot of money to do it, just commenting on blogs and including your name is a way to build your online identity. A quick review of a book at Amazon.com is another great way to build your brand."

Just make sure it's a title you'd want to be associated with, Arruda says.

Finally, Arruda says, a powerfully-branded profile on networking sites like LinkedIn, can really go a long way toward establishing your identity. For a free assessment and for more resources, go to reachcc.com.