More companies are hiring according to national unemployment data released today. At the same time, the number of people looking for work increased. It's a typical scenario whenever the economy starts to improve. But if you're looking for a job, the increased competition isn't really welcome. 

Here are some tips by Robin Ryan, author of '60 Seconds and You're Hired!' that could help you stand out from the pack. She has focused on MBAs, but much of the advice is good for any job hunter.

• The resume. You've got 15 seconds to get an employer's attention. Your degree is an impressive credential, so be sure to have it displayed on your resume and in your cover letters next to your name.

Outline past experience — paid and unpaid. Use action verbs to highlight your accomplishments and the results you achieved. Top skills employers seek from MBA grads include: management, research, organizational skills, communication, problem solving, and team collaboration. Be sure to demonstrate initiative.

Ryan's website provides a resume assessment quiz.

• Acing the interview. Many employers will want specific examples of positive and negative work situations to determine how you have performed in the past. These questions often start out with 'Give me an example,' 'Tell me about a time,' or 'Describe a situation.' The interviewer will rate each response to determine and predict your future performance with her company. Advance preparation is essential to not get tripped up with these tricky questions.

• Target MBA recruiters. Many larger companies have special recruiters in-house who handle MBA applicants. Finding them is not that easy. A good way to try to uncover who these people are is to try a sweep site such as www.Indeed.com and under the search function use the keyword MBA and restrict the search by city, state or industry to narrow your results.

The latest unemployment figures from the state offered a bit of encouraging news with most counties showing some hiring.

So who's doing the hiring? Here's a quick look:

HCL Technologies announced this morning that it would hire 100 people in Cary to handle work relating to a contract it signed with Merck. HCL provides IT services as well as other engineering and business services. Find out more about the company
here.

In Durham, AW North Carolina plans to hire 360 people over the next two years. The company makes transmissions for Toyotas. Keep track of jobs here.

If you're looking for work, clean up your Facebook page and watch your tweets.

Almost half of all employersare using social networking sites to screen potential employees, according to a CareerBuilder survey of 2,600 hiring managers.

The survey, which was done last year, found that 45 percent of the HR managers — more than double the number from the previous year's survey  — were checking on candidates through social media sites. The majority were looking on Facebook (29 percent), LinkedIn (26 percent) or MySpace (21 percent) but they were also searching blogs (11 percent) and following jobs candidates on Twitter (7 percent).

Most said the social networking sites allowed them to determine how well a person would fit into their organization while others also saw it as a way to doublecheck professional qualifications or judge communication skills.

Of course, 35 percent said they find content that led to the job candidate not being hired. What were the offenses? Provocative and inappropriate photographs and, as you might expect, bad-mouthing a previous boss. Bad spelling and grammar also cost some people a job offer.

Robyn Crigger, a managing partner at OI Partners-Compass Career Management Solutions in Raleigh, suggested the following tips to get the most out of social media in a job search. OI Partners provides executive coaching, leadership development and workforce planning to individuals and companies.

- Compile a complete profile with searchable key words that detail the full range of your experience. List your accomplishments.

- Spread the word about your career status, and update your sites at least weekly. Let me people know of any freelance, contract or part-time work you're doing. If appropriate share links.

- Post recommendations from former bosses, clients and colleagues.

- Create a personalized website address on social networking sites that includes your name. Put this on your cover letters, resume and business cards.

- And remember to pay close attention to spelling and grammar.

If you're looking for work in finance, don't expect fast movement on the hiring front.

It takes an average of five weeks to hire for most management positions, four weeks for a staff level job, according to a survey of chief financial officers by Robert Half Finance and Accounting, a recruitment service.

The survey was based on interviews with 1,400 CFOs at compaines with 20 or more employees.

During your job interview be sure to ask aboutthe company's time frame for hiring and when you might expect to hear from a hiring manager.