I was just curious, I have been recently downsized at my company of 13 yrs. I have been having a very difficult time seeking employment. My resume markets myself very good and I have 2 jobs in the past 20 years.

I am wondering if companies are calling my past employer and are getting bad references? I have put out countless resumes in which about 10% of them are being answered. I have longevity, awards and experience in fields I am applying to. Could I be right, is it common practice for a prospective employer to contact my previous employer without even contacting me to begin with?

10 percent response to a resume sent out is a high average. Often it is a much lower number. Companies get maybe 200 to 500 applicants for any one job opening. Many will excellent skills also. Are you printing resume on quality paper, is the appearance very professional.

Ethically, companies aren't supposed to call your former employer without your permission. Including supervisors' names, phone number, and other specific work information for the various work sites will tend to invite an interviewer to make calls. If I were you, I'd keep the former employer information as vague as possible (company name, city, state).

Be sure to research and target companies you especially want to work for, call to find out the right person to whom to direct the resume and cover letter (that person's name and title should be on the cover letter and envelope), and make sure the resume reflects the job. A functional (skills-based) resume will cover all the bases so you don't have to keep revising it. And make sure the resume looks good on high-quality paper and has no typos or other misspellings.

If you send the resume and cover letter via email, make sure you follow all the instructions to the letter.

Job hunting is a full-time job all by itself, so plan to keep track of where you applied, what response you got and when, any interviews, etc. And send each interviewer a thank-you note afterwards.