I ask you to determine the area you are attracted to and focus your job search there. The one area that will remain hot is recruiting. If you take a look at SHRM's job postings you will see hundreds of jobs focused primarily on recruiting. A good recruiter in this labor market will almost always find a job. I have found that some employers try to offer based on where you currently are in salary.
Most employers do base their offer on current salary.
The SPHR designation demonstrates to the world that you understand the body of knowledge at a more strategic level. The world of submitting resumes has changed dramatically over the past 5 years with many now done electronically. So its looking promising for the HR professional not only from an opportunity standpoint but also compensation wise. What am I doing wrong. Sheri - One suggestion is to ask for feedback from those people you have interviewed with.