Andrea,
Good question! I think the academic honors you mention are fine - they help give the impression that you are bright and promising and may help you stand out from other candidates. Nine months ago I landed my dream job after an 18 month search. I found that I was able to increase the level of response to my resume when both it and the cover letter were tailored to each specific position I applied for. Sometimes I used a skills resume format and sometimes a more traditional format depending on which option allowed me to best highlight relevant qualifications. I used to think that I could tailor my cover letter but let my resume stand as a "one size fits all" kind of document, but found this approach to be less than advantageous. One of the best resume guides I found was (no joke) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Your Resume.
Best of luck in your search,
Michelle Boardman