I think that's a problem players of all skill levels face.
I'd really say there are three basic approaches to training yourself to recognize when a position has a tactic:
1) Just to play through tons and tons of tactical problems so that when a tactic arises in your game it will be immediately recognized through subconscious pattern recognition skill.
2) Read what authors like Silman or Heisman have to say about "Rules of Combination" (Silman) or "The Seeds of Tactical Destruction" (Heisman) - e.g. unless certain conditions exist in the position (loose pieces, weak back rank, open lines to the king etc.), then there cannot be a tactic.
3) Read a book like "Understanding Chess Tactics" by Martin Weteschnik which breaks tactics down into their elements so you can (hopefully) recognize those elements in the position which will lead you to see the full tactic.
Hope that helps.
I am getting back into chess after many, many years. I'm doing some reading & playing on computer (my phone, actually, - it's somewhat annoying to realize that your cell phone can beat you in chess). I'm also trying some chess problems but the issue I have is that if you tell me that white moves & I'm looking for a skewer, pin, mate, etc., I'll find it 60% of the time. My problem is how do you develop the skill to know when you are in that situation at any point in a game? It's one thing to see a set up & be told to look - it's another to realize that you are seeing a setup in the middle of a game. And that's my problem. I realize that this question is somewhat basic, but I'm trying to develop the ability to know when I'm in a situation like the problems describe w/o being told.