Is It Your Resume Or The Economy -

Is It Your Resume Or The Economy - Most job seekers are wondering this same question Am I not receiving calls because of the economy or is it my resume? Ive read the articles, blogs, business week stories, monitored the job boards and discussed the issue with recruiters. Everyone has a different opinion and so do I. I took my daughter to the mall this weekend to buy her a new pair of shoes (hang in here with me for a few minutes and youll see where Im going.) Unfortunately for my daughter, she has a wide foot. Which means only select stores carry her size shoe and it only comes in select styles. Shes still in childrens sized shoes so this even further complicates the issue. We normally go to this same store to buy her shoes every time she needs a pair and its the only one in my area that carries wide shoes for children. When I went to the store they were out of her size in every single style (over 30) except one. The clerk made the comment we dont get much stock here anymore, were always running out. I remembered reading and hearing that stores were reducing inventory and cutting back on shipments to try to save money. Here I was a paying customer and couldnt get what I needed. I thought to myself, hmmmm maybe there is something to this bad economy thing. I decided Id have to go home and just purchase new shoes online. To my dismay no luck there either. Online stores were out all of them. I thought to myself WOW, I cant even buy my child shoes. Its not that I didnt have the money or wasnt willing to pay. Its that companies have gotten so cost conscious and are trying so hard to save a buck that now they dont even have the products available when a consumer is ready to buy. I really started thinking hard about the whole economy issue.. Maybe it was as bad as the media said? Then I walked into Toys R Us. Let me tell you folks there is NOT A BAD ECONOMY. This past weekend I took my daughter to Toys R Us and the place was so packed you could barely push a shopping cart through it! It was wall-to-wall people and mimicked black friday. Needless to say I WAS SHOCKED. I cant get my daughter shoes but the local Toys R Us store is having no problems at all. You know what this tells me? If parents have the money to go out to the stores and spend money on toys for their children things arent really as bad as they seem. So heres my opinion whether you want it or not, or whether you agree with it or not. And let me preface by saying I am not an economist I am writing this as a careers industry expert and every day consumer. The economy is NOT as bad as they say it is. There are jobs out there you just have to know where to look. If youre not getting calls for interviews, it is not the economy, it is your resume. Before you get offended please allow me to explain. Toys R Us is hiring. Just kidding. Well, actually they are hiring so if you are really hard up for a job, now the cat is out of the bag. Secondly, because of this oh no were in a recession issue, companies are cutting back trying to save a buck where they can and guess where part of that cost cutting comes from? Thats right, advertising on large, expensive job boards. I had one employer ask me if I knew a way they could fill the position without posting it so they didnt have to wade through the massive amounts of applicants. Companies are cutting costs and finding ways around the influx of applications which explains why there arent as many jobs posted on job boards. It doesnt necessarily mean there are fewer jobs, it just means employers are going about how they post them differently. Yes, I do realize there have been cut backs, layoffs, and the unemployment rate is alarmingly close to double digits (so I do know that the economy has taken a hit) all I am saying is that it isnt as bad as some fear-mongers would like you to think. So whats a job seeker to do? Discover the shortcuts! Let me tell you a great little secret, ever heard of a website called LinkUp? This should be your new number one job search tool. I found out about them a little over a week or so ago and I cannot stop raving. This job search engine is unlike any other think Indeed.com but even better. It searches actual company websites NOT job boards and posts all the open positions it finds. Think of how many jobs never make their way to job boards because they are filled by applicants who apply online at their company website now think of how many opportunities you are missing out on!! Go to www.linkup.com to amp up your job search right now. Another way is to start networking like crazy. Read my article on LinkedIn invitation etiquette and then start making connections. More job seekers are being placed through recommendations, word of mouth, and networking then most other means. If youre not getting interviews then compare your resume to those written by expert resume writers. Review their samples. See how yours stacks up compared to the competition. If you are way off base then submit your resume for a free analysis. If you have tweaked your resume a million times, had ten other people review it and you still feel like youre running in to a brick wall then consider a professional resume writing service. Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. She has written more than 100 articles that are featured on some of the best career advice Web sites today. In addition, her writing has been included in Launch pad, a career search strategy guide featuring exclusive information by the top career experts in the industry. As CEO of Great Resumes Fast, Jessica enjoys collaborating with forward-thinking professionals and executives, identifying their personal brand and value proposition and leveraging their unique talent, passion, and vision to position them as a leader in their industry. Her passion is helping professionals and executives uncover what makes them stand out in the crowd.