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? I've 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 you'll see where I'm 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. She's still in children's 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 it's 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 don't get much stock here anymore, we're 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 couldn't get what I needed. I thought to myself, hmmmm... maybe there is something to this bad economy thing. I decided I'd 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 can't even buy my child shoes. It's not that I didn't have the money or wasn't willing to pay. It's that companies have gotten so cost conscious and are trying so hard to save a buck that now they don't 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 can't 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 aren't really as bad as they seem. So here's 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 you're 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 we're 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? That's right, advertising on large job boards. I had one employer ask me if I knew a way they could fill the position without posting it so they didn't 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 aren't as many jobs posted on job boards. It doesn't 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 isn't as bad as some fear-mongers would like you to think. So what's a job seeker to do? Discover the shortcuts! Let me tell you a great little secret, ever heard of a website called LinkUp? I found out about them a little over a week or so ago and I cannot stop raving. This search engine is unlike any other - 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!! Another way is to start networking like crazy. Start making connections. More job seekers are being placed through recommendations, word of mouth, and networking then most other means.