You don’t have to look far to find a headline that highlights layoffs in a certain company or industry? And the monthly jobs reports do show that hiring has slowed in comparison to recent years. But on the flipside, there are 434,268 employers urgently trying to hire today.

It’s easy to feel pessimistic. As a candidate, job applications aren’t always acknowledged and interviews can be hard to come by. As a hiring manager, frustration is in not being able to find those same candidates. And recruiters sit in the middle trying to make the right match.

The obvious disconnect between headlines highlighting a sluggish job market and the reality of sustained demand can be attributed to any number of factors. Employers are grappling with shifting priorities, economic fluctuations, and disruptive technologies, leading to adjustments in their workforce strategies. However, it’s crucial to recognize that while layoffs may occur in certain areas, hiring remains robust in others. Companies are continually seeking talent to fill critical roles, adapt to market dynamics, and redefining the skills they need. There are a thousand arguments for reskilling and upskilling. Data to showcase the importance of getting some certification to increase your appeal or align to that one promotion or job that you want. But there is another argument that says… Have you really taken to time to overhaul your resume and your LinkedIn profile to reflect the skills you have that qualify you for the job you want?
I am not judging, but I know folks who spend more time on their dating profile than they do on their professional one. It isn’t as simple as matching your resume title to the job title you are applying for. Go back, look at your past roles. Maybe your official title was a Jr Web Developer but you actually worked exclusively on the Android platform or with Ruby. It is ok to adjust those titles to reflect the skills and work you were doing that will highlight the experience you need to showcase. If you have been a blended role, doing Frontend, Backend, and Fullstack development work, think about which you want to be and look at which is in more demand. Then adjust your resume accordingly. Depending on the technology being used, the wrong titles and job details can easily result in the right candidate being overlooked. Don’t be that candidate. And as for recruiters and hiring managers, why is this something we are still ok with? If you have been looking and discounted countless resumes .. maybe it is time to go back and take a second look? Sometimes the best gifts aren’t wrapped as nicely as the others.