Why your great resume isn't working.

You have a spectacular resume.

You've spent hours on it. Maybe you've hired a professional to craft it for you.

Hell, maybe you've hired me.

(In which case, you know it's one bloody great document.)

I applaud you.

I applaud you for knowing that it's vital for your marketing documents to speak clearly to what you bring to the table.

To what makes you great.

To what makes you a standout.

Yes, you need a killer resume.

But a great resume is not a guarantee.

It's not a magic fairy nor Santa nor a genie that swooshes out of his little bottle and grants you a kickass new job as reward for having such a riveting resume.

And this frustrates the pants off of people.

Many people launch a job search thinking,

"I'm just going to fix my old resume and all will be right in the land."

Only to discover, after weeks and weeks of sending dozens (or hundreds) of that fixed resume out into the Black Hole ... that it's still not working.

And that is when I say:

When it's not working, it's usually not a matter of trying harder. It's usually not a matter of asking 14 more people what they think of your resume. It's usually not a matter of making your already great resume EVEN GREATER.

When it's not working, it's time to cook up a better plan.

(Hint: the better plan does not involve sending piles of resumes in through blind mailboxes. Stop it, already).