United Arab Emirates: Meet the Resume Writer Who Helps People Land Their Dream Jobs – News

The resume is possibly the most important document for professional branding. And yet, when many go out looking for work, they find it difficult to reimagine their resume in a way that is attractive to the recruiter while also truly summarizing one’s professional accomplishments. Sharjah resident Rakhee Mansukhani founded Your Résumé Writer back in 2021, after losing her job during the pandemic. It’s not something she considers a chore or a job she has to do to pay the bills. This 43-year-old woman is passionate about building resumes to the point of finding it “therapeutic.”

“When you redesign an ugly resume into a good one and people end up getting a job, you feel accomplished. I am a single father. I remember when I was looking for a job, no one helped me much. So every month, apart from my regular clients, I make resumes for single mothers,” says Rakhee. “Maybe I can’t help them monetarily, but I can do this.”

Rakhee also debunks the ease with which we use resume and CV interchangeably. The resume, he says, should be brief (“a page or two at most”), while the resume is intended to document your career path and can therefore be longer. In that, there are more categories. The chronological resume, for example, lists work experience in reverse order.

A functional resume highlights skills over work history, making it ideal for those who have taken a career break. A combined resume has aspects of both. An infographic resume visually documents your career path. While a specific resume is tailored to specific job applicants. A video resume has a brief video introduction of the candidate. The portfolio resume includes samples of your work. And the mini resume has a short version of the networking events in which the candidate has participated.

Track your resume

Rakhee’s company has packages for those who want to create a resume, a cover letter, and those who want their LinkedIn to stand out. “A resume is essentially your marketing tool. It is designed to help you get an interview, not a job. So for an interview, you still need to present your best self. I suggest that people should smell good, dress well, not have splintered toes, all these things matter,” she states.

Shihab Photo

In the modern workplace, the weight of a resume also depends on the type of keywords used in it to make it stand out in an applicant tracking system (ATS). “No resume can have 100 percent ATS value because each company uses different software. After applying for a job and not being selected for an interview, you may end up getting a call the next time the company has a similar opening because your ATS has tracked down your resume and kept it aside. If you open Canva or Microsoft Word, there are resume templates. But those are not ATS qualified.”

But how do you find the right keywords? This is where social media (read LinkedIn) comes in handy. “LinkedIn is a place where you go these days to network. And while it may have become a matrimonial site, companies that search for candidates on LinkedIn give job descriptions and key responsibilities. We analyze those keywords and integrate them into our resume,” says Rakhee, who has created over 500 resumes so far.

A case of format

Her passion for writing resumes was such that, in 2021, Rakhee became a member of the US-based Professional Association of Resume Writers. “In the Middle East, the formats are different,” she says. What Rakhee really means is that in this region, mentioning date of birth and nationality is okay because of the cultural diversity. “When you apply for a job in the United States, you cannot write your nationality. I make immigration CVs all the time where we don’t mention nationality because it is believed to inspire racial prejudice. Immigration CVs are usually long and have different formats. “It’s like a school exam.”

But isn’t LinkedIn the new online CV? “It’s definitely liberating because it’s not limited to two pages. If you’re looking for a job, you should pin the “Open for Business” badge, but this doesn’t help if you’re not expanding your social connections. In the end, it is a place to network and expand your base of professional contacts.” At the same time, while writing a cover letter, Rakhee makes sure to keep the job open. “Because a person who is an executive assistant can also apply for the position of office manager or human resources executive. In the cover letter, I essentially highlight their skills, what they have done, and excitement about joining the organization. All they have to do before applying is change the title.”

When it comes to including photos on resumes, Rakhee says it’s quite a personal choice. However, the mistake candidates often make is using the same keyword over and over again. “I once had a client who kept repeating certain keywords on his resume because he had watched a video that suggested the keywords needed to be repeated. Even if you post it 10 times, the recruiting system will record it only once. Plus, a resume is always written in the second person: implemented, executed, managed, these are the action words that hiring managers actually read.”

So is it a skill after all? Rakhee’s passion for revamping resumes certainly suggests so. But this passion does not end with resume writing. Seeing someone get a job where they can support their family is a great emotion. “There are some basic concepts that I continue to suggest to my clients. For example, always apply for a job between 8 am and 3 pm. If you see a posting after that, wait until the next day to apply. And refrain from sending CVs during the weekend. You want your resume to be at the top of the recruiter’s inbox,” sign out.

You can contact Rakhee Mansukhani at www.yourresumewriter.com

anamika@khaleejtimes.com

[ad_2]