UAE: Meet the résumé writer who helps people get their dream jobs

The résumé is, arguably, the most important document for professional branding. And yet, when many set out looking for jobs, they find it difficult to reimagine their résumé in a way that is attractive to the recruiter while truly summing up one’s career achievements. Sharjah resident Rakhee Mansukhani started Your Résumé Writer way back in 2021 after losing her job during the pandemic. It is not something she considers a chore or a job that needs to be done to pay bills. The 43-year-old is passionate about crafting résumés to the point of finding it “therapeutic”.

“When you redesign an ugly résumé into a good one and people end up getting a job, you feel fulfilled. I am a single parent. I remember when I was looking for a job, no one really helped me. So every month, apart from my regular clients, I craft résumés for single mothers,” says Rakhee. “I may not be able to help them monetarily, but this I can do.”

Rakhee also debunks the ease with which we use curriculum vitae and résumé interchangeably. Résumé, she says, is meant to be short (“one page or two at most”), while curriculum vitae is meant to document your professional journey and can hence be longer. In that, there are further categories. Chronological résumé, for example, lists out work experience in reverse order.

A functional résumé spotlights skills over work history, which makes it ideal for those who have taken a career break. A combination résumé has aspects of both. An infographic résumé documents your professional journey visually. While a targeted résumé is tailored for specific job applicants. A video résumé has a short video introduction of the candidate. Portfolio résumé includes samples of your work. And mini résumé has a brief version of networking events a candidate has been a part of.

Tracking your résumé

Rakhee’s venture has packages for those who want to craft a résumé, covering letter and those who want their LinkedIn to get noticed. “A résumé is essentially your marketing tool. It is designed to help you secure an interview, not a job. So, for an interview, you still have to present your best self. I suggest that people must smell well, dress well, no chipped toes, all these things matter,” she says.

In the modern workplace, the heft of a résumé also depends on the kind of keywords used in it so that it stands out in an application tracking system (ATS). “No résumé can have a 100 per cent ATS value because every company uses a different software. After you apply for a job and don’t get selected for an interview, you may end up receiving a call the next time the company has a similar opening because its ATS has tracked your résumé and kept it aside. If you open Canva or Microsoft Word, there are templates for résumés. But those are not ATS qualified.”

But how does one find the right keywords? This is where social media (read LinkedIn) comes in handy. “LinkedIn is a place where one goes for networking these days. And while it may have become a matrimonial site, the companies who are looking for candidates on LinkedIn give job descriptions and key responsibilities. We scan those keywords and integrate them in our résumé,” says Rakhee, who has crafted more than 500 résumés thus far.

A case of format

Such was her passion to craft résumés that in 2021, Rakhee became a member of the US-based Professional Association of Résumé Writers. “In Middle East, formats are different,” she says. What Rakhee actually means is that in this region, mentioning date of birth and nationality is alright because of the cultural diversity. “When you apply for a job in the US, you cannot write your nationality. I make immigration CVs all the time where we do not mention nationality because it is believed to inspire racial bias. Immigration CVs are usually lengthy and have different formats. It is like a school exam paper.”

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