Curious about the Pakistani with the 28-page resume? Here's his story
Saleem Muhammad wants you to know that good things don’t always come in small packages. That’s why he — a self-professed "multi-talented person" — decided to create a 28-page resume.
"With this resume I wanted to impress recruiters in Canada and the US in a different way," Muhammad told Images. Earlier this week, one of the recruiters Muhammad had contacted via LinkedIn published his resume online. Formatted to read like a fashion magazine, complete with a modeling photoshoot of Muhammad, the bombastic and lengthy novella-esque resume has since gone viral.
Across the board most industries will accept no more than a two-page resume. Indeed, most job applicants struggle to self-aggrandise themselves and fear the notorious 6-second rule (the amount of time a recruiter will typically spend looking at a job application).
A veteran of job searching in Lahore, Muhammad is aware of all this.
As a self-described 'MBA graduate, photographer, game artist, and strategic planner', Muhammad is looking to tap into the dazzling world of operations and supply chain management as his next gig.
But after experimenting with 20 different versions of the standard one-page resume, Muhammad realised the only way he could even begin to communicate his deep-as-the-Titanic-iceberg personal data would be by publishing 28 pages worth of personal photos, achievements and qualities.
However, Muhammad is not one to be naive and says he was prepared for his resume to go unnoticed. In fact, the LinkedIn recruiter responsible for Muhammad’s resume going viral admits to typically ignoring international applicants.
"It was totally an innovative and creative way of thinking and I wasn't sure if it would work when I started applying to different companies in the US and Canada. I thought I wouldn’t get noticed with my resume but, in fact, it works and [has gotten me] an incredible response," said Muhammad.
So allegedly incredible has been the response that Muhammad claims "currently some top companies in the US have shortlisted me", confidently adding that "soon I’ll get a job."
But professional success does not always come hand in hand with personal success. When asked about the many quotes on his social media accounts alluding to living life with a broken heart, and if he will be leaving someone special behind when the US finally comes calling, Muhammad laments, "I’m Scorpio. And still single."
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Saleem Muhammad's resume was 25 pages long instead of 28. We apologize for the error.