Why this Karnataka boy’s resume was irresistible for GQ magazine

Anyone who has ever been on an interview-panel will know that a resume with a difference comes as a refreshing breath of air that helps break the monotony of going through endless CVs in the same old-school format.

21-year old Sumukh Mehta’s CV was such a striking one that it helped him land a job at GQ Magazine -one of UK's leading magazines. Come September, Sumukh who is just fresh out of college, would be working at GQ (formerly known as Gentlemen's Quarterly) in London.

Speaking to The News Minute, Sumukh says “I have always been interested in info-graphics and have made quite a few resumes for MBA students incorporating the same. That’s when I thought why not do one for myself too? Most mediocre resumes -as we all know- go directly into the bin without even eliciting a second glance. It took me three weeks to come up with a resume which included photo-shoots, content and info-graphics."

Sumukh who has done most of his education in Bengaluru, hails from Tiptur a town in Tumakuru district in Karnataka. Sumukh completed his Bachelor’s in Business Management from the Jain University in Bengaluru in May this year.

While nearing the end of his course, Sumukh decided to send his resume to GQ, as he believed that getting a job with this leading lifestyle magazine for men would suit both his talents and tastes. He has indulged in a bit of modelling, while also nurturing an active interest in photography and dance.

Not bogged down by the fact that he had no professional experience to associate with the top guys in the industry and brave enough to chase his dream, Sumukh went on to courier his resume to the GQ magazine’s offices based in both India and UK in March.

A couple of days later, he found to his pleasant surprise the front page of his resume posted on Instagram by the GQ-India editor with the comment: “Received this interesting job application today.” 

"A person from their Delhi office rang me up to confirm that my application was not part of some college project and whether I was indeed serious about wanting  to work with them,” he chuckles.

Going on to elaborate, Sumukh shares: "The final call however had to be taken by the UK head-office. But then, I had no clue whether it had even reached them in the first place. It was only later that I got a call from Mark Russel -the Managing Editor- saying that he had managed to convince Dylan Jones -the Editor-in-chief. They asked me to choose between a six-month paid internship and an offer of work-placement experience, as I am still a fresher. I chose the latter.”  

Sumukh hopes to join his new workplace by September, but in the meantime, with word having got around of his having mastered the art of crafting a resume, his mailboxes have been flooded with resume-design requests from far and wide.