What is breaking your job search?
Move the sliders and select your situation. Your score updates instantly, no signup needed. Want the full written report? Leave your email at the end.
Your score, the fixes in priority order, and the prompts that tailor a resume to any job description. Sent to your inbox within 24 hours.
See the 7-second test on a real resume
Every week I take a real resume from a viewer (anonymised, with permission) and show what a recruiter sees in the first seven seconds, then fix it on screen. Watch one before you book anything.
Want yours reviewed? Get a private recorded teardown for ₹499.
Why you’re not getting interview calls
If you have applied to 20, 30 or 50 roles and heard nothing, the cause is rarely your capability. It is usually one of these five, and each one is fixable.
Your resume doesn’t match the search
Recruiters find candidates by searching a database for the words in the job description. If your resume says “stakeholder engagement” and the role says “programme governance”, you may never appear.
FixMirror the language of the job description, truthfully, for each target role.
One generic resume for every role
A resume built to fit ten roles usually fits none of them well. Search results reward a clear match, not breadth.
FixOne version per target role, with the top third rewritten for that role.
Seniority shown as history, not scope
Twenty years of job titles reads as “expensive generalist”. What a hiring manager wants is current scope: team size, budget, programmes and outcomes.
FixLead with what you run today. Compress the older career.
A LinkedIn profile recruiters can’t find
Many recruiters check LinkedIn before they open your resume. A thin headline and an empty skills section mean you don’t show up in their searches, or don’t convince when you do.
FixMatch your headline, About section and skills to the resume for your target role.
Applying only through portals
A portal application competes with a very large pile. At senior level, a direct message to a recruiter or hiring manager, or a referral, often moves faster.
FixTreat portals as one channel, and add direct outreach every week.
How to fix your resume so recruiters shortlist it
A seven-step checklist you can work through tonight. Do the steps in order.
BeforeResponsible for managing delivery of multiple IT projects across regions.
AfterLed a multi-region delivery portfolio of six programmes, cut release slippage from five weeks to under one, and kept 40+ engineers aligned to a single plan.
- Choose one target role and one target market.Put the exact job title at the top of the resume.
- Collect three to five job descriptions for that role.Note the skills and terms that repeat across them.
- Rewrite your summary as scope plus outcome.What you run, at what scale, with what result, in two to three lines.
- Rewrite recent bullets result-first.Outcome, number, then how. Cut duties nobody would search for.
- Mirror the job-description terms you can honestly claim.Use them in your skills section and inside your bullets.
- Make it machine-readable.One column, standard headings, no text inside tables, images, headers or footers, saved as .docx or a text-based PDF.
- Match LinkedIn to the resume.Same target-role headline and keywords. If you are still employed, set “Open to work” to recruiters only.
Want it done with you? The Starter session (60 minutes) fixes one resume for one target role, with an ATS score check and a LinkedIn headline rewrite. For the full system, see the guide Land Your Next Role.
Just laid off? Your first 14 days
A layoff feels like a verdict on you. Most of the time it is a budget decision. What you do in the first two weeks matters more than how many applications you send.
Protect your position
- Read your notice and severance terms before you sign anything, and take advice if you are unsure
- Write down your achievements while they are fresh, using only what you are permitted to keep
- Do not take confidential company material
Rebuild your assets
- One resume for one target role, using the seven steps above
- LinkedIn headline, About and skills aligned to that role
- Turn on “Open to work” so recruiters can find you
Activate people, not portals
- Message 15 to 20 former colleagues, managers and recruiters
- Make a specific ask: “I’m targeting X roles in Y. Who should I speak to?”
- Register on the two or three portals that matter in your market
Start focused applications
- A few well-matched, tailored applications a day, tracked in one sheet
- Book mock-interview practice before the first calls arrive
- Review what is getting responses, and adjust weekly
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Not sure where to start? Book a free 15-minute call and we will map your first two weeks.
Best job portals for senior IT and delivery roles
Portals differ by region, and so does the way recruiters use them. Popularity changes, so check each one before investing time.
| Region | Portals | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| India | Naukri, LinkedIn, Foundit, Instahyre, Hirist, Indeed | Recruiters search by keyword, so your headline, skills and current location matter most. |
| Gulf | Bayt, GulfTalent, Naukrigulf, LinkedIn | State your notice period and current location clearly. Recruiters often filter on both. |
| UK & Europe | LinkedIn, Reed, Totaljobs, Indeed, StepStone, Xing | StepStone and Xing are strongest in Germany and neighbouring markets. |
| US | LinkedIn, Indeed, Dice, Glassdoor | US applicant tracking systems parse resumes differently from Naukri. Use a plain, one-column format. |
| Remote-global | LinkedIn, Wellfound, We Work Remotely | Check time-zone and location eligibility before you apply. |
Portals get you seen. At senior levels, direct recruiter outreach and referrals often close the gap that portals can’t. Land Your Next Role has a playbook for each market.
Not sure where your job search is breaking down?
Book a free 15-minute call. No pitch, no pressure. Just clarity on exactly what to fix, specific to your profile, your target role and your situation. Prefer email? Write to us instead.
Not a recruiter. Not a career blogger. A hiring manager who has sat on the other side of the table for 20 years, and knows exactly what the filter sees.
I spent over 20 years in IT delivery and programme management, leading teams across BFSI, FinTech and SaaS, managing multi-million dollar programmes, and working with C-suite stakeholders across three continents.
I built this coaching practice because I watched highly capable professionals, friends, colleagues, people I started my career with, get filtered out of roles they were more than qualified for. Not because of their capability. Because of how they were presenting it.
Every session draws on two decades of knowing how hiring managers think, how recruiters search ATS databases, and what it takes to position 15 to 25 years of experience so the market can see what you are genuinely worth.
Resume & interview coaching, priced honestly
Every paid plan includes the complete 9-prompt AI system. The difference is depth and ongoing support.
Pricing is set regionally. Choose your currency to see the plan priced for your market.
- ✓Full ATS score check against your target role
- ✓One fully tailored, ATS-optimised resume
- ✓Complete 9-prompt AI system — yours to keep
- ✓LinkedIn headline rewrite
- ✓7-day WhatsApp follow-up
- –Additional resume variants
- –Ongoing monthly support
- ✓Full ATS score check against your target role
- ✓Up to 3 tailored resume variants
- ✓Complete 9-prompt AI system + live walkthrough
- ✓Full LinkedIn profile rewrite
- +Live demo: how to tailor for every role
- +Fix Your Resume book included (Kindle)
- +14-day WhatsApp follow-up support
- ✓2 × 30-min 1:1 sessions per month
- ✓Resume tailored per application, every time
- ✓Up to 25 applications tracked per month
- +WhatsApp support — weekdays, same-day replies
- +Complete 9-prompt AI system included
- +Fix Your Resume book included (Kindle)
The 7-Second Test: a recorded resume teardown
Send your resume and one target job description. Within 48 hours you get a private 10-minute screen recording of me reviewing it the way a recruiter does: what gets seen in the first seven seconds, what gets you filtered out, and the three changes to make first. Fix it yourself, or upgrade later and the ₹499 comes off any session.
- 10-minute private video, yours to keep
- Delivered within 48 hours
- ₹499 credited to Starter or Professional if you upgrade within 14 days
40% off resume coaching, in exchange for an honest testimonial
I’m opening five founding-client spots. You get the full Starter or Professional session at 40% off. In return, if your resume is materially better, you write an honest testimonial and let me feature your before-and-after, anonymised, in a video. Same session, same refund promise.
What if it doesn't work?
If you finish your session without a materially better resume than the one you walked in with, tell me within 7 days and I'll refund it.
Not sure which plan is right? Send a WhatsApp message describing your situation — Siva will recommend the right plan within 4 hours. Prefer email? Write to us instead.
WhatsApp Siva for a recommendation →
Interview coaching for project, delivery & programme managers
Once your resume is doing its job, the interview becomes the constraint. I coach the delivery and transformation interview specifically — programme failures, stakeholder conflict, scope battles, case presentations — because I ran those programmes for twenty years and have sat on the hiring side of them.
Weekly mock interviews
45–60 minutes, recorded, with written feedback within 24 hours on three things: the structure of your answer, the strength of your evidence, and how you come across. Executive presence moves with repetition, not with advice.
- ✓Recruiter screening calls and your 90-second narrative
- ✓Behavioural and competency interviews — the questions where delivery professionals win or lose the room
- ✓Case studies, business cases, and presentation exercises
- ✓Hiring manager conversations, and preparation for offer and package discussions
Who it's for: Project Managers, Delivery Managers, Programme Managers, and digital transformation professionals — typically 8 to 25 years in.
- ✓One recorded mock interview
- ✓Written feedback within 24 hours
- ✓Structure, evidence, and delivery reviewed
Prefer email? Write to us instead.
- ✓4 × recorded mock interviews, weekly
- ✓Written feedback within 24 hours, every session
- ✓Coverage across screening, behavioural, case, and hiring-manager rounds
Prefer email? Write to us instead.
Job search, resume & interview coaching FAQ
Straight answers. Still unsure? Message on WhatsApp and you’ll get a reply within four hours.
Why am I not getting interview calls even with 15+ years of experience?
How do I fix my resume so recruiters shortlist it?
I was laid off. What should I do first?
Which are the best job portals for senior IT roles?
What does a job coach do, and how much does it cost?
Do you guarantee I will get a job?
What is the difference between Starter and Professional?
What does the Monthly Partner plan actually look like week to week?
Is ₹7,999 worth it for a single session?
I have 10–20 years in IT. Is this built for me?
Do you work with clients outside India?
I'm not in IT. Is this still for me?
I've lost confidence after months of silence. Is that something you deal with, or just resumes?
I've got interviews but no offers. Where does that go wrong?
Do you coach interviews in languages other than English?
6:00–10:00 PM IST, weekdays and weekends. Morning on the US East Coast, afternoon in the UK and Europe, evening in the Gulf and Singapore. Outside that window? Say so when you book. Early-morning IST slots open on request.
Google Meet, video. Recording available on request.
Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay via a secure link. INR and USD accepted.
WhatsApp or email. Reply within 4 hours.
Let’s fix your job search together
Book directly with the links below and you’ll receive a payment link and confirmation. Or send the form and we’ll reply within 4 hours to recommend the right plan. No pressure.
Email info@serenesprints.com
WhatsApp +91 93909 75562
Google Meet · video call · recording on request
AvailabilityWeekday evenings and weekends (IST)
PaymentSent via secure link after booking confirmation