Here's the part that really got me. Aparajita Sudarshan had 18 years of experience, had taught over 15,000 students, and had worked across six countries and four continents. She walked into the UK job market thinking, "This is going to be easy." It was not.
She failed 60 to 70 interviews. Not because she wasn't qualified, because she didn't know the system. And once she cracked it, she didn't just move on with her life. She built something so other people wouldn't have to go through that same pain. That's the kind of guest I live for.
The UK Job Market Will Humble You
Aparajita came to the UK from the Middle East, where she'd been designing courses on risk management and medical coding. She had two published books. She was, in her own words, "a very overconfident cat." But the UK didn't care about any of that.
Zero contacts. No network. A static CV that she'd been updating the same way for years, just swapping out job titles and sending it off. She paid a premium CV writer, got a polished document, and still didn't get a single interview call.
"The way you are wearing this dress for the podcast, I'm sure you won't sleep in this dress, right? So for every event, there's a different dress. The same way, for every job description, the CV has to be changed."
That analogy hit hard. She discovered that most companies use an Application Tracking System (ATS) that scans your CV for specific keywords from the job description. If those words aren't there, a human never even sees your application. Static CVs are dead.
Then came the interviews, scenario-based questions with seven sub-parts and 90 seconds to answer. She tried mock interview platforms, but they only covered generic behavioural questions, never the technical ones tailored to the actual job description.
From Depression to Building the Solution
I'm not even going to lie to you, when Aparajita said she was in depression during this process, it stopped me. This is a woman with two decades of experience, and the system nearly broke her. But instead of staying there, she took notes on every single thing that didn't work and promised herself she'd fix it once she landed a role.
And she did. She built CVOLVE Pro, a tool that creates tailored CVs and cover letters from scratch for each job description. Not just flagging missing ATS keywords like other platforms, but actually generating the documents. And here's the part that sets it apart: it also prepares you for interviews using STAR-format questions pulled directly from the job description's key responsibilities and criteria.
"I was in depression. I don't want others to suffer and I don't want others to depend on anyone. It is your battle. You have to fight."
Oh, and it works in four languages, English, French, German, and Spanish. Aparajita told me they're the first platform worldwide to offer CV creation, cover letters, and interview prep across all four. If you speak a second language, you might be sitting on job opportunities you've never even considered because every listing you see is in English.
The whole philosophy behind the tool is time. If you can apply to 10 jobs in an hour and be done for the day, you get your time back, to skill up, learn a new language, be present with your kids, or just breathe. That reframe changed how I think about job searching entirely.
Rejection Is the Name of the Game
One thing Aparajita said that I need everyone to hear: nobody talks about failure. She failed in 60 to 70 interviews and then went on to do 147 total. She dusted herself off every single time. I shared my "no game" strategy, where I prepare for people to say no so it stings less, and she pushed back on me. I love when a guest does that.
"Prepare as if this thing is meant for you. Don't just wash your face and go. Prepare as if this thing has to come to you. If it doesn't, you walk out with a learning experience."
That hit differently. She's not saying ignore rejection. She's saying stop pre-rejecting yourself. Go all in, and if it doesn't work, you leave with data, not defeat.
And her definition of success? It's not the achievement itself. It's the failure, the learning from the failure, and then getting back up and reaching the point where you want to be. CVs can't be static, she said, and neither can you. You have to keep moving. Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a career in a country that doesn't know your name yet.
When I asked Aparajita, "What you don't change, you choose, so what are you choosing today?" her answer was immediate: continuous development. Adaptability. Letting go of everything holding her back and choosing to learn, no matter what age you are. "You are not dead till your spirit is alive," she told me. Keep the spirit of a five-year-old willing to learn. I felt that one in my chest.
Quick Takeaways
- Static CVs are dead. Every application needs a CV tailored to that specific job description with the right ATS keywords.
- Don't pay for a one-time CV. Use tools that generate role-specific CVs from the job description, it saves hours and gets better results.
- Prepare for scenario-based interviews. UK interviews often ask one question with seven sub-parts and a 90-second window. Practise the STAR format.
- Use your time wisely. The faster you can apply, the more time you have to develop skills, learn languages, or build something meaningful.
- Talk about your failures. Every rejection is data. The people who land the role aren't the ones who never failed, they're the ones who kept showing up. If you're ready to take that next step in your business, start with a free visibility audit.
"You are not dead till your spirit is alive. So please keep your spirit as a five-year-old, willing to learn."