How to Write a Resume for a Career Change

Switching career is exciting and challenging, and we should be worried that our application not be overshadowed by candidates with more experience. After the pandemic, about 75% of professionals are changing careers, and not knowing how to write a career change resume was a commonly cited roadblock for would-be career switchers. In this guide, we have explained what a career change resume is and how to write one.

What is a Career Change Resume?

Career Change Resume is the resume in which a candidate is looking to leave his previous professional industry. Every job demands different candidate skillets, experiences, qualifications, and abilities aligned with their operational/organizational needs.

It is always challenging to present skills and experiences on our professional document without the guidance or collaboration of professional resume writers when we are looking to change careers or target a new industry.
The Career Change Resume has different practices and standards compared to a standard/simple resume so having an ATS-compliant career change resume is key to success if you are looking to change careers.

ProTip: “Please note that change is always challenging.”

How many and which things are required to change a career?

Before delivering thorough guidance on how to create a resume for a career change? I would love to explain which things are required to secure a dream job when you are changing careers.

Best personal branding materials such as Resume, LinkedIn, and Cover Letters.
Qualifications or new training related to the targeted industry.
Transferable skills or experiences related to the targeted industry. (Transferable skills, sometimes called portable skills that you have developed, can be transferred from one job to another, such as good communication, time management, team leadership, problem resolution, and other industry-specified skills.)
Connections within the targeted industry.
People who transitioned with your exact job title/industry to your targeted one.

How to create a resume for a career change?

Like a standard resume, there are three parts to Career Change Resume.

Summary (But it will not be Professional Summary. It shall be Qualifications Summary) It should be on 4 to 6 skills.
- The first line (Branding Statement): You will write one line related to your previous experience, such as, Accomplished and performance-driven professional with a solid background in managing HR operations.
Second Line: Now, you will highlight your transferable skills in the second line according to the targeted position.
- Suppose you are targeting Plant Production Manager and switching careers from HR & Team Manager. Then we can write the second line as Expert in providing effective leadership and guidance to team members, focusing on improving productivity and operational efficiency. (As we all know, productivity will be a core factor when you target a Production Manager position). So, through team leadership and guidance, productivity can be boosted.
The third line should also demonstrate transferable skills. In HR, we use or operate different hiring and recruitment tools to write from the perspective of the Plant Production Manager. Skilled at organizing, allocating, maintaining, and operating technical systems, tools, and equipment to ensure the smooth running of day-to-day operations.
The fourth line can be of soft and hard transferable skills.
The fifth line should be of soft skills such as Time Management or Problem Resolution but transferable ones.

Professional Experience (transferable skills should be focused as per new position)

3 to 4 lines paragraph (focus on requirements and transferable skills related to the targeted position)
- Primary duties or daily tasks which support the targeted position should be mentioned first. It is better not to specify the things of the previous industry. The content should be generalised according to the switching/targeted sector requirements.
3 to 4 bullet points (turn accomplishments in the way that these meet the needs of the targeted position)

Education (placement of education is vital). If you have attained qualifications of education related to the targeted position, it should be enlisted right after the Qualifications Summary.

How to write the title of a career change resume?

When we write a Career Change resume, there will be a Qualifications Summary so that no title will be enlisted. But we will add objective statements such as Well prepared to leverage transferable skills and add value to Organization Success as Position Name.

What are the best formats for Career Change Resume?

Please click the link to view ATS compliance formats for Career Change Resume.

Examples of Career Change Resume

Example 1 with a brief explanation of the strategy used for client documents.

The client was Kindergarten Teacher and was switching to a Therapist position.

The client provided us with a sample resume in which he didn’t give information on his last role. Our writer developed his previous position by conducting strategic research and using industry knowledge.
This was a very simple career change resume as the client recently completed his occupational therapy education. Our writer enlisted education right after the Qualifications Summary to indicate to HR that the candidate has qualifications related to the targeted position or job opening.
Our writer crafted a Qualifications Summary and mentioned client transition in the first line to update HR about the candidate interest at first sight.
The writer mentioned about transferable skills required for the position of Therapist.

Example 2 with a brief explanation of the strategy used for client documents.

The client was a Peripatetic Music Teacher looking to target a Catering Hospitality Management position.

The client provided a resume sample that lacked information about his most recent role. To compensate for this, our writer undertook strategic research and drew upon their industry knowledge to develop his previous position effectively.
To immediately inform HR of the candidate’s interest, our writer crafted a compelling Qualifications Summary that specifically mentioned the client’s transition in the first line.
The writer also made sure to highlight the transferable skills necessary for the a Catering Hospitality Management position, thus showcasing the client’s suitability for the role.