Career Change? Here’s How to Adapt Your Resume for a New Path

There are plenty of reasons for wanting to change careers. Developments in technology and working practices might open up new opportunities, while wider economic pressures could force you to look for a better-paying role. Perhaps you’ve reached a stage in life where you’re looking for a new challenge, or a job to fit around your personal and family commitments.

Whatever your reasons, if you want to find success in your search for a new career, you’ll need to know how to adapt your resume so it appeals to employers in your chosen industry sector. In this article, we look at what’s different about a career change resume, and offer tips on adapting your resume to maximize your chances of successfully forging a new career path.

Top 5 tips for adapting your resume for a new career path

So, what can you do to make your career change resume compete with those of more experienced candidates? Here are five key tips to transform your resume for success in a new career path:

Tailor your resume

The first and most vital step to making your resume have a positive impact when you’re changing careers is to tailor it closely to the job description. Rolling out the same resume that’s helped you succeed in previous job applications won’t have the same effect if you’re moving to a new industry sector, or a radically different role from the one you’re working in now. As such, you’ll need to carefully tailor your resume to reflect the job description, and to match what employers will be expecting to see.

All this means brushing up on industry phrasing and terminology, making sure you hit all the requirements listed in the job description and showing you’re ready to move into a new sector and perform at a high level immediately. This means that, especially in the early stages of your attempts to transition to a new career, you’ll want to carefully tailor every resume to the exacting demands of the role.

Explain your motivations

Employers will be keen to understand why you’re switching jobs or industries, so make sure your resume doesn’t gloss over this. There are plenty of legitimate reasons for wanting to make a change in your career journey. Failing to explain why you’re making this change might raise more questions in the recruiter or hiring manager, so it’s best to clarify things early on, so they can focus purely on whether you’re a good fit for the role.

Use your resume summary as a place to explain how you’ve arrived at the decision to change careers. This can involve talking about your current role, explaining your reasons for changing and outlining why this particular role or organization will be a good fit for you on this new career pathway.

Here’s an example resume summary that highlights motivations for changing to a new career:

Dynamic sales professional with six years’ experience driving client relationships, negotiations, and revenue growth. Transitioning into project management to leverage strong communication and stakeholder coordination skills, while pursuing greater professional development and career progression opportunities. Looking forward to using my goal-oriented experience to deliver results through strategic planning and collaborative execution.

Highlight your transferable skills

As someone who’s new to the career you’re transitioning to, you might feel you lack the technical skills and relevant work experience to convince employers you’re right for the job. This is where transferable skills can help you shine.

Transferable skills are the skills you’ve learned in one role or area of your life, that you can apply to another. You might have gained your transferable skills from a previous job, your studies or an extracurricular activity. Where you gained the skills from isn’t necessarily relevant. What’s important is being able to show you have skills that can help you succeed in your new chosen career.

Transferable and soft skills are becoming more valuable in the modern world of work. Technology is rapidly changing the value of certain hard and technical skills, and employers are increasingly seeking candidates who can show they’re able to adapt, solve problems and find new ways of working. Think about the transferable skills you have that you can apply to your new career direction, and be sure to highlight them in your resume.

Be aware of the differences between soft and transferable skills

When writing your resume, be mindful of the difference between soft skills and transferable skills, as it’s easy to confuse them. While soft skills refer to natural qualities and strengths that shape how you work, transferable skills are abilities and knowledge that you can apply to different types of work. Both types of skills are valuable for various jobs, but transferable skills give employers a better impression of the genuine, measurable assets you offer their organization.

Here are some examples of soft skills vs. transferable skills:

Choose the most suitable resume format

The best format for your resume will depend on how closely your new career path lines up with your previous experience. If you’re moving to an industry or role that shares similarities with your past jobs, you might be able to use a resume format that focuses on relevant work experience. In this case, you can use a traditional, reverse-chronological resume format that places your work experience section at the top of your resume layout, below your CV header and professional summary.

However, if you’re making a complete departure with your new career, a more effective approach might be to use a resume format that doesn’t focus too much on your previous work experience. Your previous jobs are unlikely to be of much use when you’re trying to prove the skills and qualities needed for your new career, so it’s better instead to focus on your transferable skills and qualifications. As such, a functional, or skills-based, resume format is usually your best bet. This format places the skills and education sections above your work experience section.

Dispel any doubts

As a career changer, you’ll likely be going up against candidates who are more experienced than you. As such, it’s important to be ready and answer the burning questions employers might have before they even get the chance to ask. This means your resume needs to stand out and quickly dispel any doubts the reader might have about your suitability for the role. You can do this in various ways:

• Be open and transparent about your career journey to date: There’s no point leaving gaps in your resume or trying to hide your reasons for changing careers. Be open and up-front about your journey and use it as an asset.
• Don’t lie or exaggerate about your relevant skills and experience: On the other hand, don’t overdo it when discussing your relevant skills and experience, or lie about previous roles to try to make yourself look better. This almost always backfires.
• Present your resume with a professional layout: Using a clear, well-designed resume template can show employers you have a high level of professionalism, and help your resume stand out from the crowd.
• Use strong, impactful action words: Emphasize your skills and relevant career achievements by using action verbs that reflect the job description and show the impact you’ve made in your career to date.
• Showcase your enthusiasm: Above all, show the employer you’re motivated, enthusiastic and willing to adapt and learn a new role or specialism. If you can provide examples of other times you’ve adapted and thrived in new or challenging circumstances, this will set the reader’s mind at ease about your ability to settle into a new career path.