How to Write a Career Change Resume

Career changes can be intimidating, but you can still make a strong case for yourself without direct work experience.

The key is in how you present your transferable skills.

Here’s how to write a career change resume that hiring managers can’t ignore.

@resumegenius Thinking about switching careers and worried about how to prove you’re a great fit even if you don’t have experience in your new field? ? Follow these tips for crafting a strong resume. And for more in-depth advice on how to write a resume for a career change, read this article: ?resumegeniusDOTme/career-change-resume #careerchange #careeradvice #resumetips #resumehelp #resumewriting #jobsearchtips #jobsearching ♬ original sound – Resume Genius | Career Advice

1. Choose the right resume format

When changing careers, you want a resume format that highlights your transferable skills, not one that relies on your work history.

You have two options: functional resume or combination resume.

Functional resumes focus on your skills and how you’ve applied them practically. This approach differs from traditional resumes, which organize your achievements by job.

Here’s what a functional resume for a career change candidate looks like:

On the other hand, the combination resume format is best if you have work experience that supports your application.

This format contains both a detailed skills section and traditional work history, allowing you to highlight your transferable skills while also showing career growth.

Here’s an example of a combination resume:

2. Summarize your qualifications in your introduction

Knowing how to start a resume is essential for anyone changing careers. That’s because a good introduction quickly establishes the value of your contributions at work, showcases your relevant skills, and sets the tone for the rest of your resume.

As a career changer, you should write either a resume summary or a resume objective.

A resume summary is the best choice if you’ve got numerous accomplishments that demonstrate skills relevant to the position you’re applying for, while a resume objective allows you to focus on relevant professional, educational, or volunteer experience.

Here are two examples of each to give you an idea of how to write a good career change resume introduction:

Career change resume objective examples

Example #1

Example #2

Career change resume summary examples

Example #1

Example #2

3. List your transferable skills

Skills matter for a successful career change. Our recent hiring manager survey found that 85% of hiring managers will assess your application on your skills and readiness.

Choose 3–5 transferable skills that align closely with your target role. Then follow each one with a bulleted list of achievements that specify how you’ve applied those skills in the past.

These resume achievements don’t need to come from formal work experience, but they should be relevant to your target job.

4. Repackage your work experience

Present your work experience in terms that matter to the employer.

Even if they were not your main day-to-day responsibilities, think about experience from previous jobs that applies to work in your new industry, and then make bullet points in your experience section that highlight those skills in action.

For example, if you’re transitioning from a career in marketing to a career in NGO fundraising, you should highlight your ability to convince people to part with their money for a product or cause.

A well-written experience section for a career change resume should look like this:

When describing your past work experience, “clarity is key,” according to Nikki Bromley, Founder and CEO of Out Of the Class:

“Avoid using job-specific jargon and acronyms that might be unfamiliar to those outside your previous field. Your resume should be easily understandable to hiring managers from diverse backgrounds, allowing them to quickly grasp your skills and experiences, regardless of their industry expertise.”

5. Emphasize relevant school experience

You can also use your resume education section to highlight transferable skills you picked up as a student.

If you completed relevant coursework that makes a strong case for you to get a job in your new industry, add it to your work experience section. Use bullet points to highlight skills you learned in class, like this:

You can also list a relevant class plus your GPA on your resume, or other school honors you received. These relevant details show employers you’re more interested in their field than your work experience might first suggest.

6. List any relevant certifications

Many fields require specific credentials and certifications. If you have them, position the certifications on your resume where they can be easily seen, like in this example:

If you’re unsure what certifications to get for your target industry, look at job analysis sites like O*NET Online. Online resources like these have detailed information about what certifications, skills, and education are required for a wide variety of professions.

If you don’t have job-specific certifications that apply to your new career but have other ones that are relevant to the job, you can mention those too.

Career change resume examples

Here are two effective career change resume examples:

Career change resume for a leadership role

Career change resume for an administrative role