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11 Career Change Resume Examples Designed for 2024

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• Career Change Resumes
• Changing Careers To Resumes
• Changing Careers From Resumes
• Career Change Resumes for Teachers

Perhaps you’ve spent decades crafting your profession only to feel drawn toward a new challenge. Maybe you’ve only spent a few years in your job but realized it’s not everything you’d hoped for. 

While the decision to pursue a new career can be thrilling, it comes with a challenge—convincing hiring managers to employ you. Whatever else, don’t let  building your resume  or writing a cover letter be a source of anxiety.

We’ve compiled  11 career change resume examples and a free guide to help steer you toward your dream job in 2024 . 

Even if your new career isn’t in our samples, that’s okay! What’s essential in these samples is the how and why, so keep reading because we’re sure there’s something here for you!

Career Change Resume

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• A summary merges your background with the opportunities you’re seeking. In other words, a summary demonstrates how your experience has prepared you for your new field. However, you should only use a summary if you’ve had  at least 10 years of experience.
• Choosing a  professional resume template  and  resume format  can help make your resume look professional and cohesive without much effort.

Multiple Career Resume

• The keywords you include will help tie your expertise together and prove that you have the right abilities for the job. 
• Start by listing hard skills (aka technical, learned skills) listed in the job description. If you don’t have a lot, then simply use soft skills like “analytical” and collaboration.”
• Whatever jobs you’ve held, find a common thread between them and the new job, then sew that thread into every job experience. It’ll be a subtle but powerful tool to increase credibility despite multiple career changes. 

Career Change To Accounting Resume

• If you’re applying to be an accountant but it wasn’t your most recent role, be sure to add a certifications section highlighting that you are a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Career Change To Administrative Assistant Resume

• Enhance your career change to administrative assistant resume with a short summary that shows recruiters where to draw parallels between your past experience and target title.

Marketing Manager Career Change Resume

• There are numbers everywhere; look for percentages relating to your skills, like how you boosted efficiency or increased sales from last quarter. The sky’s the limit!
• If you can’t find (or don’t have access to) percentages, then use plain numbers relating to how many team members you worked with, how many clients you took on, or how many referrals you gained.
• Things like only using active verbs and avoiding personal pronouns might seem minor, but they make reading your resume easier, which is huge for recruiters and hiring managers.
• And speaking of details, always  double-check your resume  for proper grammar, punctuation, and overall flow.

RN Career Change Resume

• An objective is only two to three sentences, so make sure each word packs a verbal punch by showing off your years of experience, skills, and desire for the role you’re seeking.
• For example, mentioning your adherence to HIPPA guidelines can demonstrate to hiring managers that you will stick to the rules. On the flip side, explaining how you used active listening to assist patients will show your compassion and customer service skills.

Journalist Career Change Resume

• Start by keeping your resume to a single page. Otherwise, you’ll overwhelm hiring managers (who will likely toss your resume into the recycling).
• It’s best to use reverse-chronological formatting on your resume to keep your most relevant job history at the top. While other formats are necessarily wrong, they aren’t standard, and they’re harder for hiring managers (and the ATS) to read.
• In your contact header, include your email address (make sure it’s a professional email), your phone number, and your location. 
• Consider adding a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile if you have a LinkedIn account.

Mechanical Engineer Career Change Resume

• Consider asking a friend, relative, or even a career advisor from your alma mater to scan your resume for errors and discrepancies.
• Nothing tells a recruiter you’re not the right person for the job like saying you’re great at “time management.” 
• Put color in your section headers (or company titles) and your contact header. This will add visual interest without being overwhelming.
• If you’re applying to work at a conservative financial firm, you may want to stick to traditional colors rather than pastel pink or lavender.

Teacher Career Change Resume

• Look for ways to connect your previous duties to the responsibilities listed in the job description.
• Many skills  indirectly  transfer from one job to another. Consider your collaboration skills: your ability to work well with fellow teachers will help you work on team projects at your next job.
• Of course, if you have any skills, projects, or experience in your new field, include them, and explain how you’ve mastered them in your career change cover letter .
• Using a  resume template  is invaluable here, as you can easily scooch sections to the side, adjust your margins, and fix your font type to give you some extra wiggle room.

Teacher to Project Manager Resume

• The work experience bullet points to occupy the largest share of your CV—no more than four bullets for each role. As for your contact info, education, skills, hobbies, and certifications, a side column will do the trick. The cherry on top is restricting the entire resume to one page.

Teacher to Human Resources Resume

• But more importantly, mention the relevant transferable skills you bring to this entry-level role, a requirement Elijah executes well in his teacher to human resources resume. Better yet, let your bullet points show how you used these proficiencies in previous teaching roles.

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Switching Careers? Here’s How to Write a Strong Resume.

• Benjamin Laker,
• Vijay Pereira,
• Abhishek Behl,
• Zaheer Khan

Start with a personal statement.

When you’re switching career paths, there’s one essential thing you need to focus on: updating your resume. Crafting a smart resume is key to showing your potential employer why you wish to make a change. While there’s no one right format to write a resume, here are some tips you can follow:

• Begin the resume with a personal statement. This is a short description about who you are, your reasons for changing your career, your new goals, how your previous experience can be transferred to the new industry, and why you’re perfect for the job.
• Next, instead of highlighting your work experience first, showcase the skills you’ve learned throughout your career. That’s because when changing careers, the hiring managers reviewing your application may not always be familiar with the roles and responsibilities of a different industry.
• Below your skills, you can include a more traditional description of your relevant work history. You don’t need to include every job you’ve ever had, especially if you’ve held a number of positions that don’t highlight any essential skills required for this role.
• Finally, end with a chronological list of your educational qualifications. You can also include details about any certifications or courses that you may be undertaking that may be relevant to the position you’re interested in.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Switching career paths and trying something completely new can open you up to exciting opportunities, help you learn new things, and even earn you more money. But it’s not always easy — especially if you’re looking to move into an entirely different field. Apart from doing your research and unearthing opportunities, there’s one essential thing you need to focus on before you make the leap: updating your resume.

• Benjamin Laker is a professor of leadership at Henley Business School, University of Reading. Follow him on Twitter .
• Vijay Pereira is a professor of strategic and international human capital management at NEOMA Business School.
• AB Abhishek Behl is an assistant professor of information management at the Management Development Institute Gurgaon.
• ZK Zaheer Khan is a professor in strategy and international business at the University of Aberdeen.  

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Career Change Resume for 2024 [9+ Examples]

Thinking of switching careers?

It might feel a lot like taking a leap of faith. 

You’re stepping into the unknown - that alone takes a lot of courage and determination.

You might even feel like a recent graduate all over again.

You have 0 experience, entering an entirely new field, competing with people who’ve been doing it forever!

That sounds pretty scary.

But here’s the thing:

As long as you’re armed with the right resume, the transition can be a piece of cake.

And luckily, we’re here to help and guide you through the process.

So, if you’re thinking of breaking into a new career industry, be sure to read on.

• How to pick the best resume format for a career change
• How to create a skill summary and wow the recruiter
• How to show off transferable work experience
• 3+ other ways to impress the recruiter (even if you have 0 relevant work experience)

Choosing the Best Career Change Resume Format

A big part of creating an effective resume is choosing the right resume format to tell your story with.

You need to structure your resume in a way that best shows your transferable skills and experience.

And when it comes to switching careers, the combination resume format does that best.

Here’s why:

This format places equal emphasis on skills and important work experience . 

This way, you can show you have the right industry transferable skills , even if you haven’t had the actual job title.

The format is ideal for people:

• Making a career change with transferable skills or work experience.
• With some employment gaps.
• With a diverse range of skills and experience .
• Applying to both creative and traditional roles.

And here’s what you include within this format:

• Contact information
• Resume objective or summary
• Skills summary
• Work experience
• Certification

Now, we’re going to go over each of those sections and explain how to write them step-by-step.

Here’s what you need to know:

How to Add Your Contact Information the Right Way

Your contact information is arguably the most important part of your resume.

Even if you’re the most qualified person in the world, it’s not going to matter much if you misspell your email and the HR manager can’t contact you.

So, here’s what you should include in this section:

• First name, last name 
• Phone number - Make sure to include your country code if you’re applying outside your country.
• Email address - Something professional like [[email protected]].
• Location - The company needs to know if you’re located in the region or if they may have to sponsor your relocation.
• Title - Either your current professional title or your new desired one. We’d recommend including the job title you’re applying for word-for-word.

Once you’re done, we’d recommend that you double-check, even triple-check everything. You wouldn’t want to miss your chances of landing the job because of a typo, would you?

• Got an online portfolio? You can also mention the links here. For example, if you’re a developer, you can include a link to your GitHub profile. If you’re a writer, a Medium link, and so on...

All clear? Good!

Now, let’s cover how to write a successful career change resume objective or summary.

Impress the Recruiter With a Career Change Resume Objective or Summary

So you’ve got your contact details down.

Now, you need a reason for the HR manager to continue reading the rest of your resume.

So, how do you get the recruiter to stop and read your career change resume when they only look at resumes for 6 seconds on average?

The answer: by using a resume objective or summary.

Both of these sections explain why you’re the best person for the job and act as a preview to the rest of your resume.

Here’s how the two differ:

Your resume summary shows your best accomplishments that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Your resume objective highlights how your current skills are relevant and will transfer to your new position.

As someone going through a career change, you can include either one.

But as a rule of thumb, if you were working in a related field and have some transferable skills, go for a resume summary.

On the other hand, if you were working in a completely unrelated field, go for a resume objective.

Check out these examples to get a better idea of what both of these might look like:

Career Change Resume Summary Example

• “Customer support specialist with over 4+ years of experience in over-the-phone technical support looking to leverage communication skills as a Sales Agent at Company XYZ. Excellent track record of delivering quality support, with an average rating of 4.6/5 over the past 2 years.”

A career change resume summary helps the HR understand how your skillset from your previous job can translate into your new one.

In that case, it’s best to mention:

• Your current relevant skills or experience.
• How your background can help you excel at the current job.

Career Change Resume Objective Example

• “Organized and hard-working employee looking to join XYZ as a marketing assistant. Looking to take advantage of my skills in Photoshop, graphic design, and creative copywriting to help XYZ with their marketing efforts.”

See the difference here?

Even though the person doesn’t have any relevant work experience, their resume objective still shows how their skill set is relevant to the new job.

Show Off Your Know-How With a Skills Summary Section

Your resume summary / objective is only an introduction. Now, you need to show the HR what you’ve got.

To do that, you need a good skills summary section.

Skills summary is a must-have section for just about any career change resume.

It puts more emphasis on your skill-set, as opposed to your work experience. This allows you to show how you’re a qualified candidate, even though you haven’t done the job before.

Here’s what a sample skills summary section might look like for a front-end developer.

Career Change Resume Skills Summary Example

• Built an online personal portfolio and resume website using HTML, CSS, JS.
• Created an online JS/jQuery quiz game that takes multiple answers and shows results to the user.
• Built a beautiful weather app with Angular 8 from scratch, designed UI with Sketch.
• Created responsive website templates (that are also mobile friendly) using modern CSS techniques and JS libraries.
• Worked with design and development groups to create applications from mock-ups in Sketch, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
• Familiar with Git, XDebug, and Chrome Developer Tools.
• Debugged over 10 JS web apps for a SaaS project.

Simple enough, right?

You list out each of your key skills, and then back it up with how you’ve used it in the past.

Now, you might be thinking, “what about the work experience section?” Do I just skip it, and use a skills summary instead?

Nope - you still need to list your work experience.

In this case, though, you’d want to use it to show off your transferable skills. Here’s how:

Use Your Work Experience to Show Off Transferable Skills

Let’s take a different example and say you’re moving from a job in sales to copywriting.

A resume you’d use for sales compared to a more creative field like copywriting is probably going to be a bit different.

But what do both of the roles have in common?

Well, for one, they both require you to have excellent communication skills. You also need to be good at understanding your target market and conveying complex information in simple language.

And that’s the common thread you want to focus on in your work experience section.

So, when listing your previous jobs, think of some transferable skills that you bring to the table that are going to be relevant.

Even unrelated jobs have some universal skills that are helpful everywhere.

To give you a better idea of what we mean, let’s look at some examples:

Sales Executive

Company X - 11/2016 - 04/2019

• Created and presented pitch deck that secured a $500,000 deal - largest for Company X to date.
• Boosted sales for the most underperforming product by 40% by developing helpful and instructional material for prospects.
• Created and edited sales materials, scripts, and technical documents for accuracy and consistency.

Here’s what’s done right:

• Shows transferable skills and achievements.
• Highlights only the parts from the experience that are related to the new role.

While the above example doesn’t talk about product descriptions or ads, communication materials and sales scripts do show that the candidate can write.

So, for a copywriting position, it’s going to be relevant and worth mentioning.

Now, compare that to the career change work experience below:

• Cold-emailed 100+ prospects daily.
• Closed 14+ deals in 2019 so far.
• Hit and exceeded company KPIs for the past 2 years in a row.

Sure, this example is good. But only if the candidate is applying for a sales job.

For copywriting, though, none of the skills mentioned are going to come in handy.

So, when listing previous job positions, you should focus only on what’s relevant.

Now that you know how to properly list work experience, let’s move on to the next section: Education.

Make Your Education Section Shine

Your education section is going to be an important requirement for just about any position above entry-level.

Listing education on your resume is pretty straightforward.

All you have to do is list your latest educational entry (e.g. college degree), and then include all the important stuff below it.

For example, you can include things like:

• Name of degree (Minor - optional): e.g. B.A. International Business Administration.
• Name of educational institution: e.g. University of Groningen.
• Years attended: e.g. 2015 - 2019.
• Location of the program (optional): e.g. Groningen, Netherlands.
• GPA (optional): 3.84 (only include if you excelled).
• Courses that are relevant to the job (optional): e.g. Advanced Business Finances.
• Exchange programs (optional): e.g. exchange program in Florida, U.S.

Here’s what the full listing for this educational entry might look like:

You might be wondering, what if I don’t have the right education for the job? Maybe, you have an M.A. in Philosophy, but you’re applying for a job in marketing. Do you still list it?

The answer is a definite yes.

Even if the degree is not relevant at all, it still shows that you’re passionate about learning and education.

In some cases, you might even be able to show off some transferable skills with your degree.

Let’s say, for example, you have a B.A. in English Literature , and you’re applying for a job in marketing. 

You could stress on how your degree gave you amazing writing skills (a must-have for most marketing roles), like so:

B.A. in English Literature.

University XYZ - 2014-2018

• Excelled in creative writing courses
• Part-time as a reporter for the university website

PS - Do you still have some questions on how to list your education section? Maybe you’re wondering what else you can include? Check out our full guide on how to list education on a resume with 13+ real-life examples.

Done with your education section? Awesome!

This brings us to the next section on your career change resume.

How (and Why) to List Skills On a Career Change Resume

When it comes to the skills section, what most recruiters want to know is if you can actually do what the job ad asks for.

And like with the other sections till now, relevance is key.

You should only ever list skills that are appropriate to the job you’re applying for.

To find out what’s relevant, start by scanning the job listing.

Most job ads usually include a list of requirements or skills they expect for a good candidate to have.

So, all you have to do is mention those exact skills on your resume.

Let’s take a look at an example.

Career Change Resume Skills Example

Assuming the job ad is for a junior front-end developer who has:

• 2-4 Years of professional experience using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
• Up to 1 years of visual design experience focusing on strong UX/UI.
• Good communication skills and team-player

You’d want to list the following skills:

• Communication Skills
• Team-Player

So, all you have to do is mention these skills, and you’re good to go!

• Not sure which skills are a must-have for your role? Check out our complete list of all must-have skills for any given field or position!

Showing Career Certifications on a Resume

When you’re switching careers, certifications are an amazing way to show you’re serious about your craft.

This shows you’re willing to put in the work and that you’ve already taken the first steps.

When listing certifications though, make sure they’re relevant to your field.

For a marketing role, here’s what that might look like:

• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certified, 2019.
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification, 2018.
• SEMrush Content Marketing Toolkit Course, 2018.

And here’s an example done wrong:

• TechCamp Python Bootcamp, 2019.
• Udemy JavaScript 101 Course.

For a marketing role, those certificates are completely irrelevant and aren’t even in the same field.

While they might be impressive on their own, that doesn’t mean they make you a better marketer.

Listing Personal Projects

Another great way to show that you’re the right person for the job is to list personal projects.

This can be just about anything:

• Founding a sports team in university
• Project you did for business class
• A Part-time online store you created on Etsy
• Passion-project for wood-working
• And whatever else you love (that’s relevant for your new career)

Pretty much anything that can make up for your lack of experience in the field counts.

But of course, keep in mind that your projects should be relevant to your new job.

Getting into coding? Here’s what your projects section could look like...

Make sure to stick to relevant projects, though.

The HR manager cares about your CODING experience, not about the fact that you started a basketball team in college.

Now, compare that to:

• Excelled in Anthropology and Archaeology classes at University X.
• Self-taught knitting pro.

You shouldn’t list projects just for the sake of standing out or filling up space. 

The more irrelevant information you mention in your resume, the more likely it is for the recruiter to accidentally skip out on all your must-have sections.

• Still have some space on your resume? You can also include the hobbies & interests section. Check out our guide to learn how (and why)!

How to Write a Career Change Cover Letter

Done with your resume?

But wait, before you get too excited - you’re still not done.

You need to back up your resume with a career change cover letter.

And no - it’s not like the usual cover letter you’re used to writing. 

When you’re switching careers, you want to use your cover letter to highlight WHY you’re switching fields and WHY your skills are a good match for the new role.

To do this, make sure you bring up a ton of examples and call out any key statistics or measurable results to draw upon, if possible.

To help you craft the best career change cover letter, check out the example below:

Here’s what’s done right with this cover letter:

• Addresses the reader (i.e. “Dear Doris” or if you can’t find their name, “To Whom it May Concern.”).
• Makes it clear they want to transition into a different career (from marketing and retail sales into public relations in this case).
• Shows they’ve done the research and the letter is tailored to the company's products and brand.
• Provides specific examples and achievements (“raised more than $ 10,000 for the event.”).
• Ends on a confident note and provides a call-to-action (and where to contact them).

Think your cover letter game is lacking? Check out our complete, step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter.

If you're thinking about a career change, and want to join a community of global professionals who are also re-designing and reframing their careers, then consider Unsettled’s Lifestyle Incubator.

Unsettled’s Lifestyle Incubator program is a 4-week highly interactive “virtual retreat” for professionals seeking to redefine their career trajectory and be more intentional about designing their next steps.

Through original workshops, weekly live sessions, practical tools, frameworks and peer-to-peer conversations with a global and diverse community of professionals, they will help you identify the core tensions between the lifestyle you want and the career trajectory that aligns your values, interests, and skills.

Key Takeaways

To recap, going through a mid-career transition probably sounds intimidating. 

But if you craft your career change resume focusing on transferable skills and experience - then you’re good to go!

Just make sure you follow these main key tips while working on your resume:

• Use the combination resume format to highlight your transferable skills and work experience.
• Include all the essential career change resume sections - contact information , resume objective or summary , skill summary , work experience , soft and technical skills , certifications and personal projects.
• And while doing so, highlight only what’s relevant to your new position.
• Finally, make sure you attach a tailored cover letter to your resume and mention WHY you’re switching fields and what unique skills you’re bringing with you.

At Novorésumé, we’re committed to helping you land your dream job, every step of the way. Be sure to check out our career blog to stay up to date with the industry-leading advice and more actionable tips.

Suggested Reading:

• How to Get Your Resume Layout Right [3 Free Templates]
• How to Write an ATS Resume
• 20+ One-Page Resume Templates [Free Download]

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If you want to change careers, you’re going to need a great resume to show employers why they should take a chance on you.

You need to convince them that you’ll succeed in their role, even if you’ve done different work in the past.

And while you can do some of this convincing in the job interview, you aren’t going to get interviews if your resume or CV isn’t great , too, so it all starts here!

Don’t worry if this sounds intimidating – this article has everything you need to write an effective resume for career change…

I spoke to multiple professional resume writers, coaches, and other experts and put together this list of resume tips for career changers, as well as real-life examples of resumes that got interviews.

Here’s what you need to know…

Career Change Resume/CV Format

The best resume format for a career change is the chronological resume (also known as “reverse chronological resume”). With this format, your resume or CV lists your work experience in the order it happened, starting with your most recent or current position at the top.

This is what most hiring managers and recruiters are used to seeing and prefer to see, so it’s the best format to use when switching careers (or in any job search, for that matter).

So the first thing to do with your resume is to make sure you’re using this format. Put your most recent position at the top of your “Work Experience” section , and then go backward from there. You’ll see examples of this coming up – don’t worry.

The bottom line is: You aren’t going to hide something or “sneak” through the process by using a less-common (and more confusing) resume format like a functional resume.

This will just confuse and frustrate the hiring manager or recruiter .

So rather than trying to hide gaps in your experience, you should tailor your experience to be as relevant as possible for the job you’re applying to. That’s how to approach resume formatting as a career changer.

Career Change Resume Objective (And Why NOT To Include This)

You should not include a resume objective when changing careers (or on any resume, in fact). A resume objective is an outdated section that should be replaced with a resume summary section – a brief intro summarizing your experience, skills, accomplishments, and anything else you’d like to share.

Coming up next, we’ll look at examples of how to write this “summary” section as a career changer.

Writing Your Resume Summary for Career Change

Rather than a resume objective, you should include a brief Summary section to show employers what you’ve accomplished and how you can help them in their role.

I asked multiple experts for tips and examples of how to write a resume summary for a career change, so here are some tips from coaches, resume writers, and other experts.

Career Change Resume Example: Switching Careers from Business Development at a Skilled Nursing Facility to Medical Device Sales 

This section is contributed by: Virginia Franco – Executive Resume Writer at Virginia Franco Resumes

When writing a summary section for a career change, think about what you bring to the table that aligns with the role you seek, and what makes you less of a hiring risk for the hiring manager or interviewer.

In the example above, my client wanted to pivot from a business development role at a skilled nursing facility into medical device sales. In writing his summary, I:

• Chose a headline that contained some keywords related to the role he currently held AND the role he was targeting.
• Created a tagline that spoke to his success in Skilled Nursing using language that was industry-neutral.
• Identified a few differentiators that would make him appealing to a hiring manager and help outweigh the fact that he was new to the role and industry.

In this case, the fact that he:

• Knew lots of key players meant he could hit the ground running and build a sales funnel fast
• Was multilingual but raised in the U.S. meant he could interface well with many cultures – important in the area where he lived, and in working with surgeons that are often from other countries.
• Kept abreast of the industry and trends meant he was passionate about the industry and that he embraced continual learning.
• Established trust by working to overcome obstacles in a creative fashion meant that he was a problem solver – a trait that would make him attractive to a hiring manager.

In other words, I worked to make him seem like a candidate that was a risk worth taking!

Career Change Resume Example: Changing Careers from Medical Device Sales to Advertising & Technology

This section is contributed by: Austin Belcak – Founder at Cultivated Culture

When your changing careers, one of the biggest resume challenges is getting visibility on the transferable and relevant experience that you have.

Maybe you worked on a relevant project two jobs ago, maybe you took a course that’s buried in your education section, or maybe you’ve been working on a side hustle but are worried about leading with that vs. your current job.

Using resume objectives is a good way to combat this issue.

Resume objectives allow you to cherry-pick the most relevant work experience from your career, education, and side projects and feature it right at the top of your resume. This gives you the chance to lead with the most relevant transferable experience so you make sure it’s seen instead of getting lost in the mix.

This is the exact tactic I used when I was switching careers from medical device sales into advertising/tech.

My day job was in healthcare, it didn’t offer much in the way of traditional skills, but I had been spending nights and weekends learning digital marketing. I took courses, got certified, and even started doing a bit of freelancing. I wanted that to show at the top of my resume so I used an objective to highlight that ahead of my current role:

Tip: Target Everything for the Role You Want

This section is contributed by: Sarah Johnston – Former Recruiter, Executive Resume Writer, and Job Search Coach at BriefcaseCoach.com

When writing a resume for a career change, it’s important to target your resume for the role that you want. I recommend finding a few job descriptions that interest you and scanning for keywords and themes. Use the target job title or skill set in the header to frame the resume.

The Ladders did an eye tracking study that found that recruiters and hiring managers only spend 7.4 seconds scanning a resume before deciding to pass or read more. The heat map showed that better-performing resumes have keywords at the top to immediately draw the eye.

Attached is the top of a career changer sample resume. This hypothetical job seeker is wanting to transition from an account manager role to being an executive assistant . The resume plays up her transferable skills and includes a header that references the job that she wants.

As a former corporate recruiter, I am not a fan of functional resumes. Recruiters are taught to scan resumes chronologically. When you take the experience out of context or “order,” it often gives the recruiter the impression you are trying to hide or fudge experience.

Tip: Use Bullets to Stand Out

This section is contributed by: Madeline Mann – Human Resources Leader & Career Coach, Creator of Self Made Millennial

Consider writing your resume intro or summary in bullet format, as this makes it easier for people to quickly scan it.

The first couple of bullet points should emphasize the most important keywords from the job description.

Get creative with how you integrate these terms into your summary. For example, use phrases like “experience with” and “knowledge of” to indicate tasks that you have become familiar with inside or outside of your job.

Personal projects, volunteering, and education should all contribute to what you describe here. If the most prominent keywords in the job description are tasks and concepts that you are unfamiliar with, that is a sign that you need to build those skills on your own time. Here is a video on how to build these important skills without getting hired.

The next couple of bullet points should focus on the most relevant accomplishments to the role you are pursuing, which may not be from your most recent role.

This is where the magic of the summary section comes into play. Pull in early-career achievements, side projects, and unpaid work where you did tasks that are more closely aligned with your new career. For example, if you are a Psychology Lab Assistant, and you want to be a Building Manager, many of your lab tasks won’t translate.

But, five years ago you were the treasurer of your sorority (budgeting is a keyword), and you handled many contractors to ensure the house was renovated and maintained (knowledge of the trades is a keyword). While that experience may be buried due to it being 5 years ago and not a paid position, it can hop to the top of your career change resume as a highly relevant accomplishment in the summary.

The summary section is an opportunity for you to truly spell it out for the hiring manager where your transferable skills will be too well-matched to ignore!

Editor’s note: Bullets are also a great way to make your resume work history section stand out. This article explains how to do this with 22 resume bullet examples. 

Career Change Resume Work History Section: Samples and Tips

After a brief summary or intro paragraph, you’ll need a powerful employment history section to continue to impress the recruiter or hiring manager. Use the tips below to help you write yours.

Write Your Resume by Working Backward from the Job Description

This section is contributed by: Kyle Elliott – Career & Life Coach and Resume Writer at CaffeinatedKyle.com

The key to a successful career change resume is to work backward from the job posting. I encourage clients to literally pull language from the posting of the job they are targeting, then massage it until it truthfully reflects their experience. You really want to speak the language of the industry you are moving into.

In the example below, my client was targeting sales roles. However, she has several years of impressive experience from working in higher education that we wanted to include on her resume. So we repositioned her earlier experience as a “customer experience manager” role, pulling language directly from the job postings she was targeting.

Add Keywords to Get Past the ATS

This section is contributed by: Susan P. Joyce – Publisher of Job-Hunt.org

When your goal is a career change, be sure that your resume contains the relevant keywords for the career you want. Without these keywords, your resume will not be found in a recruiter’s search of the applications and resumes stored in the applicant tracking system (ATS).

Analyze the job description and pay attention to the job’s requirements as well as the nice-to-have skills. Make a list of the skills and other job requirements you meet. Those terms are typically the terms that will be used most often when the employer is searching for qualified job candidates.

If you have acquired skills or experience outside of work, don’t be afraid to include them, too. These include skills you have acquired while volunteering or participating in other non-work activities, especially if those skills are required for this job (and, thus, important keywords).

One of the best places to start including keywords on your career change resume is your “Skills” section.

The Skills section provides a quick way to show employers that you have the skills they’ve listed on their job description.

For example: Assume the job requires hard skills like QuickBooks or SQL, and you have experience with them or have certifications from training you have taken. Include the appropriate term in your Skills section, like “QuickBooks” or “QuickBooks Certified”.

Then, in the “Experience” section of your resume , include those skills in the descriptions of your past jobs (or volunteering) where you acquired and/or used those skills. This will show the employer when and where you demonstrated your skills, which they always want to see!

Repetition of keywords is usually a good thing when the repetition is natural, relevant, and appropriate. So, having these important terms in both the Skills and Experience sections of your resume will help your resume be found.

However, simply repeating keywords at the bottom of your resume is not smart or useful.

Career Change Resume Templates

You should now have a general idea of how to format and write your resume or CV for a career change.

If you need a great starting point and don’t want to create your resume from scratch (or if your existing resume is outdated and doesn’t look great) then this job search resources page has multiple free resume templates that are great for changing careers.

After clicking the link above, scroll down to the section titled: “ATS-Compliant Resume Templates.” All of the templates on that page are free to use and download.

Recap: How to Write a Resume for Career Change

If you’re planning on switching careers, you should write your resume to make your experience seem as relevant as possible for the job you want next.

Always think of the employer’s perspective when deciding what to put on your resume and what to leave off.

Write your career change CV or resume based on the employer’s job description and you’ll be much more likely to win the interview.

That’s how to get a new job in a new field. Employers want candidates who can step into a role, learn the position quickly, and succeed. They want low risk.  The more you can show similarities between what you’ve done and what the employer needs for this job, the better!

To summarize: Your CV or resume for a career change will be most successful if you start with the employer’s needs in mind, work backward, and think carefully about how to position your own experiences – both professional and personal – to make yourself seem capable of stepping into their job and being a success!

About the Author

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How to Write a Career Change Resume

Are you considering taking your career in a new direction? Explore how to write a career change resume to navigate your path moving forward and maximize your chances of getting noticed by potential employers.

A 2021 survey revealed that more than half of the American workforce considered changing careers, with 44 percent planning to shift to a new career within the year [ 1 ]. Changing careers requires a resume that showcases your skills and experience in a way that positions you for your new role. It should have a clever balance of showing and reframing your past experience to showcase the necessary skills to transition into a different role.

In this article, you’ll learn how to write a resume for a new career, including the sections you need, effective formatting, and the transferable skills you can use to your advantage.

Read more: Transferable Skills: How to Use Them to Land Your Next Job

Factors to consider when writing a career change resume

When you’re changing careers, the chances are your experience differs from your next role. It’s essential to balance the difference by taking elements of your experience and relating them to your new career. Some skills will translate across various jobs and sectors. Additionally, some of your experience will likely be valuable in your endeavors, even if not directly related. These are the details to consider highlighting. 

You may also have qualifications and certifications that you have pursued in line with your career change that are more relevant than previous experience. These are all considerations to remember while creating your career change resume and deciding what goes where. 

A few simple steps can help ensure your career change resume is as effective as possible. 

Step 1: Choose a template.

You'll discover several options when choosing a resume template or format. Many templates can work, depending on your experience, skills, and education and how they relate to your career change. 

Functional or skills-based resumes are excellent for a career change because they focus on skills over experience. These formats allow you to highlight your accomplishments, with your relevant skills at the top of your resume and your experience section lower down. Depending on your chosen format, your experience section can be a list, and your skills section can be a detailed summary that includes your transferable skills with relevant examples to demonstrate.

Read more: How to Make a Resume: Resume Writing Guide

Step 2: Use keywords.

Keywords are critical on any resume, but when you’re trying to break into an area where you have limited previous experience, it’s even more essential that you use the right words and phrases to get your resume through companies’ applicant tracking system (ATS) screening and into the hands of a recruiter. 

Read more: Resume Keywords: How to Find the Right Words to Beat the ATS

Step 3: Add personal details and a resume summary.

At the top of your resume, add your personal information, including your name, city, email address, phone number, and any portfolios or professional profiles. 

Below these details, your first main section is your resume summary. Including this section is especially important for a career change resume because a quick scan may not immediately show how you're a good fit, given that your experience to date is in a different field. The summary is where you explain this. 

Use the summary to outline who you are, why you're changing careers, how your previous experience benefits the transition, and any future goals. This section must be strong enough to justify the change and for the reader to believe it’s worth reading. 

Read more: How to Write a Resume Summary + Examples

Step 4: Outline your relevant skills.

The skills section is critical when you change careers. Whatever your career background, you will have amassed various skills through your job, studies, hobbies, and other areas relevant to your move.  

Workplace skills transfer from position to position, so even if your previous role is a world away from where you want to be, you’ll find skills that roll across. For example, you may be moving into hospitality and have customer service experience from a telesales position. The roles may differ, but customer service is an important skill for both. It’s up to you to frame your skills to highlight their relevance to the new position.  

Examples of transferable workplace skills include:

Communication

Problem-solving

Customer service

Teamwork and collaboration

When it comes to technical skills, you may have skills with programs, databases, and languages that are relevant to your career change, even if you used them differently. For example, if you have used CRM systems in the past, you’ll find this transferable to a new industry, although they may use it differently. 

Use examples

If you’re using a skills-based resume design, you can make more of your skills section by including examples to demonstrate each skill in action rather than a simpler skills section that only lists your skills. Doing so offers another way to show employers how the skills you’ve gained can apply to the job at hand.  

Selling your skills isn’t just limited to a skills section. You can do this in your summary and by highlighting your achievements in your experience section. 

Step 5: Add your professional experience.

How you include your professional experience on your resume depends on the template you choose. It’s essential to include only relevant experience and to remember that your most relevant experience may not be your most recent. 

You can list older, less relevant jobs without a description or break your experience section into “relevant” and “other.” Remember, experience doesn’t just come from a job. It can also come from volunteer work, personal projects, or hobbies. It’s important to approach your experience by focusing on achievements and how they relate to your career transition rather than listing all duties and responsibilities. 

Step 6: Include relevant certifications.

Taking courses and earning certifications is a route that people take to change careers. If you already obtained relevant certifications, adding them to your resume can be valuable. This is a great way to highlight your credentials, especially if you lack relevant experience. A certification section can go above or below experience, depending on how strong you feel.

Read more: How to List Certifications on Your Resume: Guide + Examples

Step 7: Add your education.

Where you place this section depends on its strength. If your degree or education is relevant to the role you’re applying for, place it in an area of prominence above weaker sections. If your degree is not in the appropriate field, placing the education section lower on your resume might be more effective. In either instance, it’s still important to demonstrate the level you can work at regarding your qualifications and your grade point average (GPA). You can also pull out relevant projects and minors. 

Read more: How to List Education on a Resume: Tips, Examples, and More

Key takeaways

Writing a career change resume takes careful consideration and creativity, as the goal is to reframe what you’ve done in light of your career transition. The key is to look at what you need for the new role, review everything you’ve done in the past, and highlight how your background offers unique value. Focus on transferable skills, using relevant keywords that match your new career.

Resources for resume building

How to Make a Resume: A Writing Guide

How to List Certifications on Your Resume

How to Add Coursera Credentials to Your Resume

How to Write a Resume with No Experience: 5 Tips

Earn a certificate for your career change resume with Coursera.

Certificates and online courses are a great way to showcase your skills and knowledge in a new area. On Coursera, you’ll find a range of Professional Certificates to kickstart your new career. You can choose from diverse programs to suit your career path, including options like the Microsoft Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate , IBM’s Data Science Professional Certificate , and Google’s Business Intelligence Professional Certificate , among others. 

Article sources

Fast Company. How Many Workers Plan to Change Jobs in 2021? , https://www.fastcompany.com/90607167/is-now-a-good-time-to-change-careers-more-workers-are-feeling-good-about-it.” Accessed October 29, 2023.

Keep reading

Coursera staff.

Editorial Team

Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

• The Ultimate Guide to a Career Change Resume (with examples)

People tend to constantly develop themselves, looking for better opportunities in personal and social life. That is why it’s not surprising when they suddenly find out they are doing the things that don’t bring them the satisfaction or money they expected and decide to start something new. There may be thousands of different reasons why people decide to change their career, however, it’s never that easy. When you decide to change the profession, you have to compete with other candidates, most of which have necessary skills proved by real experience. Thus you will have to prove that you will be the better fit, despite you have not previously worked on the similar position. Preparing good application package, and writing a great resume can be of a great help to win the interview. Professional resume writing service can prepare a strong resume for you. 

Let’s look at the main principles of a successful resume for you can evaluate its quality and use these tips if you decide to make a resume by yourself.

Career change resume format

There are different resume types exist. You decide, which to use, based on your unique situation. The most popular and effective resume type of a resume for career change is a combination resume format , a mixed type of experience-based (chronological) and skill-based (functional) resume.

If you ever had any work experience, you might develop the skills that would be useful in your future position, even if you make a career change. You can transfer your precious experience from one career to another, states Forbes . So you should focus on your skill set and achievements proving them by your previous work experience and additional activities. You should also include your education (training, courses or certificates) that are closely connected to the field you want to work at. Make sure you use the best resume fonts and professional layouts.

Resume summary

Obviously, it is one of the most important parts of career change resume. Resume summary for career change is 5-10 lines you use to identify yourself as a professional, state your career objectives and express your interest in the job opening. When switching careers, it would be rather useful to use a resume objective instead of a simple resume summary. They may look similar, however, there’s a slight difference in the focus of those several lines. Let’s look at these career change resume objective statement examples. First is resume summary used for an experienced worker. Another one is career change resume objective.

Resume summary sample

Accomplished and result-oriented professional with 5+ years of experience managing network protocols, server maintenance and designing network configuration. As a leading network engineer demonstrated significant results in troubleshooting & preventing network faults, extreme server loads and data leak. Looking forward to tailor new network design solutions and take system reliability and data network services maintenance to the next level.      

Resume objective sample 

Highly motivated and result-oriented military trained leader with 30+ years of experience in military and state organizations is willing to discuss a challenging position in executive-level government where there’s a scope to achieve optimal levels of professional and personal performance by utilizing knowledge while enhancing skills as a valuable member of a team. Therefore, would like to express special interest in [Job Title] position. Despite vast experience in contracting, acquisition and purchase, willing to obtain new knowledge and keep in touch with the latest industry changes. Able to communicate well with all levels of management and accept and learn from criticism. Driven by new challenges and desire to excel in all endeavors. This knowledge and experience will make me an asset to your organization and will allow to function effectively as a [Job title].

As you may see from the second example, it’s quite obvious that despite the midlife career change, the candidate has the necessary skills and expertise, enthusiasm and his reasons and motives are clear.

Skills and experience

First of all, you should thoroughly read the description of the position you’re applying to and highlight the main requirements from it. Make sure, you fulfill them and have obtained the necessary skills. Go through your work experience and pick up the achievements that demonstrate you correspond to the desired position. If you feel that you don’t have necessary competencies, there’re a few ways to obtain them via a short time period:

• Paid and unpaid internships
• Volunteer work
• Freelance projects
• Online and offline courses

All of the above would be a precious complement to your resume with no experience and would prove your reliability and serious attitude to the recruiter.

Career change resume sample

How to write a cover letter for a job with no experience in that field

A cover letter is an important document to support your resume. It is vital to include a cover letter for career change to the application package in the case of a career switch. When writing a cover letter or even using cover letter generator , be creative and honest to express your passion and enthusiasm for the chosen profession, explain your reasons of finding a new career and demonstrate your hard work to gain the relevant experience.

Career change cover letter sample

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my interest in the Policeman position, and I hope to be considered for an interview. Currently, I am looking for a challenging job and I find this opening very desirable. I am looking forward to get a deep insight into the industry because it will expand my professional opportunities and grow my career to the next level. 

Although I have obtained BS in Physical Education and Sports Science at University of Lincoln in 2014 and I have been working primarily as a P. E. Teacher, I now have strong desire to expand my career opportunities and become a highly professional Policeman because I realize the importance of this demanding profession. 

I am a young, motivated, energetic, enthusiastic and resourceful person who strives to provide the best service possible and to help other people uncover the truth. I believe the key skills that I possess to succeed in this position include my physical strength developed for many years of sports training, attention to details and good problem-solving, which are necessary for educating children, along with analytical skills, ability to make a quick decision based on information given. All these skills will help me grow as a professional. There are some core competencies acquired during the course of my career such as great communication and strong interpersonal skills that will enable me to interact effectively with people. In addition, I have an outstanding computer, Internet and photography proficiency needed to perform effectively my duties. I can bring all these important job skills to your service if hired. But most importantly, I am willing to learn new things and get additional knowledge in order to grow as a professional in this field.

I believe that with my dedication and hard work I can achieve outstanding results on this position and my excellent problem-solving, organizational, interpersonal and communication skills will help me function effectively as a Policeman and make a positive contribution to our society. 

Please see the accompanying resume for details of my previous experience and education. I am available for an interview at a mutually convenient time. Please fill free to contact me via phone: 000-000-0000. Thank you for your time and consideration — I look forward to learning more about this job offer!

Name Surname

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• Resume and Cover Letter
• Make the Perfect Resume For a...

Make the Perfect Resume For a Career Change

10 min read · Updated on May 09, 2023

Before you start pursuing a career change, make sure that your resume is ready to play its part

According to various studies, the average American holds many different jobs throughout their career. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that Americans born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of more than 12 jobs during their working years. Gone are the days when people worked for the same employer for their entire career! As a result, you should expect that you'll need to make at least one career change between now and your eventual retirement.

In this post, we'll look at some of the steps you should take before making a career change and examine the important role that your resume can play in helping you to successfully make that switch. We'll also provide some tips that you can use to create the perfect resume to convince prospective employers to meet with you and consider you for their open positions.

Are you ready for a career change?

There are many reasons why people choose to change careers. For example, you might find yourself in a job that doesn't really fit your career goals. Or maybe your workplace has become toxic over time, and you just need to find a new and more positive environment. Whatever your reasons, only you will know when you're ready to move on to that next stage in your career. Making the decision to switch careers is only the first step, though. You also need to figure out what type of career change you need.

1.      Do some serious self-reflection

Before you make any serious change, do some serious self-reflection and assess your goals and aspirations. What type of work best fits your skill set and aligns with how you see yourself as an employee? How much money do you need to meet your needs and feel some sense of satisfaction? What type of work environment do you prefer? Check out our great post on career assessments to learn more:  Can a Career Assessment Help You Figure out Your Future?

2.      Make sure you've researched your options

You also need to do your homework to ensure that you're picking the right career path before you make that change. Get online and start researching everything you can find about your desired job and the industry. Read industry articles, news reports, and other information to ensure that you're up to speed on advancements in the sector. You should also consider talking to others in the industry, especially those who are already doing the type of work you want to pursue.

As you consider these things, think about some of the best jobs for a career change.  Lifetime earning potential may be key considerations if you're thinking about a career change at 30 or 40 years old. If you're considering a  career change at 50 , you might want to look at some of the fastest-growing careers that might offer quicker advancement. Older workers will also want to consider how  ageism might impact their job search so that they can counter it before it occurs.

3.      Determine whether you have the experience and skills you need

Take a hard and honest look at your own skills and experience. Do you have the transferrable skills needed to perform the job you want? Do you have at least some relevant experience that can convey your qualifications to a potential employer? Are there  skills that you need to acquire before you'll feel confident pursuing a new job?

4.      Create a plan

Don't make any concrete career chance decisions until you have a plan in place to help you to reach your goal. Make sure that this plan is a step-by-step roadmap that sets specific micro and macro goals to help you move toward your career objective. Be sure to include time estimates and metrics that you can use to measure your progress and hold yourself accountable.

Why you need to update your resume

When you are finally ready to begin that career change, the next step is to make sure that you have a compelling resume that reflects your qualifications and skills. Don't make the same mistake that so many job seekers make and think that you can simply continue to use your existing resume. 

That could be disastrous to your prospects, since that old resume won't be tailored to fit your new career goal. It likely won't focus on the transferrable skills you need to perform a different type of job, and probably includes experience and other information that has no direct relevance to your desired position.

With that in mind, we've compiled some simple tips that you can use to update your resume and ensure that it's suitable for use in your career change and job search.

Tips to help you to create the perfect career change resume

Before we get started, it's vital to understand that a career change resume is going to look a little different than your typical resume. As a result, the process that you use to craft that resume is going to be a little different too. That's why we've compiled some tips that you can use to create a compelling narrative that can increase your chances of using your resume to secure an interview. As you might expect, a good career change resume needs to demonstrate that you're qualified for the position, even though your experience may not be directly relevant to that job.

Use a hybrid resume format

There are three main resume formats that you can choose for any resume: the chronological format that highlights your work experience, starting from the most recent job, the functional resume that focuses on your skills and achievements (often a necessary choice for candidates who have no work experience), and the hybrid format which combines both options. When you're switching careers and relying on transferrable skills and achievements, that hybrid option is often the best choice.

By using the hybrid format for your resume, you can focus the hiring manager's attention on your qualifications at the beginning of the resume. That way, the reader can quickly see all your relevant attributes, including transferrable abilities that match the position's needs. 

Create a compelling resume summary

The old objective statement has gone out of fashion - and for good reason. Candidates who stated their objectives were usually focused on their own needs rather than those of the company. The more fashionable resume summary statement reads like a sales elevator pitch. It is a brief, two or three sentence summary that highlights your background, experience, notable skills, and major achievements. It's a great way to quickly showcase the value that you offer as a potential hire.

Your summary may include reference to the fact that you're seeking a career change. Follow that by highlighting relevant experience that speaks directly to the qualifications needed for the position you're seeking. Then, include mention of the key transferable skills you bring to the table, as well as an attention-grabbing achievement that shows your value. The following template shows an example of how this can be done:

Former [Previous or current job title] seeking a [job title you are seeking] position. Proven track record of success, using [list most relevant transferable skills] abilities to provide consistent value for employers. Recently [cite major recent achievement, using action verbs and measurable value provided to company or customers].

Focus on transferable skills

If you're not sure what transferable skills you might have, take the time to research those needed for the position you want. Since most transferable skills tend to be soft skills, chances are that you possess at least some skills the company will want to see. By placing your transferable skills right below your summary, you can draw the reader's attention to your suitability before they ever get to your work experience.

Wherever possible, you should make sure that you include skills listed in the job description. When you have them, be sure to use the posting's keywords in your resume too. That will help to ensure that the  applicant tracking system recognizes your skills. Be sure to include relevant hard skills, as well as any that you're in the process of developing. For instance, if you're taking classes to learn project management analytics, include mention of your studies.

To identify your transferable skills, think about all of the soft skills that you possess that could benefit you in a new career. Abilities like communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and effective customer service are needed in almost every profession. By examining the job description, you should be able to get a good idea about which of your soft skills can provide value to a specific job role and employer.

Tailor your work experience

When you're trying to switch careers, it's likely that your current resume's work experience section won't be tailored to showcase your qualifications for the new job. That shouldn't be a problem, though, if you know how to revise that section to ensure that it focuses on your key transferable skills. To do this the right way, you simply modify your bullet points to ensure that you highlight those skills. For example, if you want to convey your communication and problem-solving skills, you might include something like this:

• Led successful search for new invoicing solution, facilitating communication between multiple departments to implement processes that reduced labor involvement by 35%, resulting in an average 2-day reduction in invoice turnaround times
• Implemented new outreach and donor management systems to address 20% decline in donor support, reversing the decline and increasing donor contributions by 31% in the first quarter

No matter what each previous job entailed, make sure that you focus your bullet points on relevant skills you'll need to land your desired job. Even more importantly, make sure that you include those measurable results that will enable the hiring manager to see just how valuable you might be if they hire you for their team.

Highlight any relevant education

Since you may not have the work experience a hiring manager might be looking for, you'll need to bolster your transferable skill list by also including relevant coursework, training, or certifications. If you lack any relevant education and feel as though your resume could benefit from those qualifications, you might want to consider getting some online training or a new certification.

Don't forget to include related projects

One other way that you can highlight relevant experience is to include any  projects that demonstrate the skills you need for the job. For example, if you were involved in the development of your employer's customer service app, listing that achievement could be a great way to showcase some of your more relevant teamwork, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.

Include a career change cover letter

Don't forget to create a tailored career change cover letter that explains your transition. Of course, you should create a cover letter for every resume you submit, but it could be especially important when you're trying to switch careers. Use that cover letter to focus on your best qualifications and try to convey how your skills and experience have prepared you for your new career.

Like most people, you will probably switch jobs and career directions several times over the course of your life – and each time, you'll need to ensure that you have the right resume to successfully make that career change. By focusing on your transferable skills and knowing how to highlight the right kind of experience, you can increase your chances of landing the interview and job offers you need.

Get your  free resume review today to ensure that your resume presents the compelling narrative you need for a successful career change!

Recommended reading:

How to Include Relevant Coursework on a Resume (with Examples)

How to Write a Targeted Resume That Lands You an Interview

How to Write a Resume Outline that Can Simplify the Resume Creation Process

Related Articles:

Top 5 Resume Strategies for Career Shifters - Get Hired!

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Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

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Ultimate guide to creating a resumé for a career change.

Key Takeaways

We'll walk you through each step, from identifying your transferable skills to highlighting them on your resume. So whether you're just starting out or have some experience, this guide has something for everyone ready to write their career change resume!

How a Career Change Resume Is Different

Switching careers is scary. And making career changes requires a different type of resume to showcase your skills and experience.

First off, realize that even though you might not have the experience you want, you do have skills necessary to change careers. You just need to find out what they are and highlight them in the best resume format for career changers – the combination format functional resume.

When changing careers, highlight your transferable skills with a functional resume format to deemphasize work experience and show off your skills!

Transferable skills are those you acquired in other fields but can apply to your new field. These may include leadership skills, communication skills, problem-solving, or even technical knowledge. 

By focusing on these skills, instead of job experience in your resume, you can show employers that you're the right fit for your new career.

And the good news is that skills may be slowly replacing degrees. According to LinkedIn CEO, Ryan Roslansky, "The future belongs to the skilled. Skills, particularly tech skills are more in demand than ever." (1)

A functional combination resume is the best way to highlight your skills to hiring managers, allowing you to show off both your qualifications and experience while also emphasizing your skills.

Customize your resume based on the job you're applying for and get results! Check out this example resume created from a resume template on Canva !

Resume for Career Change: Combination Resume Format

Stand-out resumes these days are not your old black and white top to bottom lists of education and experience. Selecting a career change resume format that highlights your best features helps your resume leap off the page. (more on design format later ;)

And since you're a career changer, you will likely want to highlight your highly transferable skills or certifications above your job experience.

One way you'll do that is by creating a career change resume objective and summary of qualifications!

Your name will obviously go at the top. But after that, you’ll need 5 basic areas on your resume. 

1. Contact Information

• Relevant Career Network sites
• Title (job title you want)

2. Career Objective and Summary (MOST IMPORTANT)

3. Education and Certificates with Bullet Points

4. Highlight Transferable Skills with Bullet Points (IMPORTANT)

5. Relevant Work Experience

We will go through each section with examples of how to create your resume and change careers with style! We'll also include what NOT to do!

But first, let's start at the beginning -- doing your homework.

Research First (for a Knockout Resume!!)

First, read everything about the career you want.

For example, suppose you manage the IT help desk teams for a local university but want to change fields by going into project management for a software creation company. In that case, you'll need to research your new field to understand your relevant skills.

Check Out the Duties and Skills of Your Desired Position

First, find the career change resume skills that project managers need. According to Indeed , some of the skills required as a project manager include:

• Adaptability: Juggling many tasks while assisting others when needed.
• Budgeting: Efficiently spending budget to maximize benefits
• Decision-making: Assessing relevant information for informed decisions
• Industry knowledge: Understanding team needs to make informed decisions
• Leadership: Motivating staff members and providing meaningful instruction
• Problem-solving: Identifying problems and solutions
• Risk assessment: Estimating potential project risks, costs, and probabilities
• Time management: efficiently keep the project on schedule (2)

Consider which duties you can perform well and which skills allow you to do so. Make a note of the skills that would make you a perfect candidate for the job!

However, if you feel concerned that you need more skills to land the job, you might try earning a certificate or certification online with Unmudl .

For an IT project management position, you might try one of these courses:

• Mastering Project Management with PMP Prep
• IT Professional Series
• Fast Track to Information Technology

Check out Job Description Examples

Starting a job search is exciting but simultaneously terrifying! You may look at job duties in job ads and see descriptions that include skills you don't have. What if you're really out of your depth here?

The fact is that people change careers all the time without all of the skills listed in the job search ads.

In fact, "if you've found a job that you want to apply for but don't meet all of the requirements, it's often still worth applying. Even without every qualification, it's possible to receive an interview and a job offer. The key is to shift your pitch toward your strengths in order to focus on the knowledge and experience you do have." (3)

And now is an excellent time to apply! In fact, 66% of companies will train and hire candidates who may be lacking in skills but have potential! (4)

So don't let job descriptions scare you, take a leap of faith and start looking at the job titles you would like to have by YOUR name!

Do some job searches and read about all the skills they require for the position. Read about these positions on sites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, or Indeed. And then read through articles about what it takes to find success in your new chosen profession.

Interested in a career change? Check out the full guide on how to change careers successfully .

Hone in On the Position You Want

Find a position with the exact title for which you have transferable skills OR recently received certification.

You might type "software project management positions new mexico" into the search box and see what comes up. Read the exact list of skills required for the position.

For example, let's say the ad is for an "IT Project Manager" and asks for these abilities:

• Demonstrated knowledge or experience as an IT project manager
• Analyze high-risk initiatives
• Effectively facilitate meetings and present solutions using strong organizational skills
• Understand project management methodology
• Demonstrated analytical and creative problem-solving skills
• Experience leading and managing project teams with accountability
• Balance multiple priorities simultaneously while adapting to needs
• Experience as a software developer
• 5+ years in business administration

Now that you have the information you need, you can effectively create a resume that will land the job of your dreams!

However, if you need more skills, prove your readiness and prepare for your career change with these hot courses of study from Unmudl :

• Certified Ethical Hacker-Mentor Led
• Mechatronics for Equipment Maintenance - Level II
• Fast Track to Plumbing
• EC Council-Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

Now you can start the writing part of your resume for a career change!

SECTION 1: "Contact Information and Title"

Write your first draft resume in a doc format first. (You can choose design elements later on.)

First, decide on your new job title and include this under your name. This helps future employers see you as the owner of this title. Start claiming who you want to be by declaring it first thing!

Next, include your contact information, including email, phone number, city and state, and any relevant social media links, such as a namesake website highlighting your best career features or a LinkedIn profile.

Add a link to another professional site if it uniquely highlights your best work. Sites such as Behance or Vimeo could work well for a graphic designer or digital video production job resume. For an IT or software engineering position, you might include a link to your Github, etc.

However, only include sites where you've carefully edited your profile to suit your new job description and bring out the relevant skills for your new path.

SECTION 2: Resume "Objective & Skills Summary"

Your resume objective and summary is crucial to show the hiring manager why you're applying for the job, and how your skills make you the best candidate.

Pro Tip: Write the rest of your resume, and then return to this section for the best results.

Don't write your objective or summary before writing the rest of your resume. You don't know what you want to write yet and won't know until you create the rest of your resume. You need to know what factors prove you're the best candidate before you can prove it to someone else!

Your resume summary is of utmost importance. If you don't catch the hiring manager or recruiter's attention in the first 6-7 seconds with your resume summary you're out of luck!

Did you know? You can use AI tools to help you build your résumé .

Highlight Your Transferable Skills

Let employers know that you have the transferable skills to excel in your new field by using exact phrases from the job description you want. By doing this, you will not only move through the hiring manager's computer keyword checks but also outshine your competition, whether they have experience or not!

Once you've identified your transferable skills, it's time to show them off on your resume! Here are some tips on how to do just that:

• Focus on the key skills that enable you to mitigate gaps in experience.
• Use strong action verbs (managed, developed, created, led) to make your skills stand out.
• Be specific, Include details on the outcomes of relevant projects or tasks you've completed.
• Quantify your accomplishments when possible, with numbers or percentages.
• Show what you've achieved in the past

By including your transferable skills in the skills summary section of your resume and focusing on results, employers will quickly recognize that you're the perfect candidate for their position.

Your summary of qualifications should bring to life the rest of your resume! This section is your shot to show employers how you can benefit their company with your skills, experience, and accomplishments.

Be sure to include specific examples of how your skills apply to your new field. Mention some of the company's exact needs by name to show that you've done your research and are passionate about the job.

With a well-written resume summary, employers will know that you're capable and prepared for this career change. Next thing you know, you'll be sitting in that interview chair, sharing why you're THE candidate for the position!

If you're unsure you possess the skills you need, take a course or read more about changing career fields at Unmudl .

SECTION 3: "Skills List"

At this point in your career change resume, you can list the transferable skills relevant to the job you're applying for in bullet form.

• Soft skills are interpersonal skills such as communication, problem-solving, and collaboration.
• Hard skills include technical knowledge or abilities related to a specific field.

Think about how to highlight your soft and hard skills in a career-changer resume by considering the job description again.

Find your skills that are in the description for the job ad.

For example, as an IT manager who recently took courses in project management, you might write your skills out this way as a brainstorming exercise.

Transferable Soft Skills

• Strong organizational
• Analytical and critical thinking
• Creative problem solving
• Time Management
• Administration and Management
• Presentation of innovative solutions
• Adaptability to new situations and tasks

Transferable Hard Skills

• Advanced Project Management Concepts
• Map vital control processes within a project ecosystem
• Analyze data to identify trends or resolve operational problems
• Find technical or legal issues immediately in a text
• Write a solid project brief for a team to follow
• Verify budget and expenses while catching errors
• Slack, Asana, Basecamp, Clickup
• Project launch and delivery
• Reviews, reporting, and evaluations

Next, you'll make a pared-down bullet point list of your best specific skills to add to your resume.

Include what you're good at that the employer needs. Show that you have the necessary skills for the job, despite lacking experience in the field.

[photo of someone managing]

SECTION 4: "Educational Experience"

After you've included your qualifications and skills section summary, you can add more detail by including relevant educational experience.

It's crucial not to include experience unrelated to your skills and abilities for this specific role.

For example, if you have taken a study on the basics of project management, add: “Project Management Basics Course: Completed a course on advanced principles of project management.”

Be sure to include any relevant certifications in your education section. And when listing education, include information about courses, certifications, degrees, and academic achievements.

By including relevant education, you show employers that you have the background, skills, and knowledge necessary to excel in your new career field!

For example, let's say you have a degree in communications and worked in customer service for 8 years. However, you want to go into IT as a help desk employee, and you know computers.

Relevant coursework may be your best bet to show your skill set. You could try one of these on-demand and online courses from Unmudl :

• Google IT Certification - System Test
• Google IT Certification

SECTION 5: "Relevant Work Experience"

Carve a path to success by including relevant work experience related to the position you're applying for. When adding work experience to a career changer resume, include any jobs from your past with duties or transferable skills related to the new job.

Recruiters look at what you’ve done in the past and how you can use those experiences going forward. So writing a resume or cover letter and doing an interview are all about picking and choosing what parts of yourself to share.

Include Other Work Related to Your New Field

And if you have focused on personal projects to show your new passion for a field, don't be afraid to add them to your career change resume.

For example, if you're applying for a marketing job and you've created your own successful blog website, you might add that you've already been working in this new industry for 5 years in your spare time! You might quote your google analytics statistics to let others know how well you've done in this field so far.

You can write a career change resume in no time when you understand who you are and where you want to go!

Who Are You?

You've been many different versions of yourself over the years. Your job when writing a resume is to describe the version of yourself that excels at the position you want!

According to the Harvard Business Review , it makes sense to "pursue a diverse portfolio of options rather than just sticking single-mindedly to one. Even in happier times, career change is never a perfectly linear process. It’s a necessarily messy journey of exploration — and to do it right, you have to experiment with, test, and learn about a range of possible selves."

So as you consider the different sides of who you are as a person, consider which aspects of your past are worth mentioning. Think about who you've been and who you want to become.

How did your past experiences shape you into who you are right now?

List Your Past Jobs and Career Experiences

Consider the jobs you've had that required the needed transferable skills for your career change resume.

List those transferable skills from your previous roles and include any duties or projects that relate directly to a new career.

For example, if your previous role included managing teams, developing processes, or problem-solving, then list these tasks under the job.

Hone Your List

Next, consider how to hone your list and make it work on your resume.

For example, let's say you're currently an independent hairstylist. However, you want to do sales for a company that makes business-to-business sales to salons.

You notice that a particular job ad asks for objective examples of your sales skills. So, under your previous job you might mention a few of your relevant sales skills, such as:

• Customer service, Interpersonal skills and empathy
• In-depth knowledge of the hairstyling field and products
• Experience upselling inventory to clients
• Wide range of contacts and networking experience
• Marketing experience making your own website, building an email database, and creating fliers and a short blog
• Your YouTube channel, where you have a following of 100,000 learning about hair care products

Whatever you've been doing at past jobs, take advantage of your experiences and find the selling points for your new industry.

Even unrelated jobs can grow your universal skills! Include the positions with the technical skills and professional experience you need to succeed going forward!

And don't forget you can get certified or learn online to show your passion and knowledge in a new field!

Try one of our Unmudl network courses to develop your sales potential!

• Salesforce Administrator Career Certificate
• Improve Your Sales, Presentations and Branding

Career Change Resume Examples

Job seekers can stand out in their field by catering to design trends.

For example, as a job seeker applying for sales might want a trendy resume to catch the eye of recruiters and show off style. But applying to become a business administrative assistant, you might select a classy and timeless resume format.

Check out these resume templates on Canva to get an idea of how yours could look!

What NOT To Do When Creating a Career Change Resume

Compare the career change resume example from the beginning of this blog to the one below. It's like night and day!

If you were a recruiter or hiring manager, who would you want to interview?

Problem 1- Vague Career Objective and Summary

Let's look at what NOT to do.

First, this resume has a vague resume summary, “Seeking an entry-level position in the tech project management field to use my skills and experience gained through managing IT customer service teams."

This statement contains no clear specific examples of their skills and experience! How can a recruiter see if this candidate can be an asset to the company?

The skills summary must be eye-catching, or the resume will end up in the trash on sight!

Problem 2- No Focus on Transferable Skills

The second problem is that this resume does not focus on transferable skills. It simply lists one outdated position with no explanation about the duties or accomplishments on the job. 

It also combines all of the job skills into one poorly thought out bulleted list that is longer than it should be. Also, the skills in the list are less than descriptive.

Problem 3- Poor Design

Finally, this resume is poorly designed with indents that don't make sense and strange colors. It lacks design elements that make it eye-catching, unique, and memorable.

Resumes don't have to be dull! Consider adding some bold text, icons, or other design features to make your document stand out from the crowd.

However, ensure the design is lined up well, takes notice of margins, and uses on-trend color.

Problem 4- Educational Certifications

Certifications mean quite a bit in a technical field like IT project management. And yet, this resume hides the very certifications it should proudly put front and center.

Remember that previous jobs and education don't have to be from a traditional route!

In fact, many large corporations announced during The Great Recession that they would eliminate degree requirements in much of their hiring. (5) This means you can find a job with certificates, certifications, or boot camps more often post 2009!

Here are a few of the many courses offered by our Unmudl network that can help you transition into a different career path.

• EC Council-Hacking Forensics Investigator
• EC-Council Certified Incident Handler (ECIH)
• EC Council-Cert Chief Information Security Officer

Snag Your Dream Job

Changing careers can be intimidating, but with the right strategy, you can create an effective resume that will help you stand out from other applicants.

Remember to include certifications, transferable skills, and relevant skills, and design a unique document that grabs attention and tells your story. And don't forget to add your career change cover letter !

Creating a resume for a career change doesn't need to be intimidating or overwhelming. Just follow the steps above, and you'll get there!

And if you need help learning the skills you need as a career changer, look no further than Unmudl's network of community colleges and businesses ready to hire!

Check out these hot career changers courses!

• Deep Dive Fullstack
• Deep Dive Java + Android
• Oracle SQL + PL/SQL + Python Developer
• Fast Track to (EMT) Emergency Medical Technician
• Trial Advocacy
• Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles

Unmudl Can Help

Find the classes you need to learn the skills that employers look for. Take courses for continuing education credits (CEUs) toward a professional license or certification. Or attend a BootCamp course of study! These courses can help you level up in your current career or take you directly into a new one. 

At Unmudl, we connect learners, educators, and employers for a Skills to Jobs™ experience! Our network can help you go from learner to lucrative career in a matter of weeks with business and community college partnership courses such as:

• Become a Robotics Maintenance Tech II in 10 weeks. Start between $46,000-$56,000 + solid benefits at Amazon. Guaranteed interview upon successful completion. Qualify for reimbursement too!
• Earn a Class A Commercial Driver's License : Take this accelerated CDL training and earn your license in as little as 4 weeks!
• 12 week ‘Deep Dive Java + Android’ boot camp: you’ll learn the fundamentals of software engineering utilizing Java---the world’s most popular programming language. Average annual starting salary near $50,000.

Find courses that employers have hired from to see where you could go after upskilling your resume!

With flexible schedules, online on-demand courses , reimbursement for Skills to Jobs™ courses, low priced options , WIOA tuition assistance , and military tuition assistance, our Unmudl network has something for everyone!

When you finish learning, interview with our network of employers who are ready to hire. It's that simple.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contributor(s).

Lori is the head of Unmudl’s Career Change Team and Director of Customer Success. She has over 20 years of experience helping individuals identify their strengths and passions to make a meaningful career change.

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Actionable Steps to Make a Career Change at Any Age 

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

April 18, 2024

Changing career paths can be an exciting journey for anyone—regardless of age.

The desire to switch careers or jobs can arise from various factors, such as dissatisfaction and lack of growth. Perhaps you want new challenges or better financial growth. Maybe you want to study abroad, find a better work-life balance, or consider self-employment.

A recent poll by Harris Poll revealed that a majority (52%) of U.S. workers have considered making a job change, with as many as 44% actively planning to take the leap! 

That said, making a career transition can be daunting. But knowing that a change is possible for you is the first crucial step toward that new journey. So, if you’re genuinely looking to make a change, it’s important to approach the process carefully. 

Start by assessing your current position and identifying the reasons behind your desire to change. Seek guidance from a career coach to define your career goals and make an action plan. 

Research is essential here. Thoroughly explore your career options, understand salary ranges, and examine top companies that support good work-life balance. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, define your new career. 

Then, explore new job descriptions, apply to jobs that interest you, and rely on your support system to stay motivated throughout your journey! 

Now that you know what a career transition may involve, let’s equip you with the right resources and tools to ensure your success. 

When to Make a Career Change

Conduct a self-assessment to know yourself, make research your best friend, build an action plan , 1. make connections and gain experience in the new field, 2. craft a career change resume and cover letter,  3. utilize platforms like linkedin to accelerate your transition, 4. understand the benefits and potential challenges of a career change, 1. building a positive mindset, 2. developing new skills and knowledge , 3. networking and building visibility, 4. financial planning and practicalities, achieve your new career goals with clickup, common faqs.

There isn’t a single ‘best age’ to change careers! 

If you opt for an early career change, say in your 20s or 30s, you likely have fewer financial responsibilities and more flexibility to adapt to a new career path. You can use the extra time to gain experience and build more equity in your new field.

But when you reach your 40s or 50s, making a career change means that you already bring a wealth of experience and skills. This makes you a valuable asset to prospective employers. You may also better understand your values and goals, leading to a more focused transition.

Irrespective of your age, you can use the ClickUp Career Path template to map out your way to a new professional journey. Visualize where you are in your current career, define your goals, plan your next career move with fresh objectives, set achievable milestones, and keep track of your career transformation journey.

But before doing that, take a moment to consider how it may affect your personal life and work habits . Put together a list of motivations that drive you and create a concrete plan to feel confident in your ability to take that first step ahead.

Take an inventory of your current income and expenses—factor in potential changes in income that may happen during this transition. Also, don’t forget to estimate the costs of improving your skills, such as course fees.   

Additionally, have an open conversation with your family members to discuss their concerns. Start exploring potential solutions and seek their support during this phase. Stay realistic about how a new career direction could impact your work-life balance, commitments to family time, and potential relocation needs.

Talking to a career counselor can prove helpful during this process. They can guide you in assessing your skills, exploring career options, and understanding the impact of this transition on your personal life. You can also listen to motivational podcasts to get extra inspiration. 

How to Prepare for a Big Career Change

Embarking on a new career can be both thrilling and intimidating. 

But it’s your chance to carve out a new path, whether you wish to pursue a passion or break free from your current job that no longer excites you. 

Before you dive right in, taking the time to prepare thoroughly will make all the difference. It’ll increase your chances of success and minimize any bumps along the way!

This roadmap will guide you through the essential steps to ensure your career transition is as smooth and fulfilling as possible. Let’s go!

• What works and doesn’t: Assess your current job responsibilities and identify the aspects you enjoy and those that leave you feeling unfulfilled. Lay the groundwork for embracing a new day job that aligns with your preferences
• Value alignment: Determine what truly matters to you in a career. Asses what you prioritize the most—a self-paced workstyle , creative freedom, financial security, or a strong sense of purpose. Ensure that your new direction reflects your core values for long-term satisfaction
• Strengths, weaknesses, and skill gaps: Analyze your current skills and identify the areas of improvement. Develop skills necessary for the next role and create a plan to bridge any knowledge gaps through online courses, boot camps, or certifications
• Role research: Get into the specifics of your desired career path. Research relevant job descriptions and talk to professionals in your preferred industry to gain more insights into the nature of the different roles available 
• Industry understanding: Broaden your focus and research the industry thoroughly. Understand its current trends, growth potential, and potential challenges
• Challenges: Every career has its perks and drawbacks. Seek honest information about the challenges associated with your target role. Talk to the people already in the field to understand expectations regarding work-life balance and salary ranges
• Set SMART goals: Clearly define your goals and make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART)
• Action steps: Break down your goals into smaller, actionable steps to have a clear roadmap for staying motivated and focused

To elaborate on that last point further, let’s understand the steps you can take to make a successful career transition. 

Actionable Steps to Make a Successful Career Change

During your research, it’s time to assemble what you’ve learned into an actionable plan.

While expanding your current skills is essential, stepping outside your comfort zone to build new connections and gain experience in your desired field can be beneficial. 

This broadens your knowledge and allows you to build a network of professionals who can offer guidance and support and connect you with the right pool of hiring managers. 

Research as many open roles as possible on Ambition Box or Glassdoor to check company ratings, employee reviews, salaries offered, and more. 

Use the ClickUp Personal Project Management software to conduct job searches, research roles, draft resumes, and cover letters, track time, and monitor hiring progress. 

With this platform, you plan and prioritize your day, stay on track to hit your goals, organize and manage your workload, set reminders, and automate routines. 

Leverage ClickUp Tasks to align your workflow with the goals you want to achieve. Divide your larger objectives into smaller goals that are easier to track and manage. 

With ClickUp’s task management software, you can easily group your tasks by day, week, month, or year and assign a duration and due date to each. 

ClickUp Dashboards lets you create customized views of your job search, see your upskilling metrics and total job applications, and review application status. You can further adjust your workloads and include notes to add more information. 

1000+ ClickUp Integrations such as Stripe, Slack, Google Suite, and Microsoft are also available. You can view payments while freelancing, schedule pitching calls, track and send emails, and monitor time spent on tasks.

Customize 100+ ClickUp Automation to set reminders for your interviews, follow-up emails to recruiters, and invoice reminders while you freelance. 

When you apply to a lot of jobs, you can easily keep track of and manage your applications with the ClickUp Job Search Template : 

• Create a list of potential employers that fit your job goals
• Capture job postings from various sources in one place
• Organize the entire application process and follow-up tasks
• Track contacts and conversations with recruiters and hiring managers

Alternatively, you can use another ClickUp Job Search Template that organizes your entire job application process, such as:

• Tracking your job applications
• Collating your resumes and cover letter in one place
• Organizing contact details of your recruiters
• Providing a collective view of Ambition Box or Glassdoor ratings for each job
• Tracking salary ranges, follow-ups, and feedback for your applications

When making a career change, you must read plenty of job descriptions to increase your chances of getting hired. 

An ideal way to get shortlisted for interviews is to identify the popular keywords in these descriptions and add them to your resume. This process highlights your resume when a potential recruiter (or an Applicant Tracking System) scans it for the relevant keywords. 

A skills-based resume format highlights relevant skills from your previous experiences, making it ideal for initiating a career change.

You can use ClickUp Docs to craft resumes and cover letters, edit with rich formatting options, share the documents with recruiters and mentors, and make revisions based on the feedback you receive. You can also use graphs and charts to visually represent your work outcomes and key metrics highlighting your impact (for example, ‘Increased process efficiency by 20%’).

The ClickUp Job Proposal Template can help you outline your relevant personal details, services, qualifications, and achievements when combined with Docs. You can demonstrate the value of your skills with metrics and ensure professionalism and consistency in your resumes.

Additionally, you can create a dedicated task list within ClickUp Docs to manage your job search progress, track applications, and set deadlines for important steps.

Social media can be a powerful tool to accelerate your career change by helping you increase your visibility, build connections, and showcase expertise in your new field. 

Ensure your professional social media profiles focus on your professional goals . Consider creating a new profile specifically for your desired field.

Include relevant hashtags, such as #jobsearch or #opentowork, in your profile and posts. This will attract recruiters to your profile and help you stand out in the job market. 

You can also consider following LinkedIn experts, thought leaders, and companies to engage with their content and participate in discussions. 

You can even write blog posts, create infographics, or record short videos for LinkedIn or YouTube to share your unique perspective and expertise.

The ClickUp Social Media Post Template is highly beneficial if you wish to schedule posts across social media platforms. This template ensures visual and content consistency and helps you collate all the graphics and content in one place. 

How do you gauge if a career change is your best step at a given time? Consider the benefits and the challenges of a career transition and make the call accordingly. 

Let’s dive into the benefits of career transitions:

• Increased job satisfaction and happiness: Following a passion as a career that aligns with your values and skills can lead to greater fulfillment in your professional life
• Better learning opportunities: Stepping outside your comfort zone opens doors to new knowledge and experiences
• Enhanced earning potential: You can enjoy higher salary packages or better work benefits packages, improving your financial security
• Enhanced work-life balance: Some careers offer more flexible schedules or remote work options, paving the way for a better balance between your professional and personal life
• Increased confidence and self-esteem: Successfully navigating a career change can boost your confidence and self-belief, empowering you to take on new challenges

And if you’re looking for a partner on your career transition journey, ClickUp’s always got your back. 15+ ClickUp Views allow you to manage your daily tasks, track progress across jobs applied to, manage your upskilling courses with time tracking features, and get productivity reports of your day—presented in a way that’s easy to digest. 

Now that you know the benefits of a career change, here are some potential challenges that can come your way:

• Uncertainty and risk: Leaving a familiar role can feel unsettling where you may experience a period of financial instability or uncertainty about success in your new career
• Skill gaps and training needs: You might need to improve your talents by using skills management software or earning certifications to become more qualified 
• Starting over: You may need to take a step back in seniority or salary while starting on a new career path, especially while entering a new industry
• Networking and building credibility: Building a network and establishing yourself in a new field may take additional time and effort
• Age discrimination: Some industries may prefer hiring younger candidates to infuse fresh talent into their organizations 

Rest assured, we listed these challenges not to make you feel disheartened but to show you the real picture. You can use these as stepping stones to building a new life! 

Overcoming Hurdles in Career Transition

Career transition can be an exciting time for growth, but it also comes with hurdles to overcome. Here are some strategies to help you navigate these roadblocks and emerge on the other side with a fulfilling new career:

When you are strong, driven, and passionate about changing careers, nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams. 

• Embrace the challenge: View the challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Keep a positive mindset to stay motivated during setbacks
• Focus on your ‘why’: Remind yourself of the reasons behind your career change. Keep sight of your goals and aspirations to persevere through challenges
• Celebrate small wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your progress, no matter how small. Complete a course, attend an industry event, or connect with professional career coaches to feel inspired 

Learning new skills can significantly ease the transition and facilitate a smooth entry into a new career. 

• Upskill and reskill: Bridge gaps in your skills and knowledge that are relevant to your desired career 
• Seek mentorship: Connect with a mentor who can provide guidance, share industry insights, and offer support during your transition
• Volunteer or freelance: Volunteer for companies or freelance on projects that offer you practical experience for your future job, especially if you’re a young professional

Expanding your professional network and establishing a strong online presence can make you stand out to recruiters and lead to positive recommendations.

• Network strategically: Connect with professionals on platforms such as LinkedIn. Attend industry events, join online communities, and build meaningful relationships
• Utilize social media: Leverage social media platforms such as Twitter to showcase your expertise, share industry news, and connect with potential employers
• Inform your network: Let your existing network know about your career change and ask for informational interviews or introductions to relevant professionals

Make sound financial decisions to see yourself through this transition phase. 

• Create a budget: Develop a realistic budget that factors in potential income gaps or expenses related to acquiring new skills
• Explore financial resources: Research scholarships, grants, or financial aid programs that might help offset the costs of training or education
• Consider a side hustle: Take on a temporary side hustle to help supplement your income during the transition period

A successful career transition is often a marathon, not a sprint! 

You can easily achieve your long-term goals by approaching the challenges with a positive mindset, a strategic career plan, and a commitment to continuous learning.

You’ve seen how to make a career change. It may not be easy, but with the right preparation, a supportive network, and a touch of courage, you can navigate the hurdles and emerge victorious on the other side.

Use ClickUp, a state-of-the-art project management software , to plan your career goals. This tool tracks progress with real-time analytics and pre-built career map templates . You don’t have to look elsewhere when you can design great resumes and cover letters with ClickUp! 

Sign up to ClickUp today and approach your career transition with confidence and commitment! 

1. How can I change my career with no experience?

Identify relevant skills required in a new job. Start by researching the company you want to work for and its industry. Gain knowledge via training courses and networking to highlight transferable skills in your resumes and interviews. 

2. How do I drastically change my career?

Take an inventory of your skill sets and research your desired fields. Engage in offline and social media networking to build connections that can help you with referrals. Make a good resume and cover letter that highlight your expertise and skills. Apply to several open positions to increase your chances of getting hired. 

3. How do I start a complete career change?

Reflect on your ‘why’ and craft an action plan. Research and narrow down career paths. Update your resume and write a compelling cover letter showcasing your transferable skills and passion. Schedule dedicated time for job search activities. Stay patient and cultivate strong negotiation skills. 

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How to write a profile in your resumé (with examples)

Wouldn’t it be great to be able introduce yourself to a potential employer before the interview? That’s exactly what a resumé profile does. It’s a little section at the top of your resumé that highlights your relevant skills and qualifications, to grab the hiring manager’s attention.

Read on to learn exactly what a resumé profile is, how to write one, and the benefits it might bring. You’ll also get tips on how to write a profile that matches the job description, examples you can follow, and answers to some common questions.

What’s a resumé profile?

Benefits of having a profile on your resumé, how to write a winning resumé profile.

• Professional resumé profile examples for different roles
• Professional resumé profiles without experience

Tips on how to write your resumé profile

A resumé profile is a summary of your best and most relevant professional qualities. It tells a recruiter why you’d be a great choice for the job. Your resumé profile should highlight only the experience, achievements and skills that relate to the position you’re applying for. This is your first and best chance to get a hiring manager interested in the rest of your resumé, so a resumé profile should always be brief and straightforward.

Unlike resumé objectives , which focus on the type of job you’re applying for, resumé profiles are almost purely for your experience and skills. This ‘blurb’ is a short overview of the rest of the information in your resumé, so a hiring manager can see who you are in a few concise sentences. By highlighting key areas of the position and how they apply to you, your profile can help you advance in the hiring process .

A strong profile in your resumé can give you a greater chance of finding work. Hiring managers read through many resumés in search of a new talent, and writing a concise profile can help get their attention.

Here’s a look at some of the many benefits you can discover from writing a strong resumé profile.

Gets attention

A well-written resumé profile can grab a hiring manager’s attention quickly. This can help set your resumé apart from other job seekers from the outset.

Highlights your key qualifications

You can use a resumé profile to condense all your relevant skills and experience. This helps you concisely outline your proven track record with the role you want. This can make it easier for a hiring manager reading your resumé to digest your information at a glance.

It’s customisable to each role

You can customise your resumé profile towards a specific job, and include the keywords you find in the job description to improve your chances of success. Keywords include specific words or phrases a company is looking for, such as:

• specific skills
• job functions
• names of software programs
• experience level

It appeals to applicant tracking systems

Companies often use applicant tracking systems (ATS). This software automatically recognise a resumé profile that matches the employer’s specific needs. The system isolates the keywords the company uses in their job descriptions. It can quickly highlight job seekers with the most suitable qualities. A well-written resumé profile will appeal to these systems and help you move past competing applicants.

Explains your career changes

A strong resumé profile lets you frame your achievements in a context that’s relevant to the job you’re trying to get. You can connect your work experiences to give a clear picture of your intended career path .

It’s only a short section, but that can make it even trickier to get right. Here is some advice to consider if you want to write a resumé profile that appeals to a potential employer.

1. Analyse the job description

Have a good read of the job ad and identify the key skills and requirements the company is looking for. Matching your resumé profile to the job specifications will make it easy for a hiring manager to see where your abilities at the role overlap. If you understand the needs of the role, it will be far easier for you to tailor your resumé profile to appeal to a recruiter more effectively. 

2. Research the company

Research the company to get an idea of its mission, values and culture . In your resumé profile, if you have the space, mention how you have similar values and how your skills can help them reach their goals.

3. Understand the purpose

Make sure you understand the purpose of a resumé profile, so it’s easier to set the right tone and outline your intention more confidently. Ensure your resumé profile explains to the employer why you’re qualified for the job, by describing your skills, accomplishments, and who you are as a professional.

4. Include key elements

The most important elements to include in your resumé profile are your skills, experience and achievements. Include any relevant technical skills gained from past positions. Also, mention the soft skills you gained that now apply to the role you want. Personalise these skills to reflect your strengths. Consider:

• the number of years of experience you have working in a similar role
• the area you specialise in, or in which you have the most experience
• the soft and hard skills you have that relate to the role
• any prior achievements that brought positive results to your previous workplace
• your professional career goals
• keywords from the job ad

5. Resumé profile examples

Your resumé profile format will typically always be the same, no matter the position you’re applying for. If you’re someone with entry-level experience or more senior experience, it doesn’t matter either. Focus on your most relevant skills that apply to the role.,

Resumé profile examples for different roles

No two resumé profiles are exactly alike. Different professions and fields will need to highlight different skills and experience. Here are some examples of resumé profiles for different careers.

Qualified accountant with more than five years of experience in corporate tax accounting eager to take on a senior partner position. Strong understanding of complex mathematics, complemented by excellent client liaison skills, with up-to-date knowledge of all popular accounting software.  

Administrative assistant

Administrative assistant with a bachelor’s degree in business administration seeking part-time administrative role. Three years of experience working in a busy office for a national real estate agency with more than 200 employees. Advanced skills in a variety of CRM and comms platforms, with inventory and cash reconciliation skills. 

Copywriter with five years’ experience in a fast-paced agency ready to take on senior editor role. Experienced in all aspects of copy creation, from ideation to proofreading to client revisions. Knowledge of publishing and design software, and proven expertise in writing for social media, as well as long-form blogs and articles. Course certificates in digital scriptwriting, ad optimisation and podcasts. Confident taking on any medium or format. 

Sales representative

KPI-focused sales representative with over 10 years of experience working in retail applying for a store manager position. Friendly, empathetic and passionate about ensuring customer satisfaction, with impeccable presentation and interpersonal skills. Experience leading a team, with consistent track record of exceeding sales targets. 

Primary school teacher with over 10 years of experience, seeking senior faculty role. Action- and outcome-oriented professional with qualifications in special education and community service. Experienced in developing curriculum as well as designing and leading teacher training and parenting programs. Passion for working with children of all ages and abilities. 

Resumé profile examples without experience

A resumé profile is especially important to include when you don’t have much work experience. Here are two resumé profile examples for entry-level workers applying for a position in retail.

Confident and charismatic graduate with excellent communication skills, outstanding presentation and a keen eye for detail seeking junior retail position. Ability to work to tight deadlines and a strict schedule, with proven skills in picking up new tasks. As captain of the local football team, developed strong leadership skills, leading our team to the grand final in Year 12. Seeking professional development to help launch a career in sales.

Recent graduate

Front-end web developer with a Bachelor of Information and Technology, applying for an app developer position and seeking further professional development. Strong technical skills in IT, with knowledge of cloud computing and transferable skills in computer science. Extensive knowledge of SEO optimisation, with proven skills in creating a working e-commerce site.

It can be difficult knowing what to write for a resumé profile when you’re just starting out, especially since it’s a relatively small paragraph and you might not be sure of what to include. Here are some tips you can follow to help you write a short but impactful resumé profile.

Avoid using vague language and clichés

One of the most important parts of writing a resumé profile is being specific with your language. This lets you target the exact skills and experience that relate to the advertisement. Specific terms make it clear to a potential employer that you’ve read the description and that you understand the role you’re applying for. Examples of vague and over-used terms to avoid in your resumé profile include:

• people-person
• team player
• entrepreneurial
• customer-focused

Ensure relevance to the position

Make sure every element of your resumé profile is tailored to the position you’re applying for. If your career objectives are too broad, it can appear as though you’re applying to many positions with a single resumé. It should look like you genuinely want to work for the company and contribute to their success. 

Proofread and edit your resumé profile

Your resumé profile is sometimes only chance you have to make a positive impression on an employer. Make sure your resumé profile is free of spelling or grammatical errors, to show that you have good attention to detail . Consider asking friends or family to look over your resumé profile to offer any suggestions that might improve it. Use a spellchecker to help you catch mistakes that are difficult to spot.

Your resumé profile is your opportunity to summarise your skills, experience and achievements in an eye-catching way. It’s your chance to show a hiring manager that you’re a great fit for the job you’re trying to get and would be an asset to their organisation. Remember to first  research the company and get some background into the role they’re advertising. Once you understand what they’re looking for in an employee, you can tailor your resumé profile to match what they need.

What’s the difference between a resumé profile and a resumé objective?

Resumé profiles outline the specific skills, qualifications and achievements of job seekers. A resumé objective focuses on what job seekers want from a position they're applying for.

How can I create a strong resumé profile with limited work experience?

Focus on your most relevant skills that apply to the role. If you were captain of your football team, you can reference leadership skills. List your key achievements from school, such as any awards or commendations. If you’re good with computers, list computer science knowledge. See above for some examples. 

What are the elements to include in a resumé profile?

Include the job title, the name of the company, and all of your skills, achievements, and experience. Refer to the job description when including this information to ensure it matches the keywords you find there.

How do I tailor my resumé profile to a specific job description?

Read the job ad and search for the keywords the company uses that reference the skills and experience you’re searching for. You can also research the company website and include how your goals and values match theirs. Don’t use cliche terms and focus specifically on how you fit the role.

What common mistakes should I avoid when writing my resumé profile?

Avoid lengthy, vague, or too-detailed sentences. Write in everyday English and only write what’s relevant to the role – the body of your resumé shows a fuller picture of your background. Simple errors can make a bad impression, so make sure you proofread your profile to ensure it’s free of mistakes.

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Looking for a career change? What the new Goldilocks labor market means for job seekers and workers

• Indeed's Nick Bunker said we're settling into a time of "a more boring labor market."
• Business Insider looked at how components of the labor market have settled down, like wage growth.
• Bunker said "Job seekers still have some bargaining power," but he added, "more employees are staying put."

If you just recently entered the labor force, you may be curious what happened to the sky-high job openings , the massive number of people quitting during the Great Resignation , and hot wage growth .

Well, the labor market is looking more like the healthy but boring era of 2018 or 2019, Nick Bunker, economic research director for North America at the Indeed Hiring Lab, told Business Insider. That's opposed to the wild swings we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bunker said we're seeing less drama in jobs data.

"That's a good thing in my view," Bunker said, given "an incredibly dramatic" few years.

Job growth is still doing great though; the US just added 303,000 jobs in March , although that's a slower pace than during the height of the pandemic recovery.

Wage growth has slowed. The share of Americans working or looking for work has held mostly steady since spring 2023. Job openings have also dropped — and have been at a rate of 5.3% for three straight months. The number of layoffs and discharges have been low.

And that more boring but steady labor market could be great news for workers and job seekers. Julia Pollak, ZipRecruiter's chief economist, told Business Insider the minimal changes are great amid a labor market that's resilient, stable, and robust.

"Everything is holding on better than most people had predicted," Pollak said.

Pollak pointed to employment strength in construction and manufacturing. Construction employment for March was 7.8% higher than the pre-pandemic level in February 2020. Manufacturing employment was 1.4% higher, and its employment was unchanged from this past February to this past March.

The long-feared recession following the wild swings of the early pandemic years has yet to emerge and may not even be on the horizon. "I think stability at a time of high interest rates and restrictive monetary policy expected to lead to losses and declines is something to be celebrated," Pollak said. "And, most of the small changes lately have been in the right direction."

The US could be in a Goldilocks job market. The four charts below show what that looks like.

Job quitting

People looking for a new job have bargaining power , but workers are more likely to stick around their current gigs.

"Job seekers still have some bargaining power but are less willing to demonstrate that power by leaving their jobs," Bunker said. "With fewer new job opportunities and less of a pay bump for switching roles, more employees are staying put. However, layoff rates are still low, so workers have robust job security compared to pre-pandemic levels."

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Newly released data for February showed the US quits rate had been 2.2% for four straight months. This rate has cooled down from 3.0% in April 2022. There were 3.5 million quits in February, which the BLS news release noted this metric "was little changed."

Wage growth

Average hourly earnings increased 4.1% from March 2023 to this past March, lower than the year-over-year increase of around 6% in March 2022.

Despite that slowdown, wages have recently been growing faster than prices, meaning workers have more buying power.

"That means real money in the pockets of working families," Julie Su, acting secretary of labor, told Business Insider. "It's exactly what we'd want to see."

Inflation in March , as measured by the year-over-year percent change in the Consumer Price Index, ticked up a little last month, but remains less of a problem than last year. It climbed 3.5% from March 2023 to March 2024, compared to a 3.2% increase from February 2023 to February 2024.

Given moderating wage growth, the Fed could be more inclined to lower interest rates later this year. Pollak said the cooler wage growth is "good news for a Fed that's still battling inflation."

Job switchers are seeing higher wage growth than people staying, according to the 12-month moving average of median wage growth from the Atlanta Fed's Wage Growth Tracker . Wage growth has slowed, though, for both job switchers and stayers.

"Nominal wage growth may have slowed, but real wage growth — which is what really matters for workers' purchasing power — remains positive and high," Pollak told BI. "Job switchers and current workers are still experiencing solid real wage growth and have clearly retained much of the leverage gained during the pandemic. They are getting recruited, negotiating their job offers, and are receiving counteroffers from old employer's intent on retaining them at historically high rates."

Unemployment insurance claims

Initial claims for unemployment insurance can be a helpful layoff metric, spiking when lots of people lose their jobs. Right now, the boringly low rate of those initial applications for benefits suggests that any kind of large-scale layoffs still have yet to emerge.

Initial claims decreased from the week ending March 30 to the week ending April 6. In general, initial claims have been low so far this year compared to the high level of weekly claims during the pandemic .

"Although there is plenty of speculation that employment has slowed down, recent numbers, including job openings as well as initial jobless claims, continue to indicate that the US labor market has remained stable," Eugenio Alemán, Raymond James' chief economist, said in a note earlier this month.

Unemployment

Back in January 2021 the unemployment rate was 6.4% after spiking into the double digits during the pandemic shutdowns in spring 2020. It has cooled down to 3.8% this past March, just above the historically low rates seen through most of the last two years.

Additionally, the number of people who went from being employed to unemployed has not seen too dramatic of a change; this number was around 1.5 million for each of the past few months.

So what will happen to the Goldilocks job market?

"It would be nice to live in a world where we have low unemployment and there's steady, consistent gains in wage growth and more people coming into the labor market," Bunker said. "So hopefully, fingers crossed, dramatic days are behind us and we can see some strong gains for workers, for job seekers. But, not in the way that feels discombobulated."

While openings, wage growth, and the hires rate have cooled, the overall labor market can be described as more Goldilocks-like, or not too hot and not too cold.

"It's a labor market that has strength, and there's a path ahead of it where it can continue to grow in a sustainable manner," Bunker said.

Juliana Kaplan contributed reporting.

Watch: Nearly 50,000 tech workers have been laid off — but there's a hack to avoid layoffs

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