Making a Career Change with the Proper Resume

Changing industries and making a career change is something that demands courage. In this regard, you should craft a resume that reflects your courage in your resume to show recruiters that you possess something to navigate the difficulties of the new sector you wish to enter. Professionals offering LinkedIn profile writing services in India always suggest that your resume should highlight a lot of dedication and motivation.

Tested Career Change Resume Tips 

• Face the Change Head-On

Often, the candidate applying for a job change chooses to conceal the fact that this will be her first exposure to a certain field of work. However, this only leads to overcompensating and forcing experience to fit the vacancy. So, what you should do is face the reality of your career change head-on and explain why you’re determined to make it a success. Acknowledge career change in the objective and always keep in mind that it isn’t a weakness for her; rather, it’s something you thrive on.

• Take Advantage of Relevant Education and Certifications.

Education might be more in line with your original field, but that doesn’t signify that all your academic units are irrelevant. General education units and elective classes might be relevant for your new role. Also, there are some entities that will be helpful for switching to HR, management, or training fields. Include relevant course units. Listing relevant certifications adds to credibility and shows that you took the time to learn about the new field.

• Add in Notable Projects and Accomplishments.

In general, dedicating a section of your resume to projects and accomplishments isn’t necessary. But if you’re changing careers, you will have to include this section for a competitive advantage. You can use this space to highlight any personal achievements not directly related to work or school. Include points like personal projects, volunteer work, or involvement in industry-related clubs or organizations. If you choose to include a section for projects or accomplishments, ensure that everything you list ties back to a key skill or characteristic relevant to your desired career path.

In general, best practices for writing a resume apply to career change resumes. But you’ll find just a few areas to be sure to emphasize when writing a resume for a new career path. It’s worth noting that a traditional resume focuses heavily on work experience, but that’s not the career change. Resumes focus more on transferable skills.

If you are wondering how to structure the resume, Professionals offering resume writing services in India suggest using a combination resume format. The resume type places an equal emphasis on both skills and experience. Instead of starting the resume with work experience, combination resume templates begin with an objective and a summary of relevant skills.

Making Amendments to Your Existing Resume for Career Switching:

1. Resume Objective

The resume objective that you use here should work as a short summary of your professional experience, skills, accomplishments, and career goals. Resume objectives and summaries are often optional, especially if you are trying to save room, but the section is crucial for people willing to change careers. The hiring manager may not make an immediate connection between experience and the role you’re applying for, but you should use the resume objective to help convey why you’re interested in this industry. Also, note that the objective should be no longer than a couple of sentences. An objective of more than two or three lines isn’t favorable, and you should try to shorten it.

2. Include a Skills Summary

When you are in the midst of changing careers, feature your skills prominently on your resume. It’s recommended to list them above your work experience. In the skills summary section, list the skills you want to highlight and also add bullet points underneath each skill, providing examples of when you’ve used this skill. If you’re not sure about the type of skills to include in this section, it’s great to scan the job description for the position you’re applying for. In addition to that, you can use some of the required skills as a starting point. 

Soft skills, including leadership skills, are applicable to any job. Including the same keywords as the job description can help ensure that your resume passes automatic review filters. Also, it’s not bad to choose to make a separate section for “Technical Skills” to briefly list your proficiency with various industry tools or software. It will serve as a great way to capture additional keywords from the job description without needing you to list full examples of when you’ve used each tool.

3. Include the Most Relevant Work Experience

For a career change resume, the work experience section is about transferable skills. There, you don’t need to necessarily list all the responsibilities you had at your old job. Focus on the responsibilities most relevant to the new position. It’s good to choose to narrow in on your ability to find creative solutions. While you are writing this section, ensure that you connect your work experience back to the skills listed in the skills summary section. 

Also, it’s good to focus on achievements, providing numbers and data to show that you are being truthful. Ensure that you tailor your descriptions to each job, working in keywords from the job description. In case you don’t have enough space on your resume, you don’t need to list every job. Stick to the most recent two or three jobs, and don’t include older, irrelevant jobs.

Final words

In case you’re finding it tough to create a resume for your career change, it’s worth taking into consideration the professional services. They have years of experience in crafting resumes and will craft one for you that will keep you out of the crowd.