This post was written by Michael Davis. He is internationally certified as a Master Career Development Professional (MCDP) and has been recognized as a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF). You can check out his site at ResumeSamples.net.
An increasing number of people are now willing to take the risk and switch careers even after becoming successful in their previous field. This indicates a job market that is more willing to accept mid-level career changers, but one of the biggest struggles is writing an effective resume for their new career.
For a career changer, the ability to identify their skills and match them up to their position of choice is of the utmost importance. Covered below are some useful tips for resume writing when switching career paths.
Tip #1: Start Writing From Scratch
One mistake that career changers do is that they only make some changes to their resume before submitting it in a new field. If you plan on switching careers, you need to re-analyze your skills and write your resume from scratch. During your re-analysis, look at the various areas of business that you were able to impact. People looking to switch careers need to ensure that their resume shows the breadth of their skills, in operations, management, leadership, and communication. Check out resume examples or talk to friends in your new field to get ideas of what is relevant in the career you have decided to switch to.
Tip #2: Write a New Summary Section
Some experts feel that a resume summary or objective is important in the resume of someone growing in their field, while some others disagree. Regardless of their opinion, most agree that a resume summary is necessary in the resume of someone switching careers. Write a summary at the top of your resume. In the summary tie details of the job description with your past professional accomplishments.
For example, if you are looking to apply for a job in online marketing, write about your marketing and web experience. This paragraph is the first and often the only thing recruiters read fully, so pay close attention to it. If you do not want to include a resume summary make sure to write a cover letter and address things there.
Tip #3: Exclude Some Details
For a career changer, it is necessary to write a resume that conveys as many skills as possible. However, don’t mention every single minor achievement in your career especially if it extends your resume to another page. Avoid listing accomplishments and tasks that have nothing to do with the new job or career you are focusing on. If you add every old achievement, recruiters will get bored along with thinking that you are only good for your old position and not for a new career.
Tip #4: Back Up Your Accomplishments With Quantified Results
Write bullet points in your resume about how your accomplishments contributed to the company’s bottom line. Results that are quantified in percentage or numbers can give hiring managers a quick idea of how much you contributed, even if it is in an unrelated field.
Quantified results are important in every resume, but they are even more important for career changers because they help hiring manager relate to the candidate’s unfamiliar field. This, in turn, helps them understand how the applicant will apply the same skills for their company later on.
Tip #5: Write Relevant Job Descriptions
Most job candidates sticking to the same career do not write job descriptions because the recruiters they approach already have a good understanding. However, job descriptions are useful in the resumes of career changers because it helps hiring managers identify what skills can be transferred to the new field.
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