Excellent Resume For Career Changers

When you're in the middle of a career change, your resume probably looks a bit different from those of many of the other applicants for the positions you're pursuing. After all, those other candidates may have already been in your new field for some time, and their resumes are bound to reflect that. Tweak and update your resume carefully to make yourself stand out in your new field by applying these three fundamental tips.

Keep It Relevant

Pare down your listing of skills, accomplishments and qualifications to only those that apply to the new job and field. When you're making a career change, you'll find that many skills are easily transferable from one field to another, including skills in communication, management, negotiation, problem-solving and strategic thinking. If your new field requires specific technical abilities or certifications, find a way to add them to your skill set as you start the job search. Avoid writing a long list of everything you've accomplished at previous positions, winnowing down your resume to just the most relevant details.

Use the Correct Terminology

When making a career change, translate the terms on your old resume into the vocabulary of the job you want, not the job you used to have. If you're transferring from a support position to sales, rewrite your resume to use the terminology of sales departments, referring to "clients" or "prospects," for instance. Specific companies may even have their own proprietary terminology. You may have to do a little research to learn the proper phrases and labels to use. Take the time to do casual informational interviews with people already working in the field you're aiming for in your career change, and ask them to take a look at your resume to make sure you've phrased everything appropriately. All this research is likely to pay off at the interview stage, since you need to be fully conversant in your new field's terminology when you sit down with a hiring manager.

Use Modern Technology

Especially if you're moving into a field where creativity or technical know-how are prized, make technology work for you in your career change. Create an online portfolio, and link to it in your resume. Use cloud-based presentation software to open your resume up into a fully navigable 3D document. Add your LinkedIn link or other appropriate networking links. Few hiring managers expect to see hard-copy paper resumes these days, so take advantage of the creative possibilities that an electronic resume makes available to you.

Make sure to update your resume so that it presents you in the best possible light. As you step into the unknown waters of a career change, look at your past job experience and qualifications through the eyes of hiring managers in your new field. See what elements of your former career path translate best, and then use them as stepping stones to pave the way to your new future.

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