Creating a Career Change Resume

Career changers have different resume needs than other job seekers do. Understanding what those needs are, and how you should craft your resume to meet them, is a key part of a successful job search.

The problem that career changers face in crafting a resume is that a straightforward presentation of their career history may be interpreted by a hiring manager as evidence that the wrong person is applying for the job – "This person has a great track record as a teacher, but I'm looking for a salesperson. Why did they even apply?"

The solution to this problem is to write a skills-based resume that highlights transferable skills and experience that are relevant to the job you want to move into. The teacher who is applying for a sales position, for example, should highlight her experience with speaking to groups, conveying knowledge to others in a deliberate and structured way, and persuading others (for example, parents and administrators) to see the value of initiatives she proposed. Although none of those activities had anything to do with actually selling something to someone, they do demonstrate some basic skills that help a salesperson succeed.

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