How to Write a Career Change Resume

Career Change Resume

It is more common than ever before to consider a career change. Perhaps you’re part of the Great Resignation, you seek a new challenge, or you’re looking for better opportunities for career growth. Whatever the reason, you’ll need to craft a professional resume that showcases you as a fantastic candidate. However, it can be confusing to know what to include in your career change resume. Here’s what you need to know about writing a resume to break into a new industry and make that career switch.

What Is a Career Change Resume?

A career change resume is any resume you use to switch to a job in a new career field. If you want to make that career transition, the best resume will show your previous path as a strength instead of a weakness. When you’re writing a resume as a career changer, highlight transferable skills and relevant work history to show that you are suitable for the role.

The Best Format for a Career Change Resume

There are three choices for your resume format. These are the chronological resume, which emphasizes work history, the functional resume, which emphasizes skills, and the combination resume format, which emphasizes both.

The combination format is best for a career change resume, as you will need to highlight transferable skills and work experiences that make you a viable candidate, but a functional resume (which stresses skills and training) or chronological resume (which stresses work history) can also work for you, depending on your strengths.

Writing a Resume Objective for a Career Change Resume

A critical element to get right for your career change resume is your resume objective statement. A career change resume objective is a statement of your goals and reasons for making a career change in two or three concise sentences. You can connect your past achievements with your new career, showing how your attributes can positively impact the future workplace.

For a career change, it's typical to use a resume objective but you can could also opt for a resume summary instead. A resume summary tends to highlight work experience and achievements.