Switching Careers? Here’s How to Write a Strong Resume..

In a functional resume format, you place your skills and certifications at the top of your resume. This is followed by work experience. This format works because it puts the spotlight on your transferable skills rather than job titles. It draws recruiters’ attention away from the lack of experience and toward new certifications or degrees you may have earned since leaving your previous career.

A functional format enables you to reframe temporary career gaps as a learning experience. It is a good alternative if you have strong transferable skills or relevant certifications for the new role.

As the name suggests, this format combines the best elements of functional and chronological resumes. It puts skills and certifications at the top, followed by a tailored work history. Using this format, you can showcase transferable skills, and then your work history—allowing you to provide better answers to typical questions regarding your reasons for changing careers.

By far, this is the best career change resume format because it suggests that you are proactive about your career direction and are building new skills in order to be job-ready.

A chronological format is the standard resume layout that arranges your work history in a reverse chronological order—the most recent job first, going back to the first. As a career change resume format, it can be ill-suited. For example, listing job roles by date and year it makes career gaps more obvious and can prompt additional questions from the recruiter. This format also puts too much emphasis on irrelevant work experience.

One of the most important resume tips for career changers is to map your skills to the expectations outlined in the job description. Compare your existing skills and identify those that apply to the new role. This could include everything from:

Highlight transferable skills from your previous career and link them to the new job. For example, if you have experience writing business reports, reframe it as the ability to analyze large amounts of data, find common trends, and provide strategic inputs to management.

Highlight soft skills like problem-solving and conflict management as they apply across industries and job roles. They are more valuable if applying for line manager or leadership roles.

List degrees, certifications, internships, or volunteer work, and how it helped you gain a better understanding of the new career. You can justify the career break between your old and new careers as a transition phase.

As a career changer, you must not only adapt your resume to highlight skills but also to make it job-specific. This can be done by:

Role: Call Center Agent, ABC Corporatio

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