Changing careers can be both exciting and challenging. Whether you’re transitioning to a completely different industry or building on your existing skills, a well-crafted CV is crucial for making a strong first impressio and knowing how to write a CV for a career change is beneficial to your success. A career change CV differs slightly from a traditional CV, as it needs to emphasise your transferable skills, relevant experience, and enthusiasm for the new role. In this post, we’ll guide you through how to write a CV for a career change, ensuring it aligns with your new career goals and makes you stand out.
Why Your CV is Essential for a Career Change
Your CV is more than just a document listing your previous jobs; it’s your chance to tell your professional story and convince employers that you are well-suited for the role despite your background in a different field. A well-prepared career change CV clearly demonstrates how your current skills are relevant to your new position and why you’re the perfect candidate.
How to Structure Your CV for a Career Change
Before you begin writing your CV, it’s important to understand the best career change CV format. A skills-based (functional) CV, rather than a chronological one, is often more suitable. The functional CV format places emphasis on your transferable skills, making it immediately clear to hiring managers why you are qualified for the role.
1. Contact Information
At the top of your CV, include your name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile. Ensure these details are up-to-date, and if possible, adjust your LinkedIn profile to reflect your new career direction.
2. Resume Summary for Career Change
Begin with a concise resume summary for a career change, situated just beneath your contact information. This summary should provide a snapshot of your professional background and aspirations. Rather than focusing on your past job titles, emphasise your key skills and explain your motivation for the change.
Example:
“Results-driven marketing professional with 10 years of experience in project management and digital strategy. Currently seeking to transition into a career in human resources, leveraging strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills to contribute to team development and workplace culture.”
This section offers a chance to explain your reasons for transitioning and highlight your transferable skills, making you an attractive candidate for the new role.
3. Key Skills
Since your previous job titles may not align with your target job, focus on highlighting transferable skills. These can be soft skills like leadership, communication, and problem-solving, or hard skills like project management, data analysis, or proficiency with industry-specific software. Ensure these skills are relevant to the new role.
4. Professional Experience
When detailing your work history, it’s often beneficial to change your job titles slightly if it helps clarify your responsibilities. For example, if you were a “Marketing Coordinator” but want to emphasise your project management skills, you might list the role as “Project Coordinator (Marketing).” This helps show the relevance of your experience to the new career.
Instead of listing job duties, focus on the accomplishments and skills gained that are applicable to your new career. This approach demonstrates your preparedness for the new role.
5. Career Change CV Example:
Here’s an example of how you might present your work experience if you’re transitioning from marketing to human resources:
Project Manager | ABC Marketing Agency | January 2018 – Present
- Managed multiple marketing campaigns with teams of 10+, improving team productivity by 20%.
- Collaborated closely with colleagues, offering mentorship and promoting a positive work environment.
- Analysed performance data to make informed decisions on employee workload distribution and project timelines.
In this career change resume example, you can see how project management, leadership, and team collaboration are highlighted, all of which are transferable to an HR role.
6. Education and Qualifications
If you’ve taken any courses or earned qualifications relevant to your new career, include them here. This can range from professional diplomas to online courses. Emphasise the qualifications most pertinent to your career change and highlight your academic achievements where applicable.
Writing an Effective Cover Letter
While your CV is critical, don’t forget that your cover letter provides an excellent opportunity to expand on your career change motivations. Use the cover letter to explain why you’re shifting into a new industry, show your enthusiasm, and link your previous experience to the requirements of the new role.
Formatting Your Resume for a Career Change
Choosing the right career change resume format is crucial for making your CV easy to read and effective in getting your message across. Here’s how to structure it:
- Header: Include your contact details and a professional title.
- Resume Summary: A short, compelling paragraph highlighting your strengths and career change goals.
- Key Skills: A bullet-point list of 5-7 transferable skills relevant to the new role.
- Professional Experience: Use functional or hybrid formatting to prioritise transferable skills.
- Education: Include qualifications, courses, and certifications.
- Additional Information: Include any voluntary work, side projects, or personal development relevant to your career change.
Challenges to Address When Writing a Career Change CV
1. Lack of Direct Experience
You may feel that your lack of direct experience in the new field is a disadvantage. However, employers value transferable skills and adaptability. Highlight your relevant skills, and showcase your willingness to learn and enthusiasm for the role.
2. Using Keywords
Make sure to use keywords from the job description in your CV, as many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter applications. Look for the most relevant terms in the job listing and include them naturally in your CV.
3. Customising Your CV
Tailor your resume summary for career change, skills, and experience to each job listing to maximise your chances of standing out. Customising your CV increases your chances of standing out to employers.
Final Thoughts
Writing a CV for a career change requires a careful balance of showcasing your past experience while emphasising your suitability for the new role. By focusing on your transferable skills, crafting a targeted resume summary for a career change, and using a clear, well-structured career change CV format, you can create a CV that positions you as a strong candidate for the role despite your change.
Need expert help refining your CV for a career change? We offer professional CV editing services to help you highlight your strengths and position yourself effectively for your new career. Additionally, if you’re pursuing further education as part of your career change, we also provide high-quality essay writing services. Contact us today to ensure your CV and essays leave a lasting impression on employers and educators alike.
