Skip to content

A resume for a career change

How to show that what you've done carries over to a new field: lead with transferable results, close the gaps you can, and say plainly what you want.

Changing careers, your resume has a harder job: convince a reader in one field that experience from another counts. Don't hide the change; explain it.

Lead with what carries over

Read five job posts in the field you want, and list the skills they keep asking for. Then find where you've already done them. A teacher moving into instructional design has planned courses, assessed learning and presented to groups every week; a retail manager moving into operations has run schedules, budgets and stock.

Put those results first in each job, written in the new field's words.

Say what you want in the summary

Secondary-school science teacher of eight years moving into instructional design. Designed a year-long curriculum now used across four schools, and built the department's online course in Moodle. Completing a certificate in learning design.

Close the gaps you can

Courses, certificates and small projects in the new field show commitment and give you something concrete to talk about. Add them in their own section near the top.

Trim the old field's jargon

Acronyms and titles that mean something in one industry mean nothing in another. Translate them.

Keep a version for each direction

If you're applying in both fields for a while, keep your main resume and a version for each. Each has its own link and theme.

Make your resume.