Career Change Resume Templates Free

Showing Career Certifications On A Resume

When youre switching careers, certifications are an amazing way to show youre serious about your craft.

This shows youre willing to put in the work and that youve already taken the first steps.

When listing certifications though, make sure theyre relevant to your field.

For a role, heres what that might look like:

• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certified, 2019.
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification, 2018.
• SEMrush Content Marketing Toolkit Course, 2018.

And heres an example done wrong:

• TechCamp Python Bootcamp, 2019.
• Udemy JavaScript 101 Course.

For a marketing role, those certificates are completely irrelevant and arent even in the same field.

While they might be impressive on their own, that doesnt mean they make you a better

Choosing The Best Career Change Resume Format

A big part of creating an effective resume is choosing the right resume format to tell your story with.

You need to structure your resume in a way that best shows your transferable skills and experience.

And when it comes to switching careers, the combination resume format does that best.

Heres why:

This format places equal emphasis on skills and important work experience.

This way, you can show you have the right industry transferable skills, even if you havent had the actual job title.

The format is ideal for people:

• Making a career change with transferable skills or work experience.
• With some employment gaps.
• With a diverse range of skills and experience.
• Applying to both creative and traditional roles.

And heres what you include within this format:

• Contact information

Now, were going to go over each of those sections and explain how to write them step-by-step.

Heres what you need to know:

Writing A Cover Letter For Your Resume

Every teacher career change resume needs a cover letter! Your cover letter introduces who you are and what you can offer in position X at company Y. A common mistake I see teachers make is creating a generic cover letter to send with all of their applications.

Some hiring managers may approach your application with the assumption youre willing to take any job outside of the classroom. Even if thats the truth, you dont want the hiring manager to know that. Use the cover letter and an opportunity to showcase why their job is a great fit for you and what you can bring to the table for their company. Hiring managers want someone qualified, excited about the position, and a good fit for the company culture.

Make sure every cover letter is unique to the job and company you are sending it to. Add in specifics regarding what excites you about the role and how your experience will translate into the new responsibilities. Do research about the company and address how you are equally passionate about their core values and company culture. You will learn so much from a companys website, including its mission statement and core values.

Don’t Miss: How To Start Your Career In Cyber Security

Pick A Great Resume Template

Any resume for changing careers needs a great template.

Your resume wont do you any good if its difficult to read, no matter how well-targeted your skill set is. Make sure your resume is easy to read, with simple organization and clear headings.

Additionally, ensure that you choose a resume template suited for the industry you want to work in. If you want to move into a more formal industry, like law or accounting, find a traditional resume template with simple formatting and no colours. If you are moving into a more creative field, like marketing or design, you can look for a more modern template, with pictures or colours.

To find the perfect resume template for your new career, check out these VisualCV resume templates.

Example Resumes For Making A Career Change

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Related: Job Cast: How To Change Careers During COVID-19

While todays job market presents specific challenges, this workshop with Career Clarity will explore six steps you can take to transition into a new career.

A resume is important for applying to any type of career opportunity, whether it be an entry-level role or a position in a new industry. If you are ready to change your career path, consider altering your resume so that future employers can see the value of your past experiences. In this article, we offer tips and examples for reconstructing your resume for a career change.

Also Check: About Medical Billing And Coding Career

Find My Professions Chronological Template

File Format: DOCX

This chronological template is good for people with more work experience and it gives space for job seekers to fill in both a position summary and bullet points. You can use this if you want to emphasize key achievements or special projects from your past jobs. Just make sure to delete the Find My Profession image from the template.

Career Change Cv Education Sample

Your ability to learn new skills is a big attribute. You can decide whether you think your experience or education should take priority however, if you have recently retrained or earned certification in your targeted field, your CV education section may mean more to recruiters.

Either of these actions shows your willingness to exert yourself and your ability to learn and adapt. It also shows your growth potential and that you have the self-awareness to assess your skills and fill in any deficiencies.

McKinsey Global Institute projects that by 2030 about 14 percent of the global workforce may have to switch careers because of technological advances.

List any degrees, certifications, or licenses you have earned here. If you have several certifications or licenses, consider adding a separate section so that they stand out. Drop your high school diploma if you have a masters degree or higher.

Read Also: What Are The Career Options

Teaching Resume For Someone With Experience In Customer Support

Blaire West

72 Broad Street, Great Town, Kentucky 12345blairewest@email.com555-485-1222

Objective:Experienced customer support representative looking to take her upbeat demeanor, organizational skills and superior conflict resolution and apply them to a career in teaching. With an alternate route certificate, she is prepared to utilize her long-held passion for helping others.

Work Experience:Customer Service Representative, January 2016 PresentUSA Comms

• Resolve customer complaints in a timely and friendly manner

• Manage a caseload of 50 specific clients to support client satisfaction

• Deliver training sessions for new agents

• Assist in finding a resolution for one-time support calls

• Conduct follow-up surveys via email

• Compile weekly data reports

Associate Degree in Communications 2013*

Awards

• Nominated for Customer Service Representative of the Year 2018

• Earned $10,000 National Merit Scholarship 2017

Length File Format And Other Tips For Your Teacher Career Change Resume

When it comes to the length of your resume, it really depends on your experience. While one-page resumes were once a rule-of-thumb, most resumes are now one and a half to two pages. However, if you have 15 years of work experience, you shouldnt shy away from your accomplishments. In that case, its totally acceptable to have a 2-page resume.

Next, you want to focus on another F-word: file format. There are different platforms and software, but I recommend you send your resume as a Word document, unless otherwise specified. So, when you go to save your resume file, be sure its saved in the .doc or .docx format. ATS will reject files saved in Pages, Excel, or JPEG format.

The last big resume formatting tip is about style. If your go-to is a creative and colorful template that landed you your job in the classroom, its time for a change. Simple, chronological resume templates are your best bet in the corporate world, listing your experience starting with your most recent job. This is the most popular resume style, and its best for ATSs. It also happens to be preferred by recruiters and HR professionals, so you really cant go wrong here.

A chronological resume should be written to include the following elements in the listed order:

• Current volunteer experience

You May Like: How To Become Career Coach

Career Change Resume Examples And Ideas

Here are a few ideas to get your resume writing juices flowing:

Free hybrid resume template found on Jobscans Free Resume Templates page.

This functional resume format from Zety.com is an option for career change job seekers entering a brand new industry.

Careerplanner.com breaks down the various components of the hybrid resume.

Resume Genius shows how to best feature a job seekers skills in a combination resume without covering up work experience.

Do Your Due Diligence

Decide where you want to go before you jump into the job market. Maybe you already have a dream career in mind. Thats great! You should still investigate both the skills you need to embark on your new career and the state of the job market. If you are ready for a change but arent sure what direction to head in, some basic research will help. Think about careers that have overlapping skills with your current position. You may be able to take a step in another direction while using the abilities you already have. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the jobs with the highest growth potential through 2028, median salaries, and information on skills and education needed to enter the fields. Consider the reasons you want to change careers as well. Are you burned out? Is your industry waning? Do you want more flexibility? Are you looking for a higher salary? Make sure your new targeted career will offer the opportunities you seek.

The initial look at a resume lasts an average of 7.4 seconds , according to an eye-tracking study by TheLadders.

Consider the reasons you want to change careers as well. Are you burned out? Is your industry waning? Do you want more flexibility? Are you looking for a higher salary? Make sure your new targeted career will offer the opportunities you seek.

The initial look at a resume lasts an average of 7.4 seconds , according to an eye-tracking study by TheLadders.

Now, to the resume itself.

Also Check: Career Path For Java Developer

Use Your Work Experience To Highlight Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are valuable because they make it easier for you to transition into a career where you have less or no experience.

Think about experience from previous jobs that applies to work in your new industry, and then make bullet points in your experience section that highlight those skills in action.

For example, if youre transitioning from a career in marketing to a career in NGO fundraising, you should highlight your ability to convince people to part with their money for a product or cause.

A well-written experience section for a career change resume should look like this:

Additionally, there are certain skills that are universally important. Leadership skills, for instance, can be applied to a broad range of professional contexts, making them a strong addition to any career change resume.

Other transferable skills youve probably picked up through your career include:

• Interpersonal skills

How To Write A Career Change Cover Letter

Done with your resume?

But wait, before you get too excited – youre still not done.

You need to back up your resume with a career change cover letter.

And no – its not like the usual cover letter youre used to writing.

When youre switching careers, you want to use your cover letter to highlight WHY youre switching fields and WHY your skills are a good match for the new role.

To do this, make sure you bring up a ton of examples and call out any key statistics or measurable results to draw upon, if possible.

To help you craft the best career change cover letter, check out the example below:

Heres whats done right with this cover letter:

• Addresses the reader .
• Makes it clear they want to transition into a different career .
• Shows theyve done the research and the letter is tailored to the company’s products and brand.
• Provides specific examples and achievements .
• Ends on a confident note and provides a call-to-action .

Think your cover letter game is lacking? Check out our complete, step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter.

If you’re thinking about a career change, and want to join a community of global professionals who are also re-designing and reframing their careers, then consider Unsettleds Lifestyle Incubator.

Unsettleds Lifestyle Incubator program is a 4-week highly interactive virtual retreat for professionals seeking to redefine their career trajectory and be more intentional about designing their next steps.

You May Like: Ati Career Training Center Fort Lauderdale

Career Change Resume Summary Example

• Customer support specialist with over 4+ years of experience in over-the-phone technical support looking to leverage communication skills as a Sales Agent at Company XYZ. Excellent track record of delivering quality support, with an average rating of 4.6/5 over the past 2 years.

A career change resume summary helps the HR understand how your skillset from your previous job can translate into your new one.

In that case, its best to mention:

• Your current relevant skills or experience.
• How your background can help you excel at the current job.

Include A Skills Summary

If youre in the midst of changing careers, youll want to feature your skills prominently on your resume. In fact, we recommend listing them above your work experience.

In the skills summary section, list a few skills you want to highlight, and add bullet points underneath each skill that provide examples of when youve used this skill.

Not sure what type of skills to include in this section? Scan the job description for the position youre applying for and use some of the required skills as your starting point. Some soft skillssuch as leadership skillsare applicable for almost any job. Including some of the same keywords as the job description can help ensure that your resume makes it past automatic review filters.

In some situations, you might also choose to make a separate section for Technical Skills. In this section, you can briefly list your proficiency with various industry tools or software. This can be a great way to capture additional keywords from the job description, without having to list full examples of when youve used each tool.

You May Like: Alabama Career Center Mobile Al

Pick The Best Career Change Resume Format

Armed with knowledge of what employers want and what you have to offer, select the most appropriate resume format. These two formats are most common for career changers:

• Combination resume: The majority of career changers should use a combination resume format, a reverse-chronological resume that leads with a qualifications summary. A combination resume works for career changers as it draws eyeballs to the important transferable items first, says Warzel. Your work history should focus on accomplishments that are most relevant to your new career.
• Functional resume: While functional resumes are typically not preferred by employers, if you are making a drastic career change, you may need a functional resume, says McIntosh. This style allows you to outline your related skills and downplay work experience. Lead your resume with a career goal and qualifications summary, and then create functional categories that emphasize your relevant skills and experience.

Whichever format you choose, the summary at the top will be critical. Use this section to communicate skills, accomplishments, and other credentials that would interest employers in your new career field. Mufson recommends loading transferable skills into your summary and employment bullet points, reinforcing that youre qualified for this career change and telling your brand story.

Revise Your Education Section

It may be helpful to revise your education section. Your college major and minor may be more relevant to your original field, but you still may have taken several classes that were not in the same field as your major or minor. If any of these classes are relevant to your new career, you can indicate it in this section.

Examples of these skills include critical thinking, research, writing, teamwork and project development. Provide brief bullet points after each educational listing to indicate what relevant transferable skills you developed. Take note that these classes should only be highlighted if they were completed within the last 5 years. Any further back and they risk losing relevance with the employer.

Related: 6 Universal Rules for Resume Writing

Read Also: Career In Nutrition And Dietetics

Next Steps To A New Career

One of the biggest mistakes that I see teachers make is that they try to navigate this process alone. Often, they put off researching until the very last minute. Which sets them up for a very stressful application season. I want to help you get some clarity in the options available to you. To know EXACTLY what you need to do in order to get your foot in the door. You dont have to do this on your own.With the help of an HR expert with over 10 years of experience and a team of former teachers, Ive created a guide to support you in the early stages of your transition out of the classroom. Tap the button below to learn more.

Cv Objective Statement Example

If you plan to move in a completely different directionsay you were a financial analyst, but you have decided you want to pursue your love of interior designyou should write an objective statement.

Your objective is the only place on your resume to get a little creative and show the passion that led you to explore this new avenue. It is your chance to let recruiters know what you are hoping to achieve in a new career and highlight the personality attributes that make you a great candidate. Dont forget that some of your skills as a financial analyst, like your attention to detail, are also important for interior designers.

Read Also: Pharmacy Technician Professional Career Diploma