So, you’re ready to take a run at something new. Now, it’s time to edit your resume.

Stare. Fidget. Stare. scratch head. snack. stall.

Seriously. Updating your resume is daunting enough under the best of circumstances. It’s near-dreadful when you’re trying to make a career change.

How do you present yourself on paper so that you’re not just making sense to your new target audience, but hopefully coming across as a top contender?

Start here:

Recognize You’re Competing with “Smack-in-the-Forehead Obvious” Candidates (and Strategize Accordingly)

This is probably the most important tip, and one that many career changers don’t think about as they begin firing resumes off to potential employers.

Career pivots are absolutely doable. We’ve worked with hundreds of people making notable transitions, and it’s always incredible to see what’s possible.

HOWEVER, if you’re relying on decision makers to magically deduce how or why your skills and experience make perfect sense for that next job, you’re in for a llllongg haul.

In every instance, you will be competing with people who are doing that exact job at a similar company across town. In other words, on paper, they will be a better match.

So, how will you compete? One way to go about this is to think of yourself sort of like a math equation. (Ha! I know, right?) How does the aggregate of your education, skills and experience make you, perhaps, an even better candidate than someone who has simply taken a linear career path in that same field? I’m guessing you have some thoughts around this.
Spell them out.
Use the Summary Section to Your Advantage

Your Summary section is the perfect place to spell out what how and why you’re a great fit.

By adding a Summary (or amending yours), you can introduce yourself and your overarching value proposition with your target audience in mind. More specifically, you can add a bullet point or statement that spells out very clearly what you’re trying to pull off, and why it makes perfect sense.

Example: Say you’re a customer savvy software engineer who has just earned a degree in fitness & health. You now want to combine your expertise in designing software with your certification, and work as a customer success manager for a fitness-related tech firm (e.g. Fitbit or Mirror). Here’s what you might say:
“Present an advantageous skill set that combines 10 years of software engineering experience, refined customer service skills and recent completion of degree in Exercise Science. Interested in meshing these capabilities to help a fitness-oriented tech firm build marketshare and ensure customer success.”

See how this works? In two sentences, you’re not just saying, “Hey, this is actually a plausible transition,” you’re saying, “OH, HELLO. CHECK ME OUT. I’M, LIKE, PERFECT.”
Showcase the Wins the Tie Most Directly to the Job You Want Next

Another important tip: Always remember that your resume is a marketing document, not an autobiography. Not a list of everything of note you’ve done professionally.

It’s a marketing document that you’re going to use to entice your target audience. When you’re changing careers, it’s vital that you showcase things you’ve done in your current or prior roles that align with what you want to do next — even if it wasn’t the most predominant part of your job.
Example: Say you’re attempting to shift from your job as a high school principal into an educational technology consultant at Kahoot! (a game-based EdTech firm). You’ve become interested in this career path because, over the past year, you’ve been taking courses in digital learning and see a lot of potential to integrate voice-of-educators into the platform.

In this instance, you’ll want to make sure that this coursework is front-and-center on your resume, and any projects you’ve done at the school level involving educational technology — even if they’ve not been a core part of your jobs.
Cut Out Jargon that’s Specific to Your Current Company or Industry

If you’re working to move out of a company or industry that you’ve been in for a while, you probably speak a language that’s slightly different than the outside world (so…many…acronyms). Consider asking couple of people from outside of your core professional circle to read your resume.

Do they understand what the heck you’re talking about? They need to. If they can’t, chances are the recruiters and hiring managers won’t either.
If You’re Missing a Required Skill That’s Doable to Get, Go Get It (& List It)

Sometimes, when making a pivot, you’ve got just about everything it’ll take to be great in that new job. But it’s not uncommon to be missing a required skill that you can acquire pretty easily (and inexpensively). Maybe they need you to know Slack or Salesforce. Or, perhaps the jobs you’re eyeing seem to give strong preference to Certified Scrum Masters.
If you’re serious about this transition, think strongly about investing the time and, in some instances, money to make it happen. And then list that skill or credential in a conspicuous spot on your resume.

(LinkedIn offers thousands of self-paced video courses on its LinkedIn Learning platform. You might just find a course that suits you there. It’s included in the LinkedIn Premium membership, or you can get a free month right HERE.)
Don’t Believe People Who Say You Need a Functional Resume

Repeat after me: A functional resume — one that front loads your key skills and experiences without mentioning when and where you did those things — isn’t the right solution.

It’ll not only going make it difficult for the resume scanning software (or, the ATS) to read and parse your information correctly; it’ll also likely put the reviewer on alert. More often than not, people who use functional resumes are trying to hide something — a career gap, a lack of direct experience, etc.

You’re better off using a hybrid resume with a strong summary at the top of the page followed by your career history — with specific details — than a functional resume.

I’m not budging on this one.
Realize There’s No Magic Bullet
Thoughtful resume updates are vital when you’re changing jobs or careers, of course. But don’t assume the resume alone is going to be your magic bullet.

When you’re pivoting your career, your absolute best strategy is to get to know people in your industry of interest, and then leverage these relationships to get directly on the radar of the people in charge of hiring. The more opportunities you create for people to sit down and hear where you’re coming from, the better the odds that you’ll pull this thing off.

(And we’re right here if you need some help along the way.)

NEED SUPPORT THROUGH Your CAREER CHANGE?

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