Congratulations! You’ve made the difficult yet rewarding decision to change careers. The good news? You’re in for an exciting adventure as you blaze a trail down a career path that perhaps you’ve always wanted to explore. The bad news? First you’ve got to get someone to hire you into this new field.
A traditional resume-most likely the resume that you have now-isn’t the best tool to maximize your talent and experience. If you’re transitioning to a closely related field-a hospital nurse to a private nurse, for example-a combination resume format serves you well. It’s like a chronological resume, except that you begin with a summary that outlines your qualifications and certifications, proving that you’re a great candidate for this new role.
If you’re making a larger leap between careers, a functional resume is the right choice because it highlights your skills while downplaying your work history (which undoubtedly has little, if anything, to do with your new career). Since this is the hardest transition to make, we’ll focus on putting together a functional resume.
A couple of tips before you get started on your resume:
• Do your homework. If you’ve made a life-altering decision about pursuing this new career, it’s probably safe to assume that you’re familiar with what the job entails on a day-to-day basis. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you know what employers are looking for in potential employees. You may think you’re perfect for a marketing or PR position because you’re a great writer, but did you know what many employers are looking for marketing staff with sales ability? You can get some information from the Internet, but a better solution is to meet with an employer within your desired industry to pick her brain about what specifically she looks for in a candidate.
• Think like an employer. If your resume can’t demonstrate years of direct experience within this field, what would show an employer that you’ve got what it takes to make it in this new profession? Think through all of your potential transferable skills. Did a volunteer project incorporate a related skill? Does your hobby use a transferable skill?
Crafting a new resume from scratch can be daunting-especially if you’re unfamiliar with a functional format. But the tips below will take you through the creation of your new resume step by step.
• Step 1: Begin with a clearly-stated Objective. This is important on most resumes, but it’s absolutely crucial in a transitional resume. You must tell the hiring manager exactly which position you desire because she probably won’t be able to determine that you’re applying for a graphic design job if all she sees is teaching-related skills. Example: “Graphic design job where 10 years of demonstrable creativity, adaptability, and communication skills will ensure that clients are fully satisfied with their design projects.”
• Step 2: Include a Profile. This is where your knowledge of what an employer in this field is looking for begins to come in handy. In this section, you’ll list who you are in a nutshell-as it relates to your intended position, of course. Example: “Creative, self-motivated professional who can adapt to any situation with ease. Talent for conquering new technology and software application, while retaining creative flair. Trained in cross-cultural communication and fluent in two foreign languages.”
• Step 3: Make a Skills Summary. In this section, simply list all of your skills-column format is easiest to read. Include technology, languages, and hard and soft skills. List everything from “project management” to “Dreamweaver” to “French fluency.”
• Step 4: Create functional categories. Depending on your experience and the job for which you’re applying, your functional categories could be “Sales Experience,” “Organizational Experience,” and “Customer Service.” Under “Organizational Experience,” for example, list all of your organizational-related achievements throughout your career. Example: “Created new system that tracked a 68-employee firm’s compliance with new federal regulations.” This is the most difficult aspect of a functional resume for many people because it can be hard to identify skills, rather than just job descriptions. Sometimes an outside source-a spouse, friend, or family member-can help you brainstorm ideas.
• Step 5: End with a brief employment history. You’ve already plucked all useful skills and experience from your work history and distilled them into your functional category sections. So all you need to list here is the company name, address, your job title, and the dates of your employment. Don’t elaborate on your job descriptions.
It’s a little time-consuming, but writing an effective functional resume is the first step toward the career that you’ve been dreaming of.

When you have decided to change your career path, it is difficult to assess whether or not you need to just make a job change or consider a new career direction. You might ask “What if I try other career, will my life change for the better or for worse?”

To help you with your decision try the following systematic procedure before you maneuver the steering wheel to a new career destination.1.    Assess yourselfAt your first crossroads along the path to a better career, figure out where you are now. Start by identifying what elements make you miserable at work today such as your present role, the overall industry you work in, your location, the hours required, the skills you use and the skills you are not using.

It will help you quantify and evaluate your reactions to work and identify what elements are most decisive to you– be it supportive colleagues, salary, or a lively company culture.This assessment will provide you with solid and real-life information to inform your next move.2.   Figure out what working atmosphere you can work best

The next vital point on your journey determines how you like to work and who you want to work with. Are you happiest working in teams, or alone? Do you enjoy motivating others? Or perfecting the details?3.    Clarify work optionsIdentify the benefits that you get from your present job versus the benefits you might get from the career you want to pursue. Do the companies give importance to the professional growth of their employees? Do they offer seminars and group dynamics? Do they give bonuses and other perks to their employees?

Answering these questions will help you decide if you would actively pursue your desired career or stay with your job.4.   Evaluate your transferable job skills

What do you use in your current position that you could use in another role (writing skills? management experience?

Find a way to use transferable skills in a new position. Consider the following:

A.     An investment banker who likes research might enter a more research-oriented role in their current company.B.     Web designer who loves literature might design book covers for a publisher. Whether you decide to stay put in your job, make a lateral move, or make a radical change, you’ve taken steps to better understand yourself and your hopes for work. No matter what path you choose, clarifying your needs and interests will get you moving toward the peak of your potential.

One of the hardest decisions you will probably encounter during your professional career is either a change in position or a change in occupation. Many people think the safe decision is to stay in your current job or line of work, which is the place where you know what to expect and where you feel secure. On the other hand, many feel they will have no idea what to expect if they secure a new position. The whole process can be very intimidating, making it a difficult choice and for this reason many procrastinate.

When you are considering a career change, you have to also think about how it affects the people around you. This could be something that may affect your entire family, your financial situation, and maybe even where you live. Before you take the leap, make sure that you have considered all of the possible effects it will have on your life. It is a great idea to make a career change, but make sure you begin the process by being informed.

Many think the worse part about changing your career path is how you will rewrite your resume to target the newly desire position in a way it will appeal to a potential employer. The good news is that rewriting your resume doesn’t have to be an intimidating experience – the key is to find transferable skills.

The internet is an excellent source for finding information and advice about drafting your resume as well as making a career change. Not only will you find information, you will also find that there are numerous resources that will make the resume writing process considerably easier and more enjoyable. The problem is that the sheer amount of information you find can be overwhelming. When you are looking for advice about how to draft your resume, be careful about the advice you take, and use your common sense.

When you are drafting your resume you should know that there are two basic elements you need to know. Firstly, you need to list the things that are going to look the most promising; things that you have learned about your new career and your transferable skills. It is up to you to prove that you will be able to adapt to the demands of your new career.

Before you start to write your career change resume, set some time aside and do some research about the career that you are considering. The more you know about what you hope your new job will require, the more you can target your resume to meet your potential employer’s expectations.

Your transferable skills are proficiencies that you will be able to use in a variety of fields. Take time to think about what skills you have that will transfer to the position you desire.  Transferable skills may include excellent communication skills, budgeting, strong management skills, staff development, customer relationship management, adaptability, project management, or organizational skills. If you research job postings and description and discover what they are looking for and identify what skills you have that coincided. After this make a list of how you have used those skills, like success stories. This uncovers relevant accomplishments… what did you do in the past that would relate to the new line of work.

One of the most effective career changing tactics is to network, network, network. Individuals in your network will have the ability to assist you in job leads, provide advice, and give you essential information about the business.

Changing careers doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful. The key is to start with a targeted resume and cover letter that highlight your transferable skills and accomplishments.

Changing jobs has to be one of the more difficult decisions a person can make; staying in the work environment we are used to can sometimes be easier than having to embrace uncertainty, and having to prove your professional qualifications and credibility in a new workplace.
The decision for change becomes that much more difficult if the new job you want means changing your career. While you will face a challenge in trying to get the job that meets your new career objectives, writing your resume should not be one of them.
On the Internet alone, there are numerous resources for career changers. From helping you decide which career you are best suited for to providing helpful advice on how to succeed in your new job, you will find an overwhelming amount of resources to help you in your new journey. While most of the information you find will be helpful, be careful about the sources you utilize in order to put together the most persuasive resume for your new career choice.
There are really two basic elements to successfully creating a resume for a career changer: research and transferable skills. Most people put a lot of thought into changing careers. They consider their families, their living and financial situations, their competitive advantage in the new field, etc. After you convince yourself that changing careers is the right thing to do, you will have to convince your potential employers to give you the job you are seeking. To do so, you have to do your research.
Demonstrate to your employer that you have an extensive knowledge of the industry, even if you don’t have the accompanying experience. Before you begin your new career, make sure that you understand what professional paths are available for you, and determine what your ultimate goal is.
This will help you form the career objective for your resume. Additional, make sure to do your research on the company you are interested in, as well as their competition (if you are interested in non-profit organizations, make sure to brush up on other organizations with similar missions); if invited for an interview, you will want to appear very knowledgeable not only about their company, but about the industry as a whole.
You will have to convince your potential employer that you the best person for the job, better than the candidates with experience to do that, you have to showcase not only your enthusiasm for the opportunity, but your eagerness to learn and your knowledge about the field.
Transferable skills, those skills that can be utilized in numerous fields, are also a key to a successful career change. Consider your qualifications to date. What experience have you acquired that can be transferred across industries?
Transferable skills include verbal and written communication, people management, customer relations, organization and project management, development of new processes, generation of new ideas or concepts, etc. Such skills can be adapted to all organizations, and you should utilize them to showcase your qualifications for the job you are seeking.
For example, if you would like to ditch the 9-to-5 desk job for a hectic, unpredictable life of a high school teacher, let your potential employer know that your previous experience in leading by motivation makes you a perfect candidate for the job (even if that marketing project you managed has nothing to do with teaching English composition).
Making a list of all your professional experiences and the qualifications needed for the job you are seeking will help you in determining which skills are transferable to your new career. Once you define your transferable skills, use a functional resume to assure most (if not all) of the qualifications needed for the new job are met in your resume.
In addition to your resume, use your cover letter or email to let your potential employer know why you are changing careers, and that your new interest is not a passing one. Make sure that your resume reflects your newfound interest in a genuine and professional manner, and you are sure to have a successful career change.