Career Change Resume: bring out your best

After many years of working, perhaps in a variety of jobs, perhaps in one career that you settled in for the past couple of decades, you've now decided that it's time to make a change. You're not alone. Almost everyone changes careers at some point in their life, whether it be by choice or desperation. The first step in making that move is to identify what you want to do and create a resume that showcases all those skills that you've learned in your previous jobs.

 For every job you apply for, it is imperative that you customize your application for that job. The first item on your resume should state your Career Objective. This does not have to be more than one simple statement indicating your current goal, for example: "To secure a position as a sales clerk with Home Depot" or "To utilize my current communication, interpersonal and marketing skills as a Sales Representive with your organization".

Following your career objective, you need to highlight the qualifications that you've acquired through previous employment, through volunteer work, participation in community activities or even through raising a family. You need to pull out a list of all the skills you've obtained that help identify who you are and what makes you the ideal candidate for the job you're applying for. Common examples of skills that you may have acquired include written and verbal communication skills, computer skills, customer service, leadership, supervisory, team player, ability to work independently, detail oriented, familiarity with various software programs, presentation and writing abilities. Personal traits that are unique to you as an individual should also be included, for example, friendly, approachable, dedicated, committed, confident or flexible. All of these are skills and personal traits that make you the ideal candidate for a new career.

Any professional designations such as Certified Accountant, retired Police Officer, experienced Computer Programmer, or Journeyman Electrician could also be noted here as these alone summarize your commitment to a previous profession and hint at the many skills you would have acquired through your previous career.

When creating your Summary of Qualifications, it is recommended that you create the list using active verbs which makes it flow smoothly and present you as an active person that uses many skills to get the job done.

The list to the right demonstrates how the first part of your resume may present your skills to someone and show them what a valuable employee you could be, even though you are applying for a job that you have never worked at before.

The remainder of your resume should list education and experience in a chronological order, either under a combined heading or separately.

Under Education, list any formal education, trade certificates, degrees or diplomas whether relevant or not to the position you're applying for. Completion of any program demonstrates your ability to set goals and follow through. Any courses that are directly related to what you're applying for or have taught you skills which are valuable in your new career choice, should also be listed separately. Other courses or workshops which may be related to your previous career but that did not specifically focus on any skills that would apply to future opportunities could be listed or grouped in a general statement such as "Completed a variety of technical workshops while employed as a Computer Programmer".

Previous Employment should also be listed chronologically. It is important to try not to leave any gaps when possible, It is only necessary to go back about ten years unless you have previous experience which is directly related to the type of work you are now searching for. Job details can be kept to a minimal unless additional responsibilities are directly related to the job you're applying for. For example, a Teacher who is now applying for a Travel Consultant position may not need to go into detail about the role of a teacher, but it would be beneficial to indicate the student exchange travel programs that she was involved in.

Your resume should appear organized, highlighting your current objective, your qualifications, your experience and education. Hobbies and personal information do not belong on a resume, unless they're specifically related to the job you're applying for. Then they can be listed under experience or "Additional Experience" if you want to add an additional section.

Most importantly, keep it to two pages. We all have a great deal of information that we'd like to include, but keep in mind that the people doing the hiring will have many applications to review . Give them just the relevant information that makes you shine and leaves them wanting more. Save the details so that you'll have something to talk about at the interview.

Your completed, two page resume, should appear very organized and should demonstrate that you know what you want and that you have developed many skills through previous experience, whether directly related to this type of job or not. Personal traits and abilities are as important and your experience and education. Highlight these unique skills along with any training and experience and don't be afraid to sell yourself. Remember, the goal of the resume is to get you the interview.