Job transition for any candidate is a tough call. It involves a lot of thought process and preparation on part of the candidate. The applicant, while changing his field has to start like a fresher. His qualifications, experiences and skills may or may not correspond with field he wants to enter. However, one cannot let go the previous experiences and knowledge earned, even though in a different field. Then how does one build up a resume where he gets to include all of his credentials earned and yet fit into the prospective job profile? Here are the top 5 questions you should ask before designing resume for a job transition
1) How should I prepare myself for the Job Transition?
Do some research before designing your resume. As you plan to shift your job from one field to another, it is essential that you make yourself aware of the trends, developments and demands of that field. Gain knowledge about the qualifications expected by the employer and the responsibilities or tasks managed by that position so that you appear updated and confident from your resume.
2) Should I include the reasons for Career Transition in the Resume?
A resume should not hold any explanations as to why the job seeker is looking out for career change. Draft the resume in ideal format and leave the explanations for the interviews. The resume should reflect the experience gained, skills acquired and the capabilities of the job seeker. Hence, emphasize on these details the most. Reasons and explanations for job shift may annoy the employer as does not expect to read these details in the resume.
3) Which Section should be given more Prominence?
As you are looking out for career transition, it is obvious that your current experience would not match up to the job profile that you are seeking. Hence, it is important that you lay more stress on the key skills that can present you as a suitable candidate. Ensure that you mention field related key skills so that it assures the employer of your abilities to handle responsibilities, even without previous experience. The candidate has to face competition from others having experience in similar field and hence to survive the competition, highlight your abilities and skills.
4) How to draft the Objective?
The objective should represent your future career plans and objectives. Refrain from including references to previous experiences or stating reasons for career transition in the objective section. State the objective clearly, so that the applicant comes across as a focused and ambitious individual. A career transition in itself tends to be a drawback for the applicant and hence, a vague or generalized objective would further discourage the employer from considering the resume.
5) Which Format is appropriate?
Chronological resume format is the most commonly used format. However, in case of career transition resume, a functional resume is more appropriate. A functional resume includes a summary of the applicant's abilities, skills and experiences at the top. Hence, the emphasis transfers from job experiences to the skills of the applicant. It is advisable not to copy any of the resume samples blindly as they are designed for particular field. Personalize the resume as per your career graph and the prospective job profile to give it a unique identity. Moreover give a subtitle to your experiences namely, teaching, sales or accounts experiences to reduce the impact of diverse job experiences
The given top 5 questions you should ask before designing resume for a job transition that will let you build up an impressive resume and help you score above other experienced candidates in gaining the interview call.