It goes without saying that if you’re going to start your job search, you’ll need to edit your resume. But if you’re hoping your next role will take you in a new direction, you should actually present a resume that’s small out in order, according to career experts, and focus on your skills instead of experience.
If you want turning point in your career, Scott WhiteEVP and Chief Recruiter at HireMinds, says to identify skills and experiences that relate to what you want to do next and put them first on your resume. That means digging deep into the key points on your resume to highlight the accomplishments and responsibilities that will make you shine in your next job — and even downplay the ones you don’t want to achieve or have with your next employer.
At the beginning of a career, it makes sense to present your professional life in chronological order. But as you accumulate more skills and experience over the years, these are the elements that should be at the top of your resume, regardless of when and where you learned or used them.
“Your resume should reflect what you want to do in your next job,” says White. “It’s an opportunity to focus on the relevant experience you need next.”
Your skills may be more relevant than you think
You might think that the only way your skills “count” is if they’re acquired on the job. But that’s not the only way to demonstrate your value, says Angela Tait, founder and human operations strategist at Tait Consulting, LLC.
“If you don’t have it [relevant work experience]volunteer for real-world experience, take classes at a local/online university, and see if you can tackle special projects at work related to the area of interest you want to pivot [to]Tait says.
Don’t worry if your past jobs aren’t directly related to your target industry either, says Ida Pettersson, career coach and resume expert at Résumé Genius. “Changing careers doesn’t mean that everything you’ve learned so far in your professional journey won’t be applicable to your new job,” she says. “Quite the opposite; many employers will appreciate the unique perspective you can bring to the table.”
For example, almost every profession requires some degree of computer and technology skills, says Pettersson, along with other key competencies such as communication, time management and collaboration skills.
“I recommend making a list of all your skills, highlighting the ones that will help you succeed in your new role, and highlighting them when you update your resume,” says Pettersson. “This will allow you to bridge that experience gap by demonstrating your qualities in the market.”
If you’re not sure which keywords relate to your skills, go to LinkedIn and look at job descriptions for roles in your industry. Keywords that appear over and over again do so because they are the skills needed to do the job successfully. If they relate to your professional experience, add them to your resume.
Another way to highlight your most relevant skills? Put them at the top of your resume. Instead of including an “objective” at the top, lead with a summary or profile section. This tells employers who you are and what you want to work with, says Tammy Gooler Loeb, career and executive leadership coach.
Gooler Loeb says a well-written executive summary and a short list of transferable skills should appear in the top third of the first page of your resume. A strong cover letter adds to the mix and can “create the kind of intrigue that will get you an interview,” she says. But even better is meeting someone within the company through a personal or professional connection; in fact, Gooler Loeb says it could quadruple your chances.
Especially when you’re planning to branch out into a new field, highlighting the unique experience you bring to the table and your most relevant skills (regardless of when or where they come from) is a wise way to get your foot in the door.