If you’re ready to pursue a new career, your Resume will need some fine-tuning before you can start applying to jobs. Thankfully, even if you are planning to move to an entirely different industry than the one you work in now, chances are you’ll be able to include most of the skills and experience that you already have on your Resume.

In this post, we offer tips on how to tailor your Resume so you can apply to your dream job with confidence.

1. Focus on Soft Skills

Soft skills are transferable skills that you build upon during your working life and are not job-specific, even if you feel like you learned those skills at a specific job. Soft skills are focused on you and your personality, and can include things like communication, leadership abilities, and working well with others. These skills tend to be relevant to almost any job.

For instance, if you’re trying to move from a retail management position to event planning, what you’ve learned in leadership, problem-solving, and customer service are all applicable and should be included in your Resume.

In many cases, soft skills can be just as important to include on your Resume as hard skills (such as courses or certifications) even if you have a ton of education and training, if you lack the soft skills, you might not be the ideal candidate for the job you want.

As an example, if part of the job post you’re applying to states that you’d be working with a team of people and you are the type of person who prefers to work alone, then the job is probably not right for you even if you have the necessary education and training for it.

2. Include Keywords from Job Postings

When you’re responding to a job posting you’ll want to make sure you mirror the language the company uses to some extent. One way to make your Resume stand out is by sprinkling keywords from the job posting in your Resume and Cover Letter, as it reinforces that you are a match for the position to the hiring manager.

For instance, if they tend to use the words “team player” when describing a candidate that they are looking for, then try to use that wording when describing your ability to work well in a team environment.

3. Consider Education or Volunteering to Add Qualifications to your Resume

If you’re changing careers, it’s likely that you have a specific job or industry in mind that you would like to move into. A good technique for adding to your experience is to check multiple job boards for a position you like, and then look for volunteer or educational opportunities that would be relevant to that job. Oftentimes, volunteer opportunities will be posted on job sites alongside paid positions, and most can be found by including the keyword “volunteer” in your online search.

Changing Careers

It can take time to transition to a new career, but remember that the skills and experience you gained from other jobs can be relevant to whatever new industry or career you’re trying to get into. If you take the time to do research and gain the missing skills and experience that you need, you’re more likely to get the job you want.

Posted by Lisa Hoffart
