I won first place in an international resume award writing competition. Yep, that’s right. First place in the Career Directors International Toast of the Resume Industry (TORI) competition, specifically in the difficult career change category.

And the best part? It worked. Because I didn’t begin my career as a professional resume writer for the money, I founded it because I like to help people and change their lives. My client has a new job because this resume opened doors for her.

So, what I thought I’d do is explain exactly what I did and why this resume worked.

How to write a career change resume

I read that I should use a functional format. Is that true?

First, ignore everything you’ve read. And no, do not use a functional format for your career change resume. Never. Ever. No one likes it, no one trusts it, and it is a huge red flag to recruiters and hiring managers. It is viewed as dishonest and with wide distrust. Why? Because it’s the format we use when we want to hide a secret or huge career gap longer than 6 months (e.g., taking care of kids or loved ones).  But guess what? Recruiters are going to automatically think “worst case scenario,” such as prison, rehab, or cancer.

The fix is to be transparent and honest about your career gap. Tell the truth.

And the secret? Be a little funny and take the pressure off what is a weighty thing in your life. You’ll see what I mean in a bit.

Use a chronological format for your career change resume.

You will build trust with the talent acquisition team by being honest and showing clear dates for all jobs and employment gaps. Add each role (paid and unpaid) in chronological order.

This means that your resume should have your most recent experience first, even if it was unpaid. Did you stay home to keep your kids alive? Say that.  Care for a sick loved one? Say that. Took the trip of a lifetime? Say that. Went RV’ing? (You guessed it.) Say that.

Award-winning resume writing strategy

The challenge with this difficult transition resume was to help Nicole change industries. She had been job searching for months, with the only nibbles in (you guessed it!) agriculture. After 16 years in agriculture and food production, Nicole said she “wanted to lead operations at a company without fertilizer.” Nicole was also challenged with a gap in her employment history.

 To overcome Nicole’s industry-focused experience and current job title of Agroecology, I began with the title at the top of the page, clearly stating that she is targeting Director of Operations. I followed this with her years of operations management experience and scope of her leadership (25 employees and multimillion-dollar operations). The executive summary also includes the key areas an operations leader must have – financial management, people leadership, etc. I also added three bullet points showcasing results and operational acumen – all aligned to what her next hiring manager might be looking for.

In the professional history section, I wrote each bullet in the XYZ format, leading with accomplishments in various operational areas, from capital planning to continuous improvement, supply chain, and human capital management. To overcome her employment gap, which was a huge elephant in the room on her original resume, I was truthful in what she did. This eliminated the question mark, though, as you’ll see, my strategy is 100% honesty mixed with a bit of humor. This unorthodox strategy has proven wildly successful for my clients, and Nicole is no exception!

What else goes into a career change resume?

I’ve written extensively on this topic here, here, and here. Consider that you might need do so some continuing education, and, let’s be honest, you might need to take a step back or down. Others might not want to tell you this, but in this uber-competitive employment market, don’t expect to land a step up if you are changing careers. (Sorry.)

I also like this article by the Harvard Business Review on the same topic. They generally have well-thought out advice.

And, as always, we are here to help!