examples of resume summary for career change

Career Change Resume for 2024 [9+ Examples]

Thinking of switching careers?

It might feel a lot like taking a leap of faith. 

You’re stepping into the unknown - that alone takes a lot of courage and determination.

You might even feel like a recent graduate all over again.

You have 0 experience, entering an entirely new field, competing with people who’ve been doing it forever!

That sounds pretty scary.

But here’s the thing:

As long as you’re armed with the right resume, the transition can be a piece of cake.

And luckily, we’re here to help and guide you through the process.

So, if you’re thinking of breaking into a new career industry, be sure to read on.

• How to pick the best resume format for a career change
• How to create a skill summary and wow the recruiter
• How to show off transferable work experience
• 3+ other ways to impress the recruiter (even if you have 0 relevant work experience)

Choosing the Best Career Change Resume Format

A big part of creating an effective resume is choosing the right resume format to tell your story with.

You need to structure your resume in a way that best shows your transferable skills and experience.

And when it comes to switching careers, the combination resume format does that best.

Here’s why:

This format places equal emphasis on skills and important work experience . 

This way, you can show you have the right industry transferable skills , even if you haven’t had the actual job title.

The format is ideal for people:

• Making a career change with transferable skills or work experience.
• With some employment gaps.
• With a diverse range of skills and experience .
• Applying to both creative and traditional roles.

And here’s what you include within this format:

• Contact information
• Resume objective or summary
• Skills summary
• Work experience
• Certification

Now, we’re going to go over each of those sections and explain how to write them step-by-step.

Here’s what you need to know:

How to Add Your Contact Information the Right Way

Your contact information is arguably the most important part of your resume.

Even if you’re the most qualified person in the world, it’s not going to matter much if you misspell your email and the HR manager can’t contact you.

So, here’s what you should include in this section:

• First name, last name 
• Phone number - Make sure to include your country code if you’re applying outside your country.
• Email address - Something professional like [[email protected]].
• Location - The company needs to know if you’re located in the region or if they may have to sponsor your relocation.
• Title - Either your current professional title or your new desired one. We’d recommend including the job title you’re applying for word-for-word.

Once you’re done, we’d recommend that you double-check, even triple-check everything. You wouldn’t want to miss your chances of landing the job because of a typo, would you?

• Got an online portfolio? You can also mention the links here. For example, if you’re a developer, you can include a link to your GitHub profile. If you’re a writer, a Medium link, and so on...

All clear? Good!

Now, let’s cover how to write a successful career change resume objective or summary.

Impress the Recruiter With a Career Change Resume Objective or Summary

So you’ve got your contact details down.

Now, you need a reason for the HR manager to continue reading the rest of your resume.

So, how do you get the recruiter to stop and read your career change resume when they only look at resumes for 6 seconds on average?

The answer: by using a resume objective or summary.

Both of these sections explain why you’re the best person for the job and act as a preview to the rest of your resume.

Here’s how the two differ:

Your resume summary shows your best accomplishments that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Your resume objective highlights how your current skills are relevant and will transfer to your new position.

As someone going through a career change, you can include either one.

But as a rule of thumb, if you were working in a related field and have some transferable skills, go for a resume summary.

On the other hand, if you were working in a completely unrelated field, go for a resume objective.

Check out these examples to get a better idea of what both of these might look like:

Career Change Resume Summary Example

• “Customer support specialist with over 4+ years of experience in over-the-phone technical support looking to leverage communication skills as a Sales Agent at Company XYZ. Excellent track record of delivering quality support, with an average rating of 4.6/5 over the past 2 years.”

A career change resume summary helps the HR understand how your skillset from your previous job can translate into your new one.

In that case, it’s best to mention:

• Your current relevant skills or experience.
• How your background can help you excel at the current job.

Career Change Resume Objective Example

• “Organized and hard-working employee looking to join XYZ as a marketing assistant. Looking to take advantage of my skills in Photoshop, graphic design, and creative copywriting to help XYZ with their marketing efforts.”

See the difference here?

Even though the person doesn’t have any relevant work experience, their resume objective still shows how their skill set is relevant to the new job.

Show Off Your Know-How With a Skills Summary Section

Your resume summary / objective is only an introduction. Now, you need to show the HR what you’ve got.

To do that, you need a good skills summary section.

Skills summary is a must-have section for just about any career change resume.

It puts more emphasis on your skill-set, as opposed to your work experience. This allows you to show how you’re a qualified candidate, even though you haven’t done the job before.

Here’s what a sample skills summary section might look like for a front-end developer.

Career Change Resume Skills Summary Example

• Built an online personal portfolio and resume website using HTML, CSS, JS.
• Created an online JS/jQuery quiz game that takes multiple answers and shows results to the user.
• Built a beautiful weather app with Angular 8 from scratch, designed UI with Sketch.
• Created responsive website templates (that are also mobile friendly) using modern CSS techniques and JS libraries.
• Worked with design and development groups to create applications from mock-ups in Sketch, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
• Familiar with Git, XDebug, and Chrome Developer Tools.
• Debugged over 10 JS web apps for a SaaS project.

Simple enough, right?

You list out each of your key skills, and then back it up with how you’ve used it in the past.

Now, you might be thinking, “what about the work experience section?” Do I just skip it, and use a skills summary instead?

Nope - you still need to list your work experience.

In this case, though, you’d want to use it to show off your transferable skills. Here’s how:

Use Your Work Experience to Show Off Transferable Skills

Let’s take a different example and say you’re moving from a job in sales to copywriting.

A resume you’d use for sales compared to a more creative field like copywriting is probably going to be a bit different.

But what do both of the roles have in common?

Well, for one, they both require you to have excellent communication skills. You also need to be good at understanding your target market and conveying complex information in simple language.

And that’s the common thread you want to focus on in your work experience section.

So, when listing your previous jobs, think of some transferable skills that you bring to the table that are going to be relevant.

Even unrelated jobs have some universal skills that are helpful everywhere.

To give you a better idea of what we mean, let’s look at some examples:

Sales Executive

Company X - 11/2016 - 04/2019

• Created and presented pitch deck that secured a $500,000 deal - largest for Company X to date.
• Boosted sales for the most underperforming product by 40% by developing helpful and instructional material for prospects.
• Created and edited sales materials, scripts, and technical documents for accuracy and consistency.

Here’s what’s done right:

• Shows transferable skills and achievements.
• Highlights only the parts from the experience that are related to the new role.

While the above example doesn’t talk about product descriptions or ads, communication materials and sales scripts do show that the candidate can write.

So, for a copywriting position, it’s going to be relevant and worth mentioning.

Now, compare that to the career change work experience below:

• Cold-emailed 100+ prospects daily.
• Closed 14+ deals in 2019 so far.
• Hit and exceeded company KPIs for the past 2 years in a row.

Sure, this example is good. But only if the candidate is applying for a sales job.

For copywriting, though, none of the skills mentioned are going to come in handy.

So, when listing previous job positions, you should focus only on what’s relevant.

Now that you know how to properly list work experience, let’s move on to the next section: Education.

Make Your Education Section Shine

Your education section is going to be an important requirement for just about any position above entry-level.

Listing education on your resume is pretty straightforward.

All you have to do is list your latest educational entry (e.g. college degree), and then include all the important stuff below it.

For example, you can include things like:

• Name of degree (Minor - optional): e.g. B.A. International Business Administration.
• Name of educational institution: e.g. University of Groningen.
• Years attended: e.g. 2015 - 2019.
• Location of the program (optional): e.g. Groningen, Netherlands.
• GPA (optional): 3.84 (only include if you excelled).
• Courses that are relevant to the job (optional): e.g. Advanced Business Finances.
• Exchange programs (optional): e.g. exchange program in Florida, U.S.

Here’s what the full listing for this educational entry might look like:

You might be wondering, what if I don’t have the right education for the job? Maybe, you have an M.A. in Philosophy, but you’re applying for a job in marketing. Do you still list it?

The answer is a definite yes.

Even if the degree is not relevant at all, it still shows that you’re passionate about learning and education.

In some cases, you might even be able to show off some transferable skills with your degree.

Let’s say, for example, you have a B.A. in English Literature , and you’re applying for a job in marketing. 

You could stress on how your degree gave you amazing writing skills (a must-have for most marketing roles), like so:

B.A. in English Literature.

University XYZ - 2014-2018

• Excelled in creative writing courses
• Part-time as a reporter for the university website

PS - Do you still have some questions on how to list your education section? Maybe you’re wondering what else you can include? Check out our full guide on how to list education on a resume with 13+ real-life examples.

Done with your education section? Awesome!

This brings us to the next section on your career change resume.

How (and Why) to List Skills On a Career Change Resume

When it comes to the skills section, what most recruiters want to know is if you can actually do what the job ad asks for.

And like with the other sections till now, relevance is key.

You should only ever list skills that are appropriate to the job you’re applying for.

To find out what’s relevant, start by scanning the job listing.

Most job ads usually include a list of requirements or skills they expect for a good candidate to have.

So, all you have to do is mention those exact skills on your resume.

Let’s take a look at an example.

Career Change Resume Skills Example

Assuming the job ad is for a junior front-end developer who has:

• 2-4 Years of professional experience using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
• Up to 1 years of visual design experience focusing on strong UX/UI.
• Good communication skills and team-player

You’d want to list the following skills:

• Communication Skills
• Team-Player

So, all you have to do is mention these skills, and you’re good to go!

• Not sure which skills are a must-have for your role? Check out our complete list of all must-have skills for any given field or position!

Showing Career Certifications on a Resume

When you’re switching careers, certifications are an amazing way to show you’re serious about your craft.

This shows you’re willing to put in the work and that you’ve already taken the first steps.

When listing certifications though, make sure they’re relevant to your field.

For a marketing role, here’s what that might look like:

• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certified, 2019.
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification, 2018.
• SEMrush Content Marketing Toolkit Course, 2018.

And here’s an example done wrong:

• TechCamp Python Bootcamp, 2019.
• Udemy JavaScript 101 Course.

For a marketing role, those certificates are completely irrelevant and aren’t even in the same field.

While they might be impressive on their own, that doesn’t mean they make you a better marketer.

Listing Personal Projects

Another great way to show that you’re the right person for the job is to list personal projects.

This can be just about anything:

• Founding a sports team in university
• Project you did for business class
• A Part-time online store you created on Etsy
• Passion-project for wood-working
• And whatever else you love (that’s relevant for your new career)

Pretty much anything that can make up for your lack of experience in the field counts.

But of course, keep in mind that your projects should be relevant to your new job.

Getting into coding? Here’s what your projects section could look like...

Make sure to stick to relevant projects, though.

The HR manager cares about your CODING experience, not about the fact that you started a basketball team in college.

Now, compare that to:

• Excelled in Anthropology and Archaeology classes at University X.
• Self-taught knitting pro.

You shouldn’t list projects just for the sake of standing out or filling up space. 

The more irrelevant information you mention in your resume, the more likely it is for the recruiter to accidentally skip out on all your must-have sections.

• Still have some space on your resume? You can also include the hobbies & interests section. Check out our guide to learn how (and why)!

How to Write a Career Change Cover Letter

Done with your resume?

But wait, before you get too excited - you’re still not done.

You need to back up your resume with a career change cover letter.

And no - it’s not like the usual cover letter you’re used to writing. 

When you’re switching careers, you want to use your cover letter to highlight WHY you’re switching fields and WHY your skills are a good match for the new role.

To do this, make sure you bring up a ton of examples and call out any key statistics or measurable results to draw upon, if possible.

To help you craft the best career change cover letter, check out the example below:

Here’s what’s done right with this cover letter:

• Addresses the reader (i.e. “Dear Doris” or if you can’t find their name, “To Whom it May Concern.”).
• Makes it clear they want to transition into a different career (from marketing and retail sales into public relations in this case).
• Shows they’ve done the research and the letter is tailored to the company's products and brand.
• Provides specific examples and achievements (“raised more than $ 10,000 for the event.”).
• Ends on a confident note and provides a call-to-action (and where to contact them).

Think your cover letter game is lacking? Check out our complete, step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter.

If you're thinking about a career change, and want to join a community of global professionals who are also re-designing and reframing their careers, then consider Unsettled’s Lifestyle Incubator.

Unsettled’s Lifestyle Incubator program is a 4-week highly interactive “virtual retreat” for professionals seeking to redefine their career trajectory and be more intentional about designing their next steps.

Through original workshops, weekly live sessions, practical tools, frameworks and peer-to-peer conversations with a global and diverse community of professionals, they will help you identify the core tensions between the lifestyle you want and the career trajectory that aligns your values, interests, and skills.

Key Takeaways

To recap, going through a mid-career transition probably sounds intimidating. 

But if you craft your career change resume focusing on transferable skills and experience - then you’re good to go!

Just make sure you follow these main key tips while working on your resume:

• Use the combination resume format to highlight your transferable skills and work experience.
• Include all the essential career change resume sections - contact information , resume objective or summary , skill summary , work experience , soft and technical skills , certifications and personal projects.
• And while doing so, highlight only what’s relevant to your new position.
• Finally, make sure you attach a tailored cover letter to your resume and mention WHY you’re switching fields and what unique skills you’re bringing with you.

At Novorésumé, we’re committed to helping you land your dream job, every step of the way. Be sure to check out our career blog to stay up to date with the industry-leading advice and more actionable tips.

Suggested Reading:

• How to Get Your Resume Layout Right [3 Free Templates]
• How to Write an ATS Resume
• 20+ One-Page Resume Templates [Free Download]

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How to Write a Resume Summary if You're Changing Careers

A resume summary is especially useful if you’re changing careers, and it helps hiring managers and recruiters understand why you’re a good fit. Here’s how to write one with a few examples for inspiration.

3 years ago   •   5 min read

A resume summary is a short, optional section at the beginning of your resume highlighting something that might not otherwise be obvious. It can be used to direct a recruiter’s attention to a specific role you’re interested in or to highlight specific skills or achievements that don’t have a place elsewhere in your resume. It’s also commonly used as a space for career changers to explain the context of their application and why they’re a good fit for the role, even if their experience is in a completely different field.

Do I need a resume summary?

Not necessarily. If your skills and job history are relatively straightforward and in line with the type of jobs you’re applying for, you probably don’t need one. Despite the name, a resume summary isn’t just a place to rehash the information already in your resume, which should already be a concise summary of your achievements. A resume summary should only be used to add extra information or context, like drawing attention to the fact that you’re changing careers or illustrating how seemingly-unrelated experience is relevant to the role you’re seeking.

Related: How To Write an Executive Summary

Example resume summary templates for career changers

Writing anything from scratch without a guide can be daunting, so we’ve put together a handy template you can use to structure your resume summary. This template has everything your summary needs to include — it quickly explains that you’re changing careers, emphasizes the transferrable skills you’ll be bringing with you to the new role, and draws attention to a specific accomplishment to help you stand out. What it doesn’t do is exhaustively list your past experience or explain in detail why you’re changing careers — those things are better suited to the body of your resume and cover letter.

Here's the first template:

Ex-[Current Job Title] transitioning into an [Future Job Title] role after [completing X relevant certification] and [relevant accomplishment]. Diverse experience [doing X transferrable skill in new job], [Y transferrable skill in new job] and [Z transferrable skill in new job]. Over 5 years of experience managing global teams of 5-20 people and working with C-Suite executives. [Describe one significant accomplishment in the format of Action Verb + Accomplishment + Metric].

This template quickly summarizes the achievements you most want to highlight while remaining concise. Here are a couple of examples of what that template can look like in action.

Example #1 (Sales Manager moving to an HR Manager role)

Ex-Sales Manager transitioning into an HR Manager role after completing HR CIPD Level 5 certificate. Diverse experience creating hiring plans, setting performance objectives and OKRs, conducting interviews and delivering 7-figure projects that create lasting organizational change. Over 5 years of experience managing global teams of 5-20 people and working with C-Suite executives. Promoted three times in 24 months due to strong performance and organizational impact.

Example #2 (Product Marketer moving to a Project Manager role)

Ex-Product Marketer transitioning into a Project Manager role after completing PMP certification. Diverse experience managing advertising campaigns, partnering with sales and development teams to ensure on-time project delivery and maintaining successful customer relationships. Over 5 years of experience managing global teams of 5-20 people and working with C-Suite Executives. Successfully organized a marketing fair which resulted in a 45% increase in company clientele over the next quarter.

If you are not changing careers and want examples of other resume summaries, use our resume summary generator .

What makes a good resume summary?

A good resume summary provides a recruiter with at-a-glance information about why you’re applying for a specific role. To do that, it needs to be concise — generally, no more than 2-6 lines or 100 words, and shorter is better. Anything longer than that means that you’re probably including way more details than is necessary and will prompt a recruiter to skim over what you’ve written, which you don’t want. If you find yourself having to leave out information you consider essential — like why you’re changing careers or what draws you to the new role — consider featuring it in a cover letter instead.

Your resume summary should draw particular attention to any transferrable skills that you’ve acquired. These can include technical skills — for example, proficiency in specific programming languages, graphic design skills or experience with software programs or social media platforms — as well as soft skills . Make sure these skills are relevant to the role you’re applying for — for example, a data analyst is better off highlighting their experience with machine learning than their video editing skills. This also depends on what industry you’re in — a creative director for an advertising campaign likely has no need for C++, but it might come in handy for the creative director of a video game.

When including skills and achievements in your resume summary, remember to be specific. This can be a great place to include any skills or keywords from the job description that don’t have a place elsewhere on your resume, which in particular can help you get past any resume screeners or applicant tracking systems . Limit yourself to your single biggest accomplishment, using specific metrics if you can (similar to how you should be listing accomplishments in the body of your resume).

An easy way to find out if you’ve added the right skills and keywords to your resume, is to use the tool below to search for skills for the job you’re applying to - it’ll provide you with a list of skills relevant to the job. It also gives you the option to scan your resume and tells you which skills are missing.

Find out if your resume summary is effective enough

A good resume summary needs to be clear, concise, and for a career changer, it also needs to highlight any transferable skills you’ve acquired. A good way to find out if your resume summary properly explains the context of your application and shows hiring managers why you’re a good fit for the role, is to upload your resume to the tool below. You’ll get an instant, confidential review of your resume, powered by Artificial Intelligence and backed by insights from hiring managers and recruiters.

Quick Tips: Here’s what does not belong in your resume summary.

• Personal pronouns . This is a formal document, which means no ‘I,’ ‘my,’ or ‘we.’ Save the personal touch for your cover letter, where it belongs.
• Details that are already included in the body of your resume . The resume summary is a place to highlight information that doesn’t have a place elsewhere, not to repeat information the recruiter already has access to.
• Buzzwords . Phrases like ‘team player,’ ‘flexible,’ and ‘hardworking’ might sound like what a recruiter wants to hear, but the reality is that they’re vague, overused, and ultimately meaningless. There’s no quicker way to make a recruiter’s eyes glaze over than by filling your resume with endless fluff. Instead, demonstrate these qualities through well-chosen examples of your experience and achievements.

I'd recommend uploading your resume to Score My Resume . It takes a minute to scan your resume for common errors that cause your resume to get instantly rejected.

Remember: Not everybody needs a resume summary. If you’re including it just because you think you need one, consider what purpose it’s serving.

If you’re applying for jobs in line with your industry experience and background and can highlight relevant achievements in the body of your resume, leave it out. On the other hand, if you’re looking to change careers and want to draw attention to transferrable skills and achievements that might not otherwise be readily apparent, a concise, well-written summary might be exactly what you need to make the leap.

• Career Changers

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11 Career Change Resume Examples Designed for 2024

Marketing Manager

Best for senior and mid-level candidates

There’s plenty of room in our elegant resume template to add your professional experience while impressing recruiters with a sleek design.

Resume Builder

Like this template? Customize this resume and make it your own with the help of our Al-powered suggestions, accent colors, and modern fonts.

• Career Change Resumes
• Changing Careers To Resumes
• Changing Careers From Resumes
• Career Change Resumes for Teachers

Noah breathed a sigh of relief as he found a few accounting job descriptions that intrigued him. After spending years in various financial roles and racking up some impressive creds as a financial analyst, he felt confident in this career switch. But was he as ready for the resume overhaul he needed as he was for his career change?

Noah’s confidence went up when he found our library of career change resume examples and time-tested hints. Plus, he knew he’d be able to expand upon his career objective and add even more value by making a cover letter ! The notes he took while preparing his application materials even helped him navigate a victorious interview.

Whether you’re looking to change careers in accounting, teaching, or any other profession, check out our handy resources to build your own success story like Noah did!

Career Change Resume

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• A summary merges your background with the opportunities you’re seeking. In other words, a summary demonstrates how your experience has prepared you for your new field. However, you should only use a summary if you’ve had  at least 10 years of experience.
• Choosing a  professional resume template  and  resume format  can help make your resume look professional and cohesive without much effort.

Multiple Career Resume

• The keywords you include will help tie your expertise together and prove that you have the right abilities for the job. 
• Start by listing hard skills (aka technical, learned skills) listed in the job description. If you don’t have a lot, then simply use soft skills like “analytical” and collaboration.”
• Whatever jobs you’ve held, find a common thread between them and the new job, then sew that thread into every job experience. It’ll be a subtle but powerful tool to increase credibility despite multiple career changes. 

Career Change To Accounting Resume

• If you’re applying to be an accountant but it wasn’t your most recent role, be sure to add a certifications section highlighting that you are a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Career Change To Administrative Assistant Resume

• Enhance your career change to administrative assistant resume with a short summary that shows recruiters where to draw parallels between your past experience and target title.

Marketing Manager Career Change Resume

• There are numbers everywhere; look for percentages relating to your skills, like how you boosted efficiency or increased sales from last quarter. The sky’s the limit!
• If you can’t find (or don’t have access to) percentages, then use plain numbers relating to how many team members you worked with, how many clients you took on, or how many referrals you gained.
• Things like only using active verbs and avoiding personal pronouns might seem minor, but they make reading your resume easier, which is huge for recruiters and hiring managers.
• And speaking of details, always  double-check your resume  for proper grammar, punctuation, and overall flow.

RN Career Change Resume

• An objective is only two to three sentences, so make sure each word packs a verbal punch by showing off your years of experience, skills, and desire for the role you’re seeking.
• For example, mentioning your adherence to HIPPA guidelines can demonstrate to hiring managers that you will stick to the rules. On the flip side, explaining how you used active listening to assist patients will show your compassion and customer service skills.

Journalist Career Change Resume

• Start by keeping your resume to a single page. Otherwise, you’ll overwhelm hiring managers (who will likely toss your resume into the recycling).
• It’s best to use reverse-chronological formatting on your resume to keep your most relevant job history at the top. While other formats are necessarily wrong, they aren’t standard, and they’re harder for hiring managers (and the ATS) to read.
• In your contact header, include your email address (make sure it’s a professional email), your phone number, and your location. 
• Consider adding a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile if you have a LinkedIn account.

Mechanical Engineer Career Change Resume

• Consider asking a friend, relative, or even a career advisor from your alma mater to scan your resume for errors and discrepancies.
• Nothing tells a recruiter you’re not the right person for the job like saying you’re great at “time management.” 
• Put color in your section headers (or company titles) and your contact header. This will add visual interest without being overwhelming.
• If you’re applying to work at a conservative financial firm, you may want to stick to traditional colors rather than pastel pink or lavender.

Teacher Career Change Resume

• Look for ways to connect your previous duties to the responsibilities listed in the job description.
• Many skills  indirectly  transfer from one job to another. Consider your collaboration skills: your ability to work well with fellow teachers will help you work on team projects at your next job.
• Of course, if you have any skills, projects, or experience in your new field, include them, and explain how you’ve mastered them in your career change cover letter .
• Using a  resume template  is invaluable here, as you can easily scooch sections to the side, adjust your margins, and fix your font type to give you some extra wiggle room.

Teacher to Project Manager Resume

• The work experience bullet points to occupy the largest share of your CV—no more than four bullets for each role. As for your contact info, education, skills, hobbies, and certifications, a side column will do the trick. The cherry on top is restricting the entire resume to one page.

Teacher to Human Resources Resume

• But more importantly, mention the relevant transferable skills you bring to this entry-level role, a requirement Elijah executes well in his teacher to human resources resume. Better yet, let your bullet points show how you used these proficiencies in previous teaching roles.

Related resume guides

• Engineering

How to Write a Career Change Resume Summary With Examples

In This Guide:

The importance of a strong resume summary, career change resume summary examples, final thoughts on creating a strong career change resume summary.

You’ve spent years developing your skills and perfecting your craft.

You’ve built a career in your industry, but now it’s time for a change.

Whether it’s because you’re ready to move on to the next level or just want something different, deciding to take the leap on a career change can be scary.

Your resume is going to be up against countless qualified candidates, how will you stand out when you’re new to the field?

A strong career change resume summary is important. It can show recruiters why you deserve a chance, even if you haven’t been in the business that long.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Why a strong resume summary is so important
• Key takeaways for writing a great career change resume summary

When you’re ready to dive into writing your career change resume , use our resume builder to get started.

Before you start writing your resume summary, it’s necessary to understand its purpose.

You might think your resume doesn’t need a summary, but it can make a big difference in your impact on recruiters.

What is the purpose of a resume summary?

Your resume summary is the first thing recruiters see following your header . It is your first opportunity to showcase your value in the industry and a bit of your personality.

Summaries put specific career highlights and accomplishments on display. They help you make maximum impact in minimal time.

This can be especially valuable when making a career change. You want to let recruiters know right away that you’re a strong candidate, even if your experience is lacking.

How to format a resume summary

Like every section of your resume, your summary needs to be clear and concise. Recruiters have stacks of resumes to review. Don’t waste time and get to the point quickly.

Your summary should be no more than 3-5 sentences. Cover the most important and most relevant information.

A good formula to use when writing your summary is the following:

Introduce your role > State your greatest accomplishment > Show that you’re the right fit for the role.

For more specifics on everything that goes into a good resume summary, check out our detailed summary guide and collection of examples.

Including a career change in your summary

The formula above may be simple enough when you’ve got extensive experience on your side, but what about when you’re making a career change?

How can you introduce the idea of a career change in your summary without losing the interest of recruiters?

The key to a strong career change summary - and an entire career change resume - is focusing on transferable skills.

Where is the overlap between your current position and your desired job? What skills do you have that are relevant to your target role?

Even if you don’t have experience in the specific field, hiring managers should be able to see what you will accomplish at their company.

Now that you have an idea of what goes into a career change resume summary, let’s take a look at some examples.

The summaries below capture some of the most common career changes in different industries. Use them as inspiration when you’re ready to write your summary.

Project manager to product manager

In the example above, the candidate highlighted management experience in their work history and desired role.

They also shared an accomplishment that is relevant to both project management and product management.

The focus of the summary is on transferable skills and relevant achievements rather than specific job titles.

Product manager to product consultant

This example shows a different kind of career change. After building a long career in a particular area, you may decide to step out on your own.

For a career change summary from employee to consultant, focus on your accomplishments and the expertise you can share.

Sports journalist to celebrity journalist

This candidate is making a change to a different niche within their industry.

Like any other summary, focus on transferable skills and what you will bring to the company. In this example, the candidate focuses on reporting and viewership rather than subject knowledge.

Let’s look at a few more examples.

Project manager to COO

Graphic designer to ux designer, web developer to technical writer, software engineer to ux designer, data scientist to software engineer, product manager to sales manager, marketing to advertising, director to vice president, manager to director.

Take the time to include a summary when writing a career change resume. Let recruiters know right away why you’re a strong candidate.

Keep your summary clear and concise. In 3-5 sentences, introduce yourself, highlight an accomplishment, and explain why you’re the right fit for the role.

Focus on transferable skills and relevant accomplishments. Show hiring managers what you will achieve at their company.

Add a career change summary to your resume and get ready to start applying to jobs!

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