How to Write a Career Change Resume (Guide + Examples)

When and why you need one

You’ll want to use a career change resume any time your experience doesn’t clearly align with your next move—whether you’re switching careers entirely, changing industries, reentering the workforce after a resume gap, or shifting into a new function.

In these situations, a standard resume can undersell your value. A career transition resume reframes your background so hiring managers can quickly connect the dots—and see why you're a fit, even if your past roles don’t line up one-to-one.

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Format options

The best resume format for a career change is typically a combination (or hybrid) resume.

This structure leads with skills and qualifications, then follows with a streamlined work history—making it easier to highlight transferable strengths while still showing career progression.

A functional resume, which groups experience by skill category and downplays job titles and dates, is another option, but it’s less common and can raise questions for hiring managers. If you go this route, use it strategically and be ready to explain your career path in a cover letter and interview.

📌 Resume Myth: All career change resumes should use a functional format
While a functional resume can be useful in a few scenarios, it's not the default.

A chronological resume (or hybrid model) can absolutely work for a career change—as long as the experience you list is relevant to your new field or industry. The key isn’t hiding your timeline—it’s highlighting what aligns.

Visual layout tips

A strong career change resume doesn’t need to be flashy—it just needs to be easy to read.

Keep your layout clean, modern, and consistent. Use one professional font, stick to a single accent color (if any), and make sure there’s enough white space between sections to guide the reader’s eye.

Here’s what to focus on:

• Use clear headings for each section (like “Summary,” “Work Experience,” and “Skills”)
• Align your dates to the same side for every entry
• Use resume bullet points for readability—never paragraphs
• Avoid unnecessary graphics, icons, or design elements that might confuse ATS software

💡Pro Tip: Consistency matters. Recruiters notice when dates jump around or formatting changes from section to section. Make sure your job titles, companies, and dates are all styled the same way.

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How to write a career change resume (step-by-step)

You know what a strong career change resume looks like. Now, it's time to build it.

In this section, we’ll walk through each step of the writing process—from reframing your experience to tailoring your content—so you can confidently position your background for something new. First, pick your format. Then, follow these steps.

Step 1: Reframe your experience

Before you start writing, get clear on what parts of your background are most relevant to the role you’re targeting. This isn’t about rewriting your entire career—it’s about reframing previous jobs to support where you’re going next.

Look for:

• Transferable skills (soft skills) that match the job description
• Key achievements that show impact across roles
• Past experience (even older) that aligns with your new direction

Once you know what to emphasize, you can structure your resume—regardless of format—in a way that leads with your strongest, most relevant details.

💡Pro Tip: If you’re writing a resume with multiple positions at the same company, list promotions clearly to show growth and adaptability.

Step 2: Add a summary that showcases your career pivot

Your resume summary is one of the first things hiring managers see—and for career changers, it’s a critical opportunity to connect the dots.

Use this short section at the top of your resume to frame your background, highlight transferable skills, and signal how your experience aligns with the role. Instead of recapping your entire career, focus on what makes you a strong fit for this new direction. Here's an example of what that can look like:

💡 Pro Tip: Thinking about including a resume objective? Skip it. Employers already know you want the new job. Use your summary to show how you’re qualified—not just that you’re interested.

Step 3. Emphasize transferable skills

According to a study by the American Institute for Economic Research, transferable skills are among the most important factors in successfully changing careers. Why? Because they show employers what you can do—not just where you’ve been. Here’s how to make them work harder on your resume:

• Identify relevant skills from your past roles that align with your target industry. Think: communication skills, leadership, project management, customer experience, or data analysis.
• Use job postings to prioritize which skills to feature—and tailor your language to match.
• Show how you’ve applied those skills in real situations. Use bullet points to emphasize outcomes, not just responsibilities.
• Don’t bury your best assets—make sure they’re woven into your summary, work history, and skills section.

Step 4. Showcase relevant experience and achievements

Your past roles might not match the job title you’re applying for—but the impact you've made still matters.

Use your work experience section to highlight relevant accomplishments that show how you’ve solved problems, led initiatives, or driven results.

Focus each resume bullet point on outcomes, not responsibilities. Here's a formula to help:

Step 5. Include projects, volunteer work, or certifications

If you’re making a career change with little or no direct experience, projects and non-traditional work can help bridge the gap. Including volunteer experience, relevant certifications, or freelance work on a resume shows employers you’re actively building the skills needed for your next role.

Not sure what counts? Think about:

• Freelance work (even short-term or self-initiated) that reflects your target role’s responsibilities.
• Volunteer roles that highlight leadership, communication, or technical skills in action.
• Certifications or coursework that demonstrate your commitment to learning a new field.
• Past internships—especially if you’re pivoting early in your career or reentering the workforce. (You can list an internship on your resume just like a paid job if it’s relevant.)

Step 6: Tailor your content to every job

Customizing your resume for each role shows hiring managers that you understand what they’re looking for and can meet their needs, even if your background looks a little different. Here's how:

1. Look closely at the job description and identify the keywords, qualifications, and themes that come up most.
2. Then, reflect those in your summary, bullet points, and skills section—using language that mirrors what the company values.

Tailoring your career change resume helps clarify your fit, increases your chances of standing out, and ensures your resume is easier to find in applicant tracking systems (ATS).

💡 Pro Tip: Teal’s Resume Match tool gives you a Match Score for any job and surfaces the exact keywords you might be missing—so you can customize your resume faster and more strategically.

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Career change example #1: Marketing to product management

This resume highlights a transition from content marketing to product management. The candidate led cross-functional projects, collaborated closely with engineering teams, and used data to inform strategy—experience reframed to match PM expectations.

What stands out:

• A summary focused on business impact and collaboration
• Bullet points that emphasize ownership, outcomes, and cross-team communication
• A skills section tailored toward product-focused tools and frameworks

Career change example #2: Design to developer

In this example, the candidate is changing careers from a visual design role into front-end development. They showcased freelance projects and technical coursework while reframing past achievements to focus on problem-solving and user experience.

What stands out:

• A clear target title and summary aligned with engineering roles
• A “Projects” section highlighting real development work
• Technical skills surfaced above the fold to boost relevance

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