How do I update my resume/CV for a new career path?
How to get in front of hiring managers
I asked ChatGPT what the first 10 questions are that career changers ask. Number six on the list: How do I update my resume/CV for a new career path?
I’m currently in a pivot in my business (want to know more? Go here: A scary roller-coaster (x2), and also: scroll down to the bottom of this post). My inspiration for these posts comes therefore directly from ChatGPT.
UNLESS - of course - YOU tell me what YOUR burning questions are about changing your career!
Next week: What are the potential impacts on my work/life balance?
What questions would YOU like me to give my take on in this newsletter?
Does this question make you break out in a sweat? Are you imagining spending hours and hours ‘tailoring’ your CV to job descriptions, only to be spat out by the Application Tracking System?
Yes, the fact that this question is #6 on the list of questions ChatGPT gets asked means to me that you’re nervous about this one. That you want to get it right.
So let’s get to it.
How to update your CV or resume when you’re changing careers
I was a bit hesitant to write this newsletter. Why? For a number of reasons.
When I work with women we don’t talk about CVs until the very last step. Personal branding is part of Step 5 of the programme. The ‘making it happen’ step.
By that time you will already have gotten clear on WHO you are, WHAT you’re great at and LOVE doing, what you WANT to do in your career, you will have ‘tested’ those career ideas out in the real world, by using your network.
Your enthusiasm knows no bounds.
Your CV at that point just becomes the marketing tool to get you an interview. Which - of course - it always was.
So why the hesitation?
Because I see three fears getting in your way
You’re overestimating the importance of your CV
You’re relying on your CV as the ONLY way to get you in the door
You don’t actually know what you want - yet
So let’s take them in turn.
The importance of your CV
Your CV is the marketing tool that helps you get a foot in the door. The CV needs to tell your story in a way that makes hiring managers want to have a conversation with you.
That’s it!
Your CV is your opportunity to tell YOUR story in a way that enables recruiters and hiring managers to see how YOU are a great candidate for their role and can get the results they want.
However, there are a number of potential blockers in your way:
Gatekeepers
To enable the smooth processing of an increasingly big number of applications for jobs companies are using Application Tracker Systems (the infamous ‘ATS’). Depending on their settings they will filter applications enabling an easier ‘filtering’ process for recruiters and talent managers.
And there’s recruiters themselves. Who - if rumours are to be believed - only take 17 seconds to look at your CV.
Some recruiters say they receive hundreds of applications for jobs, of which often GREAT percentages are unsuitable, or do not meet the job description.
Most CVs however are still being seen - and filtered - by actual human beings. Recruiters, talent managers and hiring managers. (As this recruiter tells us).
Key words
Due to the automation of recruitment it is important to use keywords, which is why CV writers will tell you to tailor your CV for each job.
The job market
If there are many (many) candidates for a role, the attitude can quite easily be to take the ‘sure bet’ for a role. Meaning that experience (‘have they done this before?’) becomes even more important than potential (‘will they be able to do this job?’).
Your job search strategy
Can you see the dangers of relying on your CV as the only way of getting your foot in the door?
Luckily there are other ways of getting jobs too!
Especially when you’re making a wholesale career change, you’re going to have to think clearly about your strategy around how to make this transition.
To not rely solely on your CV to ‘market’ you and your skills.
But to instead consider that other way of creating your personal brand:
Creating and expanding your network in the direction of your envisaged career path
Creating meaningful connections, and
Immersing yourself in your ‘new world’ and showing your expertise to the right people
Clarity before strategy
I probably should have started here first. Because there is a reason why we’re not talking about CVs until Step 5 of my coaching programme: clarity.
If you don’t know what you want, writing or updating your CV becomes part of a scattergun approach, enormously time consuming and - quite frankly - soul-destroying.
So yes, it’s clarity before strategy: determine what you WANT first, TEST it out in the real world (by making connections, also read this article about networking) and THEN adjust and tailor your CV for the right role.
Your CV as a tool for your career change
Having established that - yes - there may be blockers in your way. That - no - your CV is not your only way to get in front of people. And that - yes - you need CLARITY about where you’re going FIRST before you start writing - and rewriting, and re-rewriting - your CV, I want to say something else as well.
Every career change looks different. When I work with clients, they come away with VASTLY different results for the next steps in their careers:
They stay in their current job, but make changes so that they are happier where they are
They stay in their current career, but change jobs
They do their work, but in a different capacity: as a consultant, or a contractor, or an interim.
They take up freelance jobs, and create a portfolio career
They start working part-time, or on short-term contracts, allowing them to build a business on the side, or take up a creative project (or two)
And yes, some of them decide to make a wholesale career change
What I’m saying is this:
You NEVER start over.
You bring to your new career the skills you’ve gained over a lifetime.
Now - to answer the question - for how to write that up in a way that convinces a hiring manager to have a conversation with you.
How to write your career change CV
Remember the role of your CV? Yes, to tell your story in a way that convinces a hiring manager to have a conversation with you.
Here’s what to think about:
Your personal statement
In a career change CV your story becomes even more important. That’s why this part requires careful thought: about the story that makes you THE perfect candidate, from the perspective of the person who makes the hiring decision.
That’s why you should include the following things:
Who you are - Set out who you are and what you’ve done in your professional life - and what the one or two reasons are for you now to want to move into this new field.
What you can do - Showcase your most significant transferrable skills that will enable you to perform well in the the job you’re applying for in this new career and get an employer the RESULTS they want.
What you want - Explain WHY you’re interested in the role you’re applying for and why you chose to apply to this particular employer.
Your (transferrable) skills
In one of my earlier newsletters I talked (extensively) about transferrable skills. You can read it here: How do I identify my transferrable skills?
Your transferrable skills are KEY in your career change.
But it’s not only about your skills. It’s about your STRENGTHS. About the skills you LOVE using.
In a career change CV it’s even more important to focus on those transferrable skills (and strengths) - over and above your experience in the more traditional ‘job change’ CV.
More importantly, it’s about identifying WHICH skills and strengths would give the employer the RESULTS they’re after.
Practically that means you matching the skills required in the job description to examples of where you used your skills and strengths to get (comparable) results.
CV format
It’s why the functional CV (or skills-based CV) is one of the formats you can choose, over a more traditional CV listing your jobs in chronological order.
Alternatively, you could decide on a hybrid CV in which you combine a functional CV (focusing first on your personal statement and your skills) with a traditional experience-based CV.
What else to include
Ultimately your CV is a marketing document. It needs to convince the hiring manager that it’s worth having a conversation with you to confirm you’ve got the skills and strengths to carry out the job and get the results required.
Which means that - when you talk about your work experience to date - your focus should be on showcasing:
Your achievements - How have you achieved results for employers?
Numbers and statistics - Wherever possible include statistics and numbers that showcase the impact you’ve made with your efforts.
Your responsibilities - What responsibilities have you held that would help your next employer achieve the results they’re after?
Career break - Did you have a career break? Explain what you did during this break, and what you may have learned that contributes to your suitability for the job.
Active words - Achieved. Delivered. Led on. These are words that are not just important for a career changer CV, of course. Make sure you include them.
What to leave out
Qualifications - Do you have a non-related, irrelevant university degree? Done multiple courses or studies in topics totally irrelevant for the job you’re now going for? Have technical skills that are of no interest to an employer?
Especially when spending extra time (and room) on your (transferrable) skills in the top section of your CV you *may* want to leave them out.
‘References on request’ - You’re not still saying that are you? It’s not necessary.
Your hobbies - There are lots of differing views on including hobbies or personal pastimes on your CV. My view? Only mention them when they are key to your career change.
In business we are told to choose a ‘niche’, which can be professional as well as personal. A niche is about WHO you want to work with and WHAT you want to work ON.
Your career change might be a result of a deep desire to contribute to a cause, or pursue a passion. If this is the case for you, and your hobbies, interests, volunteering, side hustles, or passion projects show this passion then go for it!
Otherwise? Leave them off.
Conclusion
Depending on the job market and the blockers in your way getting your CV (or resume) ‘right’, sounds like an impossibly complicated task.
What I’m saying however is this:
You’re NEVER starting all over - you always bring your skills, strengths and passion to a new job. Do the work to identify them and match them to what employers want to see.
Clarity before strategy - get clear on what you want FIRST. Creating tailored CVs becomes an impossible job if you’re applying the scattergun approach.
Sending your CV is not your ONLY strategy - ESPECIALLY when you’re going for a wholesale career change your personal brand (how others perceive you and how you want to be known) and your networking strategy should be an integral part of your job search strategy
The *trick* of an effective career change CV is in making your skills and strengths, but more importantly your RESULTS, speak to an employer in a way that makes them want to speak with you.
Because THAT is what your CV or resume is for. A marketing document for YOU and your skills, strengths and RESULTS. A compelling document that invites curiosity and interest.
Nothing less.
But definitely also nothing more.
You ready?
Tineke X
P.S. In Step 5 - making it happen - in the Career Freedom coaching programme I’ll be supporting you in thinking about YOUR personal brand and in using and building your network. But not before we get CLEAR on what you WANT.
Want to know more? Book a free call in which we can discuss YOUR specific situation and you can ask me all your questions:
In other news:
Change Artists community
Last week I gave you THIS preview of my brand new community Change Artists, a community for women who are generalists, creatives, multi-passionates, women who love doing LOTS of different things. Helping you to help you be happy at work, make successful career transitions and create your creative life
We’re getting going from January 2025. And YOU can be a part of it when you sign up to my PAID version of this newsletter from January 2025.
You’ll get access to the community, to our monthly Ideas Club (see below) and the online Book Club.
Don’t want to miss out? Pledge your support for this newsletter and you’ll be IN when we get started with the Clubs in the Change Artists Community next year. Just hit the Subscribed button at the top of the page on Substack to pledge your support.
Ideas Club
So, what IS Ideas Club I hear you ask?
You see, I did a poll this week (it’s still going - come and play!) in which I asked people what CREATIVITY meant to them. You know what the majority or respondents said? Creative thinking.
Which is EXACTLY what we’ll be focusing on in Ideas Club.
Every month we’ll discuss ONE creative thinking technique and we’ll apply it to ONE problem brought to Ideas Club by one of you.
From previous iterations of Ideas Club it’s clear: Ideas Club is educational, collaborative, surprising, supportive and above all it’s FUN!
Pledge your support to this newsletter and get support for YOUR ideas in Ideas Club!
The Artist’s Way Group
It’s one of the Six books that shaped my life: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s why I started The Artist’s Way Group back in 2023.
The waiting list for my The Artist’s Way Group is filling up week by week.
Do YOU want to experience the power of this life-changing book and discover and recover YOUR creativity?
If there’s enough interest I *might* start our 2025 group earlier than planned, in January instead!
Join the waiting list now and I’ll let you know when the doors open.
🔴🟡🟠
Tineke Tammes is a Career & Creativity Coach and supports professional women in making successful transitions. Besides that she is also a lifelong feminist, part-time portrait artist, never-only-read-one-book-at-any-time reader, and obsessive doodler.
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Such wise and apposite words.