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Learn how to write a career change CV to free you from the shackles of that boring 9–5 and get you started in the job of your dreams. Full template included.
Gone are the days where we leave school or uni, get a job, stick with it for 40–50 years and retire with a gold watch at the end of it all. In fact, the average person will now change careers 5–7 times during their working life.
And when it comes to such a big change you can’t just stick to the same old trusty CV you’ve always used. You need a cleverly crafted career change CV to show you’ve got the ability to thrive in another industry.
It’s a unique challenge that requires you to rethink the skills and experience you already have. Get it right and it’ll be the key that opens the door to new employment opportunities.
So if you’re ready to move on to pastures new, read on and you’ll see a professional career change CV example you can adjust and make your own. Plus, you’ll learn an easy formula for writing a CV for a change of career that will land you 10x more interviews than any other CV you’ve written in the past.
Here’s a change of career CV example made with our builder.
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Career change CV made with our builder—See more templates and create your CV here.
Not looking to make a career change just yet? Take a look at our job-specific CV and cover letter examples:
James Cox
Ph: 0777 777 7777
Email: jcox_zety@gmail.com
Research scientist with 8+ years experience looking to transition to teaching A-level physics and chemistry. Passionate advocate for STEM learning with experience presenting science to the public via my blog Let’s get PHYSICSal. Have just completed postgraduate teacher training and eager to put my knowledge into practice and share my passion with students.
Skills Summary
Written Communication
Teaching
Planning
Oral Communication & Presentation
Work Experience
Research Scientist
Biodyne Corporation, Cambridge
October 2016—August 2019
Key achievement: Trained and mentored 3–4 undergraduate work experience students a year. All went on to postgraduate studies and one joined Biodyne as a graduate research assistant.
Research Scientist
Nutritis Inc., Cambridge
August 2011—September 2016
Key achievement: Designed and delivered training to non-technical staff about workplace specific health and safety and general scientific education.
Education
Post Graduate Certificate in Education. September 2019-June 2020 (expected graduation)
University of Cambridge, UK
PhD in Chemistry, September 2009–June 2011
University of Cambridge, UK
MPhil Chemistry, September 2008–June 2009
University of Cambridge, UK
BSc Chemistry (2:1 Hons), September 2005–June 2008
University of Cambridge, UK
Hobbies & Interests
Now here’s the new job-winning change of career CV formula.
A career change is the process of moving from one job sector to another. It’s a bigger shift than just a change of jobs. So your career change CV needs to show your existing skills and work history will transfer to success in your new role.
For most candidates, we’d recommend going for a chronological CV format, the classic CV structure that you’re already familiar with. But for a career change CV you need to do things differently.
Standard advice is usually to write a skills-based CV for career change. But to be honest they’re a nightmare to write and recruiters hate them. So we’re going to use a unique format. It’s called a hybrid or combination CV.
It’s so-called because it combines the well-planned structure of a chronological CV combined with an expanded skills section and focused personal statement. It’s a format rarely seen in the UK, but perfect for a CV for a career change.
There’s another advantage to using a hybrid format too. They’re computer friendly. Skills-based CVs can confuse the ATS software that most companies use to scan your CV. And if that happens it’s ‘computer says no’ for your chances of changing career.
First though, let’s cover the basics of how to layout a CV for change of career:
Read more: How to Layout a Professional CV
A CV personal statement or personal profile is the introduction to your CV and the introduction to you as a candidate. You need to show confidence in your abilities and highlight your strengths. Draw the recruiter in with information that supports your potential to excel in your new career.
I know that sounds hard, but all you need to do is answer these three questions.
And to formulate your answers do this.
Before you start writing bear two points in mind. First, you’ll find this section easier to write if you leave it until last. It’s much easier when you’ve got your experience, skills and education all set out and ready to refer to.
Second, you can make your career change CV personal statement slightly longer than you normally would. For a standard CV, 3–4 lines is the recommended limit. For a career change CV you can stretch to 4–5 lines to give yourself more room to sell your transferable skills and experience.
Take a look at the personal profile from the CV above.
Research scientist with 8+ years experience looking to transition to teaching A-level physics and chemistry. Passionate advocate for STEM learning with experience presenting science to to the public via my blog Let’s get PHYSICSal. Have just completed postgraduate teacher training and eager to put my knowledge into practice and share my passion with students.
That’s crystal clear. Straight up our candidate explains his intended career move, then he shows passion for his field of expertise, experience in sharing his knowledge and evidence of training for the new role. It’s a perfect blend for someone making a career change to teaching and an ideal start to his CV.
Read more: How to Write a CV Personal Statement [20+ Examples]
When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional CV template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.
This is where we get to the hybrid part of your career change CV. We’re going to take the skills summary found in a skills-based CV and transplant it into a chronological CV format. First, choose 3–4 skills or functions to act as headings, making sure they’re directly relevant to your new career. And of course, make sure you can prove your proficiency in them.
These skills are commonly used for a change of career CV.
Then when you’ve chosen your skills or functions, enter each as a sub-heading and add 1–2 bullet points under each proving your proficiency in them. And try to include numbers to quantify your achievements and experience.
Here’s an extract from the skills section in our example CV above.
Teaching
Planning
You can see our candidate has included skills directly targeted at teaching. Teaching itself is self-explanatory, but a huge part of teaching is planning, both daily lesson plans and long term plans for the curriculum.
It’s all about knowing your target job, understanding the skills required and drawing upon experience you already have that evidences them.
Read more: Key Skills to Put on a CV [Best List of Examples]
Your work experience section remains central to a career change CV. You need to show how your existing experience is transferable to your new career. Here’s how to structure it.
And remember for a career change CV you should focus on achievements and experience that are relevant to the new career you’re targeting. If you’ve got a particularly relevant achievement for a particular role then include it as a ‘Key achievement’ in a separate line just below the last bullet point.
Here’s what our scientist turned teacher did.
Research Scientist
Biodyne Corporation, Cambridge
October 2016—August 2019
Key achievement: Trained and mentored 3–4 undergraduate work experience students a year. All went on to postgraduate studies and one joined Biodyne as a graduate research assistant.
Again, look how the candidate has leveraged his experience to highlight a teaching and education angle. His key achievement focuses on teaching and mentoring undergraduate students. Experience that’s directly transferable to teaching.
Read more: 20+ CV Tips and Advice for Job Application Success
Your education section is still important in a career change CV. Here is the information that all recruiters expect to see. First for university graduates.
And this is what you need if you were a school-leaver.
That’s where a CV would usually end. But not a career change CV. We’re going above and beyond to show you can succeed in a new field so we need something extra.
Many job seekers dismiss additional sections as an afterthought. But for a career change CV they’re a golden opportunity to highlight even more transferable skills and experience. Here’s what to do.
Read more: Best Hobbies and Interests to Put on a CV
A career change CV demands a cover letter. To convince a hiring manager you’ve got what it takes you need as much proof of your abilities as you can muster. And rest assured, cover letters are still a thing. In fact, more than half of employers regard them as a must-have.
This is how to write a cover letter for career changers.
One last piece of advice. Follow up every application. If there’s no reply after a week, follow up by email or phone and check on the progress of your application. It’s a proven way of boosting your chances of success.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Let’s sum up how to write a career change CV:
Thanks for reading. What did you think of our career change CV examples? Is there anything we missed about writing a CV for career change? Is there a specific sample CV for career change you’d like to learn more about? Let me know in the comments section and I’ll be happy to help.
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