Most Common Career Transition Resume Mistakes
By Gina Watson
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While you are hunting for a job or involved in a job search in a completely new domain, you need to be very careful and avoid certain common mistakes.
- Use of the traditional resume: It is true that a traditional resume is commonly used by job seekers and generally preferred by potential employers, but during a career change, its use is of little benefit. You need to understand that all that you have done in the past has little or no relevance to your current job search and as such, you must design a resume that stands up to the challenge. A functional resume style is effective in this case and will work well to highlight skills and accomplishments instead of past job positions and responsibilities.
- Long and unfocused resumes: Drafting out resumes with the intention to pour out every little detail about yourself is one of the biggest errors you could ever make. Your personal hobbies or mentioning that there was a gap in employment because you took care of your kids, is irrelevant information and does not appear professional on the face of the resume. Employment gaps and other issues can be either mentioned in the cover letter or discussed at the interview. Focus your resume on transferable skills, use industry specific and functional key words, and provide any data that has even slight relevance to the field you wish to transition to. Keep your resume crisp. The reader, at a glance, should be able to decipher where you are heading.
- Too much focus of responsibilities and positions (not on accomplishments): By and large, hiring managers wish to know how much you have contributed in your past positions. By simply listing positions and duties, you will not only be providing irrelevant information, but will also be diverting the attention of the reader. Pick out key achievements made by you and showcase them instead of mundane responsibilities. In yourjob search, you need to make recruiters believe that you are going to be effective in your new role, so the best way they will evaluate this aspect is by looking at your proven achievements.
- Poor design and format: To think that one-size fits all is damaging when it comes to resumes and can work against you, should you simply copy the design and format of your best friend' s resume. You have to illustrate that you are competent in the targeted industry and the best approach is to have a highly effective and attractive format and design. Use good paper, leave off flowers, hearts, and colors, and keep the resume simple, professional and consistent throughout.
