Revamp Your CV For Career Change
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by Kim Isaacs
In a competitive job market, it's hard enough for job seekers on a steady career path to get their CVs noticed. If you are pursuing a new direction, it's all that much more difficult to convince hiring managers to take a chance on you.
A common mistake career changers make is to use the same CVs that worked in their previous careers when they're pursuing new ones. Instead, CVs should be reworked to emphasise key qualifications for new objectives. The best way to get started is to research the field you're trying to break into to understand what hiring managers want from their workers. Network with people in the industry and review job openings on Monster. Learn about the skills and other credentials that are important in your new career.
Now answer the question: "Why should an employer take a chance on me?" You may not have the desired experience, but you probably have skills that are transferable from your former career, a hobby, volunteer experience, etc. A transferable skill is a skill that you developed in one career that is applicable to your new career. For example, a teacher may leverage communication skills used daily in the classroom (e.g., delivering presentations, facilitating group discussion, persuading others and writing reports) to a new career in sales.
Write down a list of your most desirable, related qualifications; these should form the cornerstone of your CV. Next, select the most appropriate CV format based on the type of career change you are pursuing:
