Career Transition Resumes

Before you begin to choose your new job and start creating your career transition resume, you’ll have to understand that you should be able to identify the right career for you. You need to uncover the skills and special talents that you have. Know which transferable skills or talents you posses. First go through the following questions.

• What did your previous colleagues or supervisors count on you the most? What do they always commend you for?
• Have you helped or guided a new employee? What lesson or great teaching have you offered that new employee?
• If you were tasked to create training manual on your previous job, how would you describe how to do the job best?
• Do you recall the last time you went beyond your role or job description that you’ve earned more than your usual pay?
• If your friend would brag about you, what do they say?
• What’s the most courageous thing you did that you’re so proud of?
• What creative things have you made that you were so happy with yourself? Describe it and why it made you feel good.
• When clients or customers praise you, what do they say about your work?
• What ten qualities do you admire from other people?
• Name a project you’ve done that made you so interested and involved in.
• Write down a problem that only you were able to solve.

As you go through your answers, add the jobs that come to mind. Now choose one for your job objective. A job objective should be made up of 6 to 10 words. It should be clear and precise and not made up of flowery words or over-used sentences. An example would be, “Position as a graphic artist with a publication company.” Now that you have the objective, find out about the requirements of the job. What are the skills needed? Is there a special education or experience needed? Check job listings or search the internet. Do you have relevant skills and abilities?

Special knowledge can be used the same for skills. Next thing to add to your resume is to identify and describe your achievements. You can use the PAR or Problem, Action, and Results approach. Second, you can use the Recognition approach. You can also use the “So what” approach. Write the results of what you’ve done by showing why it mattered. Take for example, instead of saying that you were always friendly to customers, you’d say “Increased customer relationship and satisfaction as well as product sales by…” then state what you did.

After that, list down your work history. Put only the years and not that exact date. Now add the education and training such as apprenticeships, workshops and seminars relevant to your new career, decrees, certificates, correspondence courses, night-school classes, internships, hobbies that develop your job-related skills. Now summarize your key points that will help you get that job. Now you are ready to format and assemble your resume.