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Career AdviceFind your Dream Job

How to write a knockout CV for a career change

by admin April 9, 2018

Starting a job search can be an exciting time. And there’s nothing sweeter than spotting that job that ticks all the right boxes. It’s at this point, however, that the hustle begins. Step one? Writing or updating your CV.

For those simply changing jobs within the same field, getting your CV ready for the world to see is a pretty straightforward process that involves tweaking some dates and job descriptions. However, for a career changer who’s looking to move from one field to a completely unrelated one, an entirely different approach is needed.

How to write a skills-based CV for a career change

While a conventional CV aims to showcase a person’s employment history, as a career changer, your employment history is less important than the relevant transferable skills you have. You want to show employers that while you may not have years of experience in the specific job you’re applying for, you still have a LOT to offer. Here’s how to do that.

1. The personal statement

Start with a personal statement – this should be a short paragraph that states three things: who you are (current job), what you want (career aspirations) and what you have to offer (skills and experience).

2. Your key skills

Add a key skills section to the top of your CV and pull out five to six key skills you have that are relevant to the job. The first thing you want to show them is that you have the core skills needed for the job, even though you may not necessarily have experience in that specific job role.

This key skills section should take the format of a bullet-pointed list with a sentence or two explaining where you acquired the skill and how you use it in your current role.

3. Your employment history

Briefly outline your employment history. There are a few rules to bear in mind for this section. Firstly, only mention the relevant roles you’ve had, and by relevant we mean that these roles required you to use or develop skills that are relevant to your new career field. Secondly, while volunteering and work experience are not technically employment positions (meaning that you weren’t paid to do them), you should mention these in this section, as long as they’re relevant to your new career field. Finally, don’t forget to state the job title, the company you worked for, a description of each role’s responsibilities, key achievements in that role and the dates you worked in that job.

4. Your education history

Outline your education history, but if you graduated from uni more than 10 years ago, there’s no need to go further back than higher education. While your A Levels may be impressive, they really have little relevance once you’ve got a decade of work experience under your belt.

Also, take care to stack the odds in your favour by removing extraneous information that could be used against you. For example, if you graduated from uni more than five years ago, delete your graduation date. Providing such dates can help potential employers  estimate your age, which can then be used to discriminate against you. The only details you need to include within the education section of your CV are your degree name, the university you went to and the grade you got.

5. Hobbies and interests

The hobbies and interest section is a controversial one. While some people believe that including your hobbies shows your personality, we’re yet to meet a recruiter or employer who has hired a person based on his or her love of tennis. We think the space on your CV is better used on adding detail to the above sections.  If you have an interest or hobby that is very relevant to the role (e.g. you speak a language and you’re applying for a job with an international company or you’re an amateur photographer and you’re applying for a job in a media company), you should mention this in your key skills section.

6. References

Finally, comes the reference section. Do not divulge the names and contact details of your referees on your CV, especially if you are still in your current role and your employer does not know you are looking for a new job. The last thing you want is for an over-enthusiastic recruiter to contact your current employer BEFORE you’ve told your boss you’re leaving your job. Stick to the simple ‘references on request’ statement at the bottom of your CV. Some people advise against this because they believe it’s stating the obvious, but clarity never hurts.

And that’s a skills-based CV in a nutshell.

The only other thing to remember is to limit it to no more two pages of A4 and to use a simple, easy-to-read font like Calibri or Arial.

If you’d like to see an example of one, head over to our resources section to download a skills-based CV template.

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4. Then we started to get itchy feet. Once a type A, always a type A. 🤣  So, we're back! Older, wiser, realigned and raring to go. ⁠
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Oh and the world didn't stop spinning from hitting pause for a few months. 😊
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Moral of the story? Feel the fear and do it anyway. If you feel called to do something that doesn't make sense to others but it does to you, you know what to do. 😉⁠
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Real talk. Tag a strong woman who keeps going no m Real talk. Tag a strong woman who keeps going no matter what life throws at her. 👇⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
#keepgoing #theambitionplan #livelifetothefullest #vibratehigher #goodthoughts #motivationalwords #selfaware #createyourreality #positivity #strongmindset  #betrue #powerfulquotes #purposedriven #betruetoyourself  #believeinyou #startwhereyouare #madeformore #youarepowerful #highvibetribe #positiveintentions #manifestyourlife #betruetoyou #womenwithambition #hustleandheart #mindsetofgreatness #goalgetter #mindsetmatters #purposedrivenlife #youbeyou #livethelifeyouwant
Contrary to popular belief, no one has this all fi Contrary to popular belief, no one has this all figured out...⁠
and you don't need to either.⁠
⁠
Seriously.⁠
⁠
The only constant in life is change, which means that even if you do get to a place where life feels perfect, the universe will throw a curveball... just to keep you on your toes.⁠
⁠
So, worry less about figuring everything out and instead focus on staying true to yourself, moving in alignment and picking yourself back up when you stumble.⁠
⁠
It may not feel like it at times, but life is a PRIVILEGE. ⁠
⁠
Never forget it.⁠
⁠
⁠
#theambitionplan #mindsetquotes #beproudofyou  #growthquotes #ambitionquotes #girlbosslifestyle #beproudofwhoyouare #workonyourself #beproudofyourself #strongwomenquotes #strongwoman #motivateeachother #followyourdream  #encourageothers #savvybusinessowners #whorunstheworldgirls #femalebusinessowners #biggoals #lifechoices #womenintheworld #thinkbigger #createthelifeyoulove #motivationforlife #createyourhappy  #bossladymindset  #independentwomen #whoruntheworldgirls #reachyourgoals
You're solid gold, but some people prefer silver. You're solid gold, but some people prefer silver. Sucks for them. 😉⁠
⁠
⁠
#mindsetmatters #mindsetshift #theambitionplan #lifegoals #bossbabes #selfmotivation #thoughtfulquotes  #girlsempowerment #independentwomen #selfmotivated #entrepreneurcoach #motivationalquoteoftheday #dreambigorgohome #encourageyourself #innerthoughts #livetothefullest  #mindsetquotes #nolimitations #empowerwomen #empoweredwomenempowerwomen #successfulwomen #thebossbabesociete  #womeninspiringwomen #empoweringquotes #womenunite #yougotthis #empowerher  #pursuehappy #lifegoal #mompreneurs
We quit social media and shut our biz for 4 months We quit social media and shut our biz for 4 months... guess what happened?😱 😨⁠
⁠
1. We got SO much perspective. The amount of flexing that goes on here will screw with your mind and priorities if you aren't careful. And yep, we got sucked in too. 🙈  We noticed we'd started doing what we thought we 'should' do, instead of what we wanted to do, so we stopped.  And we stopped everything.⁠
⁠
2. We freaked the fuck out for the first 2 weeks. What if we lost ALL our followers? Was it biz suicide to stop selling our courses and running our events?  Yeah, we felt off track, but as they say, 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.' Maybe it was better to just keep going than shutting up shop.⁠ 🤔
⁠
3. We stood firm and white knuckled our way through the fear. Then something funny happened.... we kinda started to enjoy the freedom. Like REALLY enjoy the freedom from our phones.  We clawed back a ton of time, which we used to rest, regroup and reconnect with our 'why' (so cliched!).⁠
⁠
4. Then we started to get itchy feet. Once a type A, always a type A. 🤣  So, we're back! Older, wiser, realigned and raring to go. ⁠
⁠
Oh and the world didn't stop spinning from hitting pause for a few months. 😊
⁠
Moral of the story? Feel the fear and do it anyway. If you feel called to do something that doesn't make sense to others but it does to you, you know what to do. 😉⁠
⁠  #theambitionplan #pursueyourpassion #boldbraveyou #femalepreneur #womenhelpingwomen #selflovefirst #selfloveisthebestlove  #motivationnation #selflovequotes #womenwholead #focusonyou #mindsetquotes #whynotnow #inspirationalpost #girlstopapologizing #bossladiesmindset #workonyourself #pursuehappy #buildinganaempire #motivationalquoteoftheday #bossbabemovement #makingprogress #chooseyou #inspirationalthoughts #womenwithvision #femaleceo #wisdomquotes #selflovetips #selflovewarrior #celebrateyourself
Check, check, check, ✔ ✔ ✔. How about you? Check, check, check, ✔ ✔ ✔.  How about you?
⁠
#motivationalwords #thinkpositive #letsgo #thegoodquote #quoted #theambitionplan #womenwithambition #goalgetter #theuniversehasyourback #stayinyourlane #stayfocused #goaldigger #bossladies⁠ #positivevibes
#createthelifeyouwant #femalehustler #savvybusinessowner #bossbabequotes #sheboss #womenentrepreneurship #goaldiggers
External validation is addictive af. ⁠ ⁠ Make External validation is addictive af. ⁠
⁠
Make sure you catch yourself before you slip. 😉⁠
⁠
📸 @themayfairgroup⁠
⁠
#theambitionplan #fearlessfemales #knowyourworth #itsyourlife #dontsettle #moveforward #movingforward #dreambigger #lifethoughts⁠
#womeninspiringwomen #mindsetofgreatness #womenwholead #careergoals #pursuehappy #femaleceo #bossbabetribe #dreamersanddoers #livewithpurpose #theuniversehasyourback  #motivationoftheday #girlbosses #careeradvice #thefutureisfemale #bosschicks #selfaware #innergrowth #raiseyourvibration #highervibes
Tag the realest person you know... 👇⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Tag the realest person you know... 👇⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
#keepitreal #yougotthis #vibratehigher #goodthoughts #motivationalwords #positivity #strongmindset #powerfulquotes #theambitionplan #believeinyou #startwhereyouare #madeformore #youarepowerful #highvibetribe⁠
#thegoodquote #quoted #womenwithambition #goalgetter #theuniversehasyourback #stayinyourlane #stayfocused #goaldigger #bossladies⁠
#createthelifeyouwant #femalehustler #savvybusinessowner  #sheboss #womenentrepreneurship #goaldiggers
Eyes forward! Seriously. After 4 months off this p Eyes forward! Seriously. After 4 months off this platform, one thing we've learnt is how easy it is to get distracted by what everyone else is doing... and how much magic happens when you put blinkers on and do you for a while.
⁠
So, be honest. Are you busy for busy's sake or are you working toward something that truly (like TRULY) matters to you?⁠
⁠
⁠
#upgrade #empoweringquotes #positivityquotes #bossbabetribe #wordsofencouragement #positivewords #dailymotivation #womenwithambition #mindsetofgreatness #dreamersanddoers #successfulpeople #entrepreneurtips #positivityiskey #bossgirl #bosschicks #girlbosslife #bossbabes #goaldigger #lifegoals #fempreneur #womeneur #fempire #liveyourbestlife #girlbosses #womenwithgoals
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