What do you do if your resume raises concerns about your career change?

A hybrid resume effectively combines the strengths of both chronological and functional formats, creating a comprehensive and versatile document. By listing your work history in reverse chronological order, it provides a clear timeline of your career progression, demonstrating stability and growth within your roles. At the same time, it emphasizes your most relevant skills and achievements, allowing you to highlight the competencies that are critical for the position you’re applying for. This format is particularly beneficial for career changers, as it allows for the inclusion of a summary statement or career objective at the top, clearly outlining your new career goals and how your past experiences align with them.

1. Be Honest and Transparent Brief Explanation: Provide a brief but honest explanation for the gap. Whether it was for personal reasons, further education, or a sabbatical, honesty is key. 2. Highlight Productive Activities During the Gap Further Education or Training: If you took courses, earned certifications, or attended workshops, highlight these activities. Volunteer Work or Freelancing: If you engaged in volunteer work or freelance projects, list these experiences and the skills you developed. Skill Development: Mention any self-improvement activities, such as learning new software, reading industry-relevant books, or attending conferences.

Sendo transparente durante a entrevista, informando de forma objetiva, sem dar voltas, sobre os motivos que levaram à mudança de carreira, e também sobre os novos motivos que o trazem de volta... É importante que esses motivos estejam relacionados aos valores do indivíduo, e se necessário, deverão ser fornecidas referências profissionais, que possam atestar sua conduta profissional nas empresas onde atuou, nas diferentes carreiras.

I have to disagree here... as a Headhunter who looks at resumes all day long, and a hiring manager who has hired hundreds of people for my own teams... DO NOT LIST YOUR RESUME in REVERSE ORDER! It's frustrating to look at and try to make sense of. Start with the most recent experience (even if it's volunteer, freelance, or consulting). Have a well thought out Professional Summary at the top that outlines your strengths as a professional, as well as your transferrable skills. In this space you can briefly touch on the industry changes or career pivots to the 'what you're doing now'... this is enough if it's done the right way. Then list your resume the way it's supposed to be viewed, from the most recent experience at the top.

Highlight Top Skills: Prioritize your strongest and most relevant skills at the beginning of the list. Consider the skills that are most frequently mentioned in the job description. Provide Context or Examples: For each skill listed, consider adding a brief sentence or bullet point that provides context or an example of how you’ve applied that skill in a professional setting. This demonstrates your proficiency and gives credibility to your claims.

Transferable skills can transcend any industry. A great leader in retail operations can still be a great leader in healthcare operations. Someone who has a keen focus on customer experience and customer engagement within ecommerce, can use those skills in the same ways within the veterinary medicine field, human healthcare, retail, or industrial industries. A great resume won't pigeon-hole you into a specific industry, but rather showcases your strengths and transferable skills across all sectors and industries. Thus, allowing you to apply to various jobs and still be selected for interviews. The key is to know the skills they are seeking, and make sure your resume speaks to those things.

Identify and emphasize skills that are applicable to the new career, such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and project management. Provide examples of how these skills were utilized in your previous roles and how they can be beneficial in the new role.

List specific skills that are pertinent to the new career. This can help bridge the gap between your past experience and your new career goals.

Customize your resume for the specific job you are applying for, highlighting relevant skills and experiences that align with the new role. Use a functional or combination resume format to emphasize your skills and achievements over your chronological work history.