Kick off your Career Change with a new resume! Resume writing 101 and templates

We know you hear it all the time - having a strong resume that clearly presents your skills and qualifications for a job is what ultimately improves your chances in the candidate pool and can get you a call back for an interview. But it can be difficult to figure out the best type of resume format to use. It can depend on where you are at in your job search and the type of role or industry you are looking to apply to.

Here are some scenarios and challenges that often arise when thinking of how to update your resume:

-You have left a job willingly, and are seeking new opportunities in the same field (or something different) and are unsure of how to position yourself 

-You have been laid off or furloughed and are seeking new opportunities but are unsure how to structure your resume
- You have built new skills and are ready to apply for roles in a new industry and want to ensure your resume highlights all your transferable and relevant skills

- You are not getting calls back for interviews

SkillUp has you covered with resume templates for different application scenarios (applying for a job in your industry, applying for a new industry, positioning yourself, etc).

Applying for a job in your industry but need to refresh your resume? Try this format:
Chronological

Use this one: Snap Shot Resume

Why its useful: It shows a timeline and clearly lists your relevant skills and experience

Tips and tricks:

It can be confusing to know what exactly to put in the bullets. Achievements are compelling to hiring managers over tasks. Practice listing out what you have achieved in previous roles and then have 2-3 strong bullets for each role that relates to what is asked for the role.

Still stuck? Form your responses using the STAR method. What is this?

Situation
Task
Action
Result

Example:

What you want to express in your bullet: I worked with a sales team to increase sales by using email marketing that targeted contacts by their zipcode. We saw a sales increase of 120%.

Writing it with the STAR method: “Led a team of sales representatives through a project to gain new business by customizing targeted inbound marketing through email which resulted in a growth of 120%”

Applying for a role in a new industry or that you do not have previous experience for?

Use this one:
Chronological Resume

Why it’s useful: In this type of scenario, you want to show how your current experience relates so try to plug key words in the top in the skills section. Remember to read the job description and incorporate key words in your resume. 

Unsure what resume type to use? Looking for a change? Not getting calls back? Have a broad range of skills and want to package them up?

Use this resume: Leading with skills

Why its useful: Leading with your skills that are relevant to the job you want will help the hiring manager better understand your background and how it translates to the job.

Remember: Hiring managers are scanning resumes looking for key words that relate to the role they are hiring for. It is important to use those key words as they relate to your background so they pop out to a hiring manager and increase your chances of getting a call back.

Learn more about SkillUp and our training catalog here.