How Employers React To Your Career Change Resume (and what you can do about it)

Nope ... That's the immediate first reaction that employers have to most career change resumes.

When your resume gets past ATSs and is being reviewed by humans (HR, recruiters or the hiring manager), the reason an employer thinks nope is because they can't clearly see that you're a fit. They make this decision very quickly, on average in 6 seconds, so you've got to show that you could be a good choice for your new career/industry, and you need to do it fast.

Instead, your resume probably describes what you did, rather than why you could be a good choice for your next target job function or industry. So you don't present yourself as a fit, causing you to be screened out for interviews. Many candidates use a cover letter to explain the reasons they should be considered for a career/industry change. This rarely works well - Most employers say they don't believe cover letters and they just cause a distraction that is more likely to get you rejected (plus they're almost never keyword searched by ATSs).

Good thing there are many things you can do to change that gut feel first reaction that you're not a fit.

Here are a few things you can do to change an employer's first reaction from nope to ... let's talk about it:

1. Describe Why You Are A Fit ... Rather Than Why You're Not:?Your resume probably describes your past career and industry, but fails to show why you'd be a fit for your next career/industry. Most job seekers don't know how to describe past experience to make you look like a match for a new job function or industry. But when you describe your past career/industry, it emphasizes gaps and forces an employer to guess why they should consider you, because you highlight many reasons you're not a fit.
2. Focus On Impact:?The best way to show that you're a quick learner is to focus your resume on how you've improved performance of your team/department/company, rather than responsibilities/experience. To get an employer to take a risk on your career change goals, you need to prove you'll be a better choice than others currently in that job function/industry. Saying you're a quick learner doesn't prove anything to a naturally skeptical reader.
3. Stop Applying Online:?Applicant Tracking Systems are programmed to screen out candidates trying to change job functions or industries. If you're applying on job boards, company web sites, LinkedIn, or networking in a way that redirects your resume to the ATS, you're wasting your time.

These are just a few ways to get employers to consider you when you're trying to change careers or industries. I can show you many more ways to fix?how employers?react to your career change resume.

Let me show you what changes to your resume/job search strategy will help you accelerate your job search?and how to incorporate them into your resume and job search.

I've been teaching job seekers to find a great job fast for 14+ years. I'll show you how to find a great job with a resume and job search that understands employers' points of view and syncs with hiring processes.

(BTW, I'm not just a career coach. I've also been a top national recruiter for the last 15 years ... so you'll get advice from an insider's point of view.)

Let me show you what to change in your job search and resume, so you can accelerate your job search and find a great job,?no matter if you're currently employed, unemployed, over 40, changing careers, searching for a raise or promotion, or have other tough job search problems.

Join me for my next free Resume Webinar (enroll at https://x.resumewebinar.com/Registration for no charge) and learn how to accelerate your job search, so you can find your next job faster.

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