How to Write a Resume for an Industry You’ve Never Worked In

Are you overwhelmed by the idea of changing careers and starting over in an entirely new industry? It can certainly feel like a daunting task, especially when you consider everything that you need to get done for a successful career change.

One of the biggest problems we see career changers have is, “How do I convince the employer that I am the right fit when my experience doesn’t align with the job description?” The answer to this lies in highlighting transferable skills and translating experiences in a way that relates to the new industry.

Here are some of our best tips for writing a resume for an industry that you haven’t worked in before:

Research the industry

Before anything else, you must thoroughly research your target industry. Remember, you are about to learn about this industry from the ground level. Identify how the industry operates and what it focuses on. Then, learn the key skills, qualifications, and experiences that define success in the new industry. Online job boards will be the best tool for your research. Find a few job postings for your target job title within the industry and note down the keywords.

Highlight your transferable skills

When writing your resume and cover letter, you must lead with your transferable skills. Even if you don’t realize it right at the beginning, you may already possess a lot of important skills that will help you survive in the new field. Transferable skills are often soft skills such as leadership skills, organizational skills, communications skills, problem-solving skills, etc. Sometimes, certain hard skills such as data analysis, research skills, project management, and business acumen also function as transferable skills.

Write a skills-based resume

Finding it difficult to overcome the experience gap on your resume? Try writing a skills-based resume instead of a traditional chronological resume. A skills-based resume takes the focus away from your chronological work history, making it difficult for potential employers to spot that your experience does not align with the job description. You can instead highlight your skills on your resume to showcase how you are a perfect fit for the position.

Emphasize your accomplishments

Your accomplishments are valuable additions to your resume, no matter the industry you worked in. Impressive things that you’ve achieved in past roles would not pale in comparison to your transferable skills on a resume. Highlight your quantifiable results that show employers how you function at a higher capacity and bring value to the business. Be sure to describe your achievements in a way that translates to the new industry when you are writing your resume. You may need to change a few keywords to achieve that.

Finally, write a strong summary

Since you lack experience and skills in the new field, it isn’t likely that you will have enough material to tailor your resume to different positions. However, you should still try to customize it as much as possible. One of the best ways to tailor a resume is to write a strong career summary statement. Be sure to include your transferable skills, relevant experiences, and other qualifications when writing your career summary.