7 Common Resume Mistakes Career Transitioners Make
Most information online about resume building is tailored to recent college graduates, or people applying for jobs within their own industries that are similar to what they do today. Standard templates are built for these use cases and most of the time, even professional resume writers are using these templates. However, if career transitioners follow the standard advice, and the standard templates they are unlikely to get traction.
No two resumes are the same. However, after reviewing thousands of resumes from career transitioners there are issues I’ve seen over and over. In fact, when I was trying to change careers in 2009, I made all of these mistakes too.
Staged houses sell 30% faster and for 17% more money than vacant houses. This isn’t because buyers wonder what to put in a bedroom, (fun fact, it’s a bed.) It’s because adults rarely spend the mental energy to imagine the potential. The same is true for candidates. Your experience doesn’t speak for itself in a new industry. If your previous title doesn’t clearly explain your role in the terminology of your target industry, translate it, and leave your official title as a subtitle or in parentheses.
Just because you had a job once, doesn’t mean you need it on the resume. Keep your history to the last 10 years of working experience max. If you are applying for more entry or mid level roles, you may want to cut even more than that. Machine learning algorithms in the Applicant Tracking System are evaluating the word/phrase matches with the job description. Extra stuff that isn’t relevant will disqualify you before a human even sees your application.
Recruiters spend an average of 6–7 seconds skimming a resume. If you are listing highlights that aren’t directly related to the job description they are just noise. I know you’re proud, you can talk about your accomplishments in later interviews. If it’s not 100% clear how it relates, the resume isn’t the spot for it. Anything over 2 pages guarantees most of it won’t be read.
According to recruiters at Google 76% of resumes are rejected for unprofessional emails. If you are applying for roles with technology forward companies, this may include your outdated service @Netscape @Yahoo etc. This indicates you are not tech savvy or open to change. Grab a free Google account, but yes, also skip the hotguy2022@… part too.
Use colors and formatting to lead the eye where you want it to go.
Make it skimmable
If your titles and dates aren’ the headline you want them to take away (for a career transitioner they probably aren’t), then don’t make those the most noticeable thing. Highlights and experience can be split away from specific jobs to their own section. Draw the focus to what is transferable.
6. Applying for an individual contributor role? So many people lead with a statement about the number of years of experience and team sizes they led. Don’t make being overqualified your first impression. In better paying industries, XX+ years of experience or senior leadership titles signal that your salary expectations are going to be too high. Even if salaries are on a different scale in your last career, for example a director at a non-profit may make 50% less than a director at a tech company. For in-demand jobs, they won’t take the time to educate themselves about other industries. They’ll just disqualify you.
7. While you are working on cutting back your resume to just the essentials, don’t forget soft skills matter. Often they are the most transferable skills you are bringing with you. Sometimes people, especially women, are uncomfortable with singing their own praises. It may be more natural to state quantifiable facts. Job descriptions are listing more and more soft skills in the requirements. If you have them, sing it loud and proud.
The resume is meant to be the movie preview, not the movie itself. Don’t give away the whole plot. The story you are telling isn’t just who you were, but how the person you are right now is the person that’s right for this specific role. Find the right balance to give just enough information to catch their interest so they will bring you in to learn more.
