Life Change: How to Write a Resume To Change Careers

These days, most of us will have at least one career change – many even three or four. We asked career transition coach Terri Lee Ryan how to write the right resume. "Your resume is your ticket in for an interview. A compelling resume tells your story and explains what skills and value you bring to a potential employer," Ryan says.

#1 Go Chrono. When you're changing careers, it's tempting to write a skills-based resume rather than a chronological resume. Don't do it. It's too much work for the recruiter to figure out your story. They'll have to write a summary if they pass you on to a hiring manager, and it's time consuming to analyze a skills-based resume.

#2 Build a Bridge. You need to create a connection to your new career by gaining experience and education in the new field. Internships, volunteer work, part-time jobs and temporary assignments all qualify. Be sure to list them after your Career Summary on your resume.

#3 Summarize Smartly. Your Career Summary section should emphasize skills that apply to the new field. Say you sold pharmaceuticals for 20 years and now want to work for a media production company. Those years in sales are valuable; talk about the type of clients you called on and your success rate.

#4 List 20 Years, Tops. Most recruiters don't care what you were doing more than 20 years ago, unless it was in the industry you're trying to re-enter. If that's the case, put the job and company in your Bridge section without dates.

#5 Give Dates. List the years you earned degrees and worked for companies. When you leave them off, it looks like you feel you are too old for the position.

#6 Keep It Concise. Don't let your resume extend beyond two pages. And don't say "references available by request. It's a dated phrase. If she's seriously considering you, the hiring manager will ask for references.

#7 Circulate Your Resume. Send it out to anybody who might help you set up an introductory meeting. Warm leads are always better than cold ones.