Are you looking for new challenges that your current role isn’t giving you or simply want a new work experience? Hopping into another industry can do wonders for your personal and professional growth. Who knows? Maybe you’ll flourish in a different environment! 

Learn More: Ask a Career Coach: How Can I Achieve Greater Satisfaction in My Career and in Life?

While a career switch is often thought of negatively due to the associated instability, it is a great way to broaden your horizons and grasp new opportunities. In fact, to help mid-career Singaporeans successfully transition into another industry, the government has introduced numerous initiatives, such as the Mid-Career Pathways Programme and the Career Conversion Programme. 

But taking this leap requires plenty of courage and not everyone out there dares venture into the unknown. As a mid-career switcher without prior experience in the field, how can you present yourself as an attractive candidate to your prospective employers? Thankfully, the right resume can increase your hireability. Here are some key strategies to note.

1. Craft A Compelling Objective Statement

The first part of your resume that employers look at is the objective statement, which is a concise paragraph, usually one to two sentences, that briefly shares the skills and qualifications you can bring to the role.

According to an eye-tracking study, recruiters spend only about 7.4 seconds skimming through resumes. This means that you must successfully capture their attention from the get-go and encourage them to continue reading.

While it might be convenient to send out the same resume containing only one statement to all companies, we recommend creating custom ones for impact and to show employers your drive. Here are two examples, which do you think is more likely to leave an impression?

• Graphic designer with nine years of experience in developing visuals for social media platforms, seeking a full-time position as a social media design manager at XYZ company where I can contribute to developing impactful creatives for ABC projects within your marketing department.

• Graphic designer with nine years of experience in developing visuals for social media platforms, seeking a full-time position as a social media design manager where I can contribute to developing impactful creatives.

Additionally, showcase some personality in your objective statement. Don’t be a buzzword copycat; look for vocabulary or phrases that best describe your personal attributes and include them. You may even wish to include a cover letter to explain the career change, communicate your interest in the opportunity and detail why you’re the best fit.

2. Highlight Transferable Skills and Experiences

Even without relevant work experiences, you may possess abilities that could be valuable to your prospective company. Whether they’re client-servicing skills, knowledge of Agile methodologies, or leading a team, these are key points you can outline in your resume to give potential employers a reason to hire you.

Similarly, tailor your resume to the job and emphasise relevant experiences. For example, if you’re a ship engineer with dreams of becoming a data scientist, you can talk about how your knowledge in maths, science and technology, and critical thinking and reasoning skills can be helpful.

3. Detail Any Relevant Achievements or Projects

Led a team of 10 on a project that saw a percentage increase in revenue? Managed to exceed your monthly Key Performance Indicator (KPI)? These are examples of quantifiable achievements and contributions you can add to your resume to show employers your capabilities and tell them why you’re the right person they’re looking for.

Not sure what to include? Think about the tasks your prospective role may involve. The information will help you determine which achievements are suitable and may be most impressive. Remember, it’s always important to customise your resume according to the job you’re applying for. A 100% increase in social media engagement will mean nothing to a business that prioritises reaching out to most of its customers via traditional marketing channels.

4. Showcase Your Personality

Being yourself and allowing your character to shine through your resume can sometimes do wonders, depending on the industry you’re applying to. The effort to present yourself well will help your resume look better than just a sheet of words describing your experiences. For instance, adding photos or designing a visually appealing resume for a digital marketing position. This shows your attention to detail and how well you’ll gel with the role. With online tools like Canva available, this shouldn’t be a problem. 

Here’s a resume writing tip if you’re a beginner at crafting one: use the STAR method.

Source: Enterprise Mobility

The STAR method, an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, and Result, is a four-part technique that guides candidates through answering interview questions effectively. It can also be helpful when you’re putting together your resume. 

• Situation: Detail the situation of the job position (e.g. When I worked as a marketing executive, I was responsible for the strategic planning of marketing campaigns for events.)
• Task: Detail your tasks and responsibilities (e.g. I had to identify effective digital marketing channels to leverage and the type of content to produce to market the events we were planning.)
• Action: Detail your efforts in accomplishing the task (e.g. I made use of Google Analytics to define my online audience segments and learn about their behaviour, and used data findings to influence content.)
• Result: Detail how your action helped you to achieve your result. (e.g. The marketing campaign had a 10% increase in engagement compared to previous campaigns and event sign-ups increased by 8%.)

Once you’re done listing out the information, edit for clarity and brevity. Here’s an example:

Marketing Executive, XYZ Company

Objective: Strategic planning of marketing campaigns to drive event participation

• Leveraged Google Analytics to identify effective marketing channels and inform content strategy

• Used data findings to improve campaign performance
• Achieve a 10% increase in campaign engagement and an 8% increase in event sign-ups compared to past events. 

Resume writing doesn’t have to be challenging. By following these tips, crafting a resume that will help you make a career switch successfully will be a walk in the park. 

If you’re contemplating job hopping but need some help taking the leap, we recommend speaking with a career coach! Career coaching can help you determine what your next steps should be to increase your employability. 

From job market insights and upskilling resources to career coaching consultations, e2i has everything you need to excel in your career. 

Find out more about e2i’s services for individuals.