Making a career shift is a hard decision to make. And, creating a resume for the same can be daunting. When you are shifting your career, you are against a number of candidates who have the experience in the field you are now trying to get into. In order to stand out of the competition, you will have to create an eye-catching resume.

In order to create an outstanding resume, you will have to look at your accolades and experiences in a different way. What works best is that you create a skill based resume, highlighting skills that match the job requirements.

Here is how you should go about writing a skill based resume that you should be using.

#1 Start New

Do not think of just tailoring your resume. A career change would require you to start from the beginning. Reanalyse your skills and decide which ones should make place in your CV.

#2 Work On Making the Right First Impression

You should be spending a good time in drafting your cover letter. A well-drafted, engaged and compelling cover letter is sure to give you a good start.

#3 Have a Well-Defined Job Goal

A well-defined job goal would direct you towards repositioning your experiences and qualifications in your resume. It will let you decide what you want to highlight in your resume.

#4 Use a Skill Based Resume

A chronological resume might not work for you when you are switching careers. It is better that you explore new skills, analyse new skills and fill any skill gaps if you have. Demonstrate the most related skills first followed by the rest.

#5 Know What You Can Leave

Though it is important to include accomplishments in your resume, it is unnecessary that you put every detail of your accomplishments in your CV. Yu can also leave out any accomplishment that does not suit this job.

#6 You Should Use Non-Work Related Experience

Since your professional experience does not fulfil the criteria in this case, you could add weightage to your resume by using extra-curricular activities. Include any internships, volunteering or projects that are relevant to this new profile.

#7 Quantify Major Contributions

You should include numbers wherever it is possible. Numbers demonstrate your value to the employer.

#8 Identify Transferable Skills

Identify the skills which are transferable and can be equally useful to you in the shift you are making. Skills like project management, securing sponsorship etc. can be useful at every job.

#9 Relax!

Panicking during a job search is easy. But sit back and relax and just focus on doing things right. Once you have the skills in place, you will too have a job.