4 Career Change Resume Mistakes to Avoid

4 Career Change Resume Mistakes to Avoid 4 Career Change Resume Mistakes to Avoid 18 If youre a seasoned professional, your resume may have served you well so far. But if you’re changing careers, then it’s time to change your resume too. Your updated resume should have a forward-looking focus, but with some caveats. Tout your past achievements, of course, but in a way that demonstrates how they will matter to the company youre hoping will hire you. Here are four career change resume mistakes to avoid: Not speaking the language. As much as a potential employer may appreciate all that youve accomplished in your past career, what theyre really looking to see on your resume is an articulation of what you can do for them moving forward. If youre taking a whole new turn in your career, its up to you to re-vamp your resume with a career switch in mind. Make clear that you understand your targeted new industry, and spell out how youll be a real performer if youre hired. Appearing unfocused. If its been a while since you made changes to your resume, dont hesitate to take a red pencil to your CV to make it sharper, more focused, and individually tailored to each job opening. As you shift your sights from one career to another, keep in mind  a few resume tips and tricks that may help you freshen up your presentation and make it shine. Edit fearlessly, proofread, and dont be too wordy- thats a big turn-off for time-challenged recruiters. Looking outdated. If youve always had a paper-only resume, its probably time to craft an online resume  to demonstrate your technological know-how and to showcase your experience in a more immediately accessible way. Try to keep the tone of your resume from feeling too stilted and formal, and offer details that demonstrate a familiarity with social media, computer skills (beyond the basics),  and other modes of technology. Overloading with details. Be selective- dont stuff your resume with every single accomplishment of your career. If you have many years of experience, youll likely need to omit some past achievements- especially those that are more than 15 years old. Unless it was an achievement of some consequence like, say, winning a major award, its to your benefit to leave old or insignificant information on the cutting-room floor. Career changers, use the comments section below to share your tips on how youve updated your resume and avoided career change resume mistakes!