Updating your resume can feel like a chore at the best of times – and it's especially confusing when you're trying to pivot into a new career. How are you supposed to show employers that you have the skills they need when your past experience doesn't necessarily make it obvious? In this sprint, we'll show you how to do all that and more. First, we'll help you zero in on your transferable skills. Then, we'll take the resume crafting process step-by-step, from how to write a bullet point to tailoring your presentation to individual roles.
<aside> ⏰ Completing this sprint should take about an hour and a half. We've provided some suggestions for how to time yourself as you work through this material – but feel free to move forward at your own pace.
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<aside> ⏰ We recommend spending 20 minutes on this section.
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The most important part of building a pivot resume is telling the right story. Your story is all about your transferable skills: how can your past experience help you shine in your dream career? In the last sprint, we asked you to start thinking about what those transferable skills might be. Now, it's time to start digging into those skills in depth.
<aside> ❓ If you didn't complete Sprint #1: Preparing to Pivot, that's ok! (We do recommend it, though). The transferable skills analysis is found in your Google Drive. Take a few minutes to review it, and then come back to this exercise.
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First, pull up your transferable skills analysis. As you look through it, circle the three to five skills you feel most confident and excited about. Then, do the opposite and look at your skill gaps. Pick out one or two that you feel especially insecure about, and start brainstorming ideas for how to address them. You don't have to come up with anything definitive right now – the point of this exercise is just to get you thinking.
<aside> ⏰ We recommend spending 20 minutes on this section.
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Now that you have a few key transferable skills in mind, you can start crafting a summary statement. Summary statements are critical for career pivoters: this is where you can employers exactly why you're qualified for a role. They should be short – no more than a sentence or two – and to the point. First, go back to your skill analysis and identify one or two things that make you a great fit for your new career. With your greatest strengths in mind, it's time to come up with a draft. We've developed a template to get you started: