When you change field, your old CV works against you. It's written for the job you're leaving: its bullets use that industry's words and lead with that industry's achievements. A reader in the new field has to do the translating, and most won't. This guide shows how to turn the same history into a CV for the job you want, without pretending you've already done it.
The short answer
- Start with the new job, not the old CV. List what adverts in the new field ask for.
- Match your history to that list. Michael Page calls it a skills audit: mark everything that could transfer, and note the gaps.
- Prove each skill with a fact. A skill with nothing behind it is just a word.
- Put a short skills section near the top, then your full work history with dates.
- Use your profile to explain the move: who you are now, why you're changing, and the job you want.
- Tailor it every time. Prospects says this matters even more when you're changing career.
Step 1: work out what the new field wants
Read 3 to 5 adverts for the job you want and note the skills and experience that come up again and again. Edinburgh's careers service suggests reading the job description and person specification carefully, and linking your CV to the language they use.
Sort what you find into two piles: things you can already show, and things you can't yet. Michael Page suggests identifying the areas where you'll need to upskill, whether by going back to education or by getting work experience. Prospects notes that, depending on the path, you may need to retrain or upskill to compete.
Step 2: find your transferable skills
Prospects describes transferable skills as abilities that apply across industries. The National Careers Service (England) gives teamwork, communication and problem solving as examples, and has a skills assessment to help you see your strengths.
Then go through each job you've done and ask what you actually did, not what your job title says. A retail supervisor might find:
- Planning and scheduling: writes the weekly rota for 20 staff.
- Training: shows every new starter the tills and the stock system.
- Handling complaints: deals with the customers no one else can calm down, and keeps a log of repeat problems.
- Handling money: cashes up and banks the day's takings.
None of these is a retail skill. They're office, HR, customer service and operations skills that happened in a shop.
Step 3: prove each skill with a fact
Listing "communication" or "organisation" on its own doesn't help. What helps is one line that shows it: who, how many, how often, and what changed. The National Careers Service suggests adding new skills to your CV with how you gained them.
Use the new field's words where they're true. If an admin advert asks for "diary management" and you've run a rota and booked staff training, you can say "Managed the staff rota and training diary for a team of 20". If you can't point to something real, leave the skill off and treat it as a gap to work on.
Step 4: lay it out
Prospects suggests a skills-based CV format for career changers, so your skills lead and your job titles come second. Its own skills-based example still lists your employment history after the skills, and that's the part to keep. A CV with no dates makes a reader wonder what's missing.
A layout that works for most career changers:
- Name and contact details.
- Profile: 3–4 lines. Who you are, why you're moving, the job you want.
- Key skills: 3 or 4 skills the new job needs, each with one fact that proves it.
- Experience: every job, most recent first, with dates. Keep the bullets that matter for the new field and trim the rest.
- Education and training: including any course you've done for the new field.
Edinburgh's careers service suggests another option: a "Relevant experience" section that brings the most useful jobs or projects forward. It works well if some of your experience, such as volunteering or a side project, is closer to the new job than your main role.
Step 5: write a profile that explains the move
Prospects says your personal statement should clearly explain your motivation and enthusiasm for the new field. Michael Page's guide asks the same question: what are your motivations for switching careers? One honest clause is enough: "after 6 years running a shop floor, moving into HR".
Keep your real job title as your title. Putting "HR Administrator" under your name when you've never held that job will confuse a reader, and it won't survive the interview. Say the job you want at the end of your profile instead.
Worked example
This is a made-up example, not a real person.
Before, the CV is written for retail:
Store Supervisor, Northgate Home Stores, Mar 2019 – Present
- Supervise shop floor and tills
- Responsible for rota
- Deal with customer complaints
After, aimed at an HR or office administrator job:
Profile Store supervisor with 7 years in retail, moving into HR administration. Plans the rota and holiday cover for 20 staff and trains every new starter. Completed an online HR administration course in 2026. Looking for an HR administrator role in a growing business.
Key skills
- Scheduling: plans the weekly rota and holiday cover for 20 staff
- Onboarding and training: trains every new starter on the tills and stock system
- Records: set up a complaints log that the branch still uses to spot repeat problems
Store Supervisor, Northgate Home Stores, Mar 2019 – Present
- Plan the weekly rota and holiday cover for 20 staff
- Train new starters on tills and stock
- Handle escalated customer complaints and keep the complaints log
The job title, employer and dates haven't changed. The extra detail, such as the holiday cover, the log and the course, is true in this example: it was missing from the old CV, not made up for the new one. What's changed is which facts lead, and the words they're described in.
FAQ
Should I use a skills-based CV instead of a chronological one? Prospects suggests skills-based for career changers. A mix usually works best: a short skills section first, then your full dated history. That way the reader sees why you fit, and can still see what you've done and when.
Do I need a qualification before I apply? It depends on the job. Some roles need one; many entry-level roles don't. The adverts will tell you which ones are essential. Prospects notes you may need to retrain or upskill for some paths.
Should I leave off jobs that aren't relevant? Keep them, with their dates, but cut their bullets to one or two that support the new direction. Leaving a job off creates a gap someone will ask about.
Where do I explain why I'm changing? One line in your profile, then more in your cover letter. Keep it positive: what you're moving towards, not what you're getting away from.
Is volunteering or a side project worth including? Yes, if it shows a skill the new job needs. Put it in a "Relevant experience" or "Volunteering" section with dates and one fact.
Sources (checked 14 Nov 2026)
- Prospects: Changing careers
- Prospects: Skills-based CV example
- National Careers Service (England): Understand and develop your skills
- Michael Page: A guide to switching your career
- University of Edinburgh Careers: Adapting your CV
This isn't careers or legal advice. Check the National Careers Service (England) or a careers adviser for your situation.
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