How to Write Your Career Change Resume Objective: Examples

Your resume objective could be crucial, especially if you are beginning a career change. Here are ways to shine.

By Martina Mascali, Monster Contributor

If you are planning to embark on the process of a career change, rewriting and optimizing your resume for the new opportunities you seek is extremely important. After all, you might be competing with candidates who are already experts in that industry, and your career change resume must indicate that you are equally as qualified to perform the role as they are. Our career change resume objective examples show you effective ways to stand out from the start.

In this article we explain what a resume objective is and when to use it instead of a summary, as well as how to describe your motivations and value as a career changer. We include a step-by-step guide for how to write an impactful resume objective for a career change and effective vs poor career change resume objective examples.

What Is a Resume Objective for Career Change and How Is It Different to a Summary?

Both a resume objective and resume summary are short statements about your career goals and are often confused with each other. Even though some candidates include both, it’s best to use one or the other, placed after your contact information.

The purpose of a resume summary is to briefly highlights your skills, strength, qualifications, and previous relevant work experience. For this reason, using a resume summary for career change is not ideal, as it’s better suited to job applications within your current field.

A resume objective is shorter than a summary, two to three sentences instead of four to five, and must focus on your transferable skills, strengths, and qualifications that are suitable to the new job you want. Therefore, a resume objective for a career change helps you be seen as a valid candidate by recruiters because it tells them straight up that you have the main characteristics they are looking for.

If you’ve been using a resume summary for a career change, instead of a resume objective, and not getting enough interviews, this could be the reason why. You must highlight what’s really important in your new career, or else recruiters might not connect the dots and dismiss your resume as not relevant to the job.

How to Write a Career Change Resume Objective

Customizing your resume objective each time you apply for a job helps you obtain better results. Before showing you some career change resume objective examples, let us introduce you to the key components and a step-by-step guide for what to include in yours.

Step 1: Your Current Job Status

Open your resume objective with a description of who you are right now, professionally speaking. Include your title or industry, and one or two of your strongest qualities or skills. For example:

  • Result-driven sales professional
  • Detail-oriented retail manager
  • Empathetic healthcare professional

Step 2: The New Career You Hope to Take on

Show recruiters that you took the time to read their job listing by customizing your resume objective and stating the career you are hoping to transition into. Such as:

  • ...seeking a position as a marketing manager
  • …seeking a career transition to a finance role
  • …seeking to pursue a career in college education

Step 3: Your Transferable Skills and Qualifications

Highlighting skills developed in your previous jobs that can be used in a new career is a really important step in your career change journey. It helps identify you as a compelling candidate with professional value for the role you are applying to, even if you don’t strictly have experience.

If, for example, you are transitioning from a career in sales to one in marketing, you can write about skills that are important in both industries such as:

  • building strong relationships with clients
  • developing strategies to drive business growth
  • representing raw data visually

Step 4: How Your Goals Align with Those of the Hiring Company

You’ve written who you are, who you want to be, and which skills and qualifications you possess. Now it’s time to insert a brief pitch about what makes you the right candidate for that specific job. Carefully look at the job description to identify the employer’s goals. Sometimes they’ll be clearly stated whereas other times you’ll have to read between the lines and ask yourself questions such as:

  • Are they seeking a manager to handle existing clients only or someone skilled in increasing their customer base?
  • Is teamwork important for this new role or is it more of an independent environment?
  • Do they need someone creative and capable of generating new ideas or that can bring more structure and organization?

Career Change Resume Objective Examples

To help you understand what type of content you should and should not include in your career change resume objective, examples of effective vs poor statements.

Effective Career Change Resume Objective Examples

  • Results-driven sales professional seeking to transition into a digital marketing role. Leveraging my experience in building strong relationships with clients and developing effective sales strategies, I am committed to using my skills to develop innovative marketing campaigns that drive business growth.
  • Motivated software engineer making a career change to a data analyst role, with experience in developing complex software systems, working with databases, and applying problem-solving skills. I am excited to use my skills to help your organization make data-driven decisions and achieve its strategic objectives.
  • Detail-oriented manager with a background in finance seeking a career change to HR. As an analytical thinker with strong problem-solving skills, I am eager to bring my ability to work well under pressure, and attention to detail to support your HR department and help attract top talent to your organization.
  • Skilled administrative assistant looking to transition into project management. I’m ready to use my expertise in managing schedules, organizing documents, and working collaboratively with teams to assist your organization in completing projects on time and within budget.
  • Experienced teacher seeking a career change to instructional design. With my passion for creating engaging and effective educational materials, I am confident that I can bring my pedagogic knowledge and communication skills to create exceptional learning experiences that align with your company’s goals.
  • Dedicated customer service representative seeking a role as an event planner. As a detail-oriented and highly organized individual with a passion for creating memorable experiences, I am excited to bring my customer service skills and creativity to plan successful events that align with your company’s brand and vision.
  • Empathetic nurse seeking a career change to healthcare administration. With my experience working in fast-paced and high-pressure environments, as well as my understanding of healthcare systems and regulations, I am confident that I can contribute to your team and help improve the delivery of patient care.
  • Dependable journalist looking to transition into public relations. With my expertise in storytelling and communication, along with my ability to work well under pressure and meet tight deadlines, I can help your organization build positive relationships with the media and public to expand your brand.
  • Seasoned marketing professional seeking a transition into project management, possessing excellent communication and leadership skills, along with the ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines. My goal is to work for a company that values collaboration and innovation, and where my experience can be leveraged to drive successful project outcomes.
  • Experienced construction worker looking to transition into sustainability. With my knowledge of sustainable practices, ability to work well with teams, and experience in construction I can help your organization reduce its environmental impact and promote sustainability in the construction industry.
  • Highly motivated sales executive with a proven track record of exceeding targets, I am eager to apply my analytical and strategic thinking skills to a new career in data analysis. My experience in customer relationship management and data-driven decision making makes me an ideal candidate for a data analyst role delivering insights that drive business growth.
  • Motivated educator with a passion for marketing, skilled in developing plans, assessing progress, and engaging with diverse audiences. I’m seeking a marketing position where I can leverage my communication and research skills to create compelling marketing campaigns and enhance the organization’s brand.

Poor Career Change Resume Objective Examples

  • Seeking an opportunity as a salesperson at your company. I read that you offer a great bonus, so I decided to apply because I’m greatly in need.
  • Stressed ex-doctor looking for a 9 to 5 teaching job with kids who don’t ask a lot of questions.
  • Former marine looking for a slow-paced job where I can still get to carry a weapon and use my authority over others.
  • I don’t have experience working with children, but I had a dog for many years that was as needy as a screaming sick kid. As long as I don’t have to clean any dirt, I can handle this job.
  • I want to challenge myself, so I decided to switch careers. I hope you’ll give me a chance. I’ll do whatever it takes to get to the top.

Remember to also check for grammatical mistakes and typos, which can compromise the meaning of what your writing and the recruiters view of your skills.

Land More Job Interviews for Your New Career

Use our career change resume objective examples to help you write your own and make your resume more appealing to recruiters. Ask our team of resume writing experts to review yours today. Monster’s resume writing services come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, our team listens to your feedback and works with you to craft a resume that reflects your unique value.