How do you choose the right career change resume objective or summary?

2 How to choose

When deciding between an objective and a summary for your resume, it’s important to consider your current situation, target audience, and resume format. Ask yourself if you have relevant experience or skills for the new career. If so, a summary might be more effective to demonstrate your competence and potential. If not, an objective might be more suitable to explain your career change and learning ability. Additionally, consider if you know the specific role or industry you want to pursue. If yes, an objective might be more helpful to show your alignment and interest. If no, a summary might be more flexible to highlight your general skills and value. Lastly, think about the type of resume you have; a chronological resume lists work experience in reverse order, so a summary might be more logical to summarize your main points. A functional resume focuses on skills and achievements, so an objective might be more necessary to provide context and direction. For a hybrid resume that combines both formats, you can choose either option depending on your preference and goal.

4 Examples of objectives

If you are looking to make a career change, the resume objective should be tailored to reflect the desired new role. For example, a teacher may want to pursue a project manager role in the nonprofit sector and could write an objective that highlights their 10 years of experience in education, curriculum development, and stakeholder management. Similarly, a sales associate could use their creative skills, customer service, and passion for design to transition into a graphic designer role in a dynamic and innovative company. Lastly, a nurse may be able to utilize their writing skills, medical knowledge, and research abilities to create engaging and informative content for a health and wellness publication.

5 Examples of summaries

For those looking to make a career change, a resume summary can be a great way to highlight your transferable skills and experience. For example, a lawyer transitioning to a marketing manager role could emphasize their legal research, analysis, and negotiation skills, as well as their ability to develop and implement marketing strategies. An accountant transitioning to a data analyst role could emphasize their financial reporting, auditing, and budgeting experience, as well as their proficiency in using data analysis tools. And a social worker transitioning to a human resources specialist role could emphasize their counseling, advocacy, and support services experience, as well as their ability to conduct assessments and manage records.