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How to tailor your CV with experience in different industries
Finding a job can be one of the most difficult and frustrating part of your week, whether you're looking for a job abroad or at home. Especially when you have experience in various industries and are not sure how to approach that issue when writing your resume. Let's take a look at how you can get your CV in tip top shape and find a job in no time!
Our latest Guest Blog comes from Novorésumé, a professional résumé builder whose aim is to help create the perfect CV and increase your chances of finding a job.
What a great problem to have! Before putting those editing skills to work, start on a positive note and take a good look at your CV: you have experience, you have diversity, and surely by now you’ve accumulated your fair share of workplace knowledge such as dealing with colleagues and managers, rules and regulations.
Trust me; it was worth the effort! So, let's have a look at how to structure your CV having experience across multiple industries:
Let’s talk about how you can put all the information together so that your CV will serve its purpose (getting you job interviews, in case you forgot).
As with every piece of written production, please abide by coherence. If you have diverse industry experience, which is spread across several years, please help the recruiter so that they can help you. Follow the timeline, write down the dates accurately, and make sure each example of work experience - no matter how diverse - is easy to trace back in time.
Moreover, apply the same rule as if you were given different jobs within the same company. Try to organise your CV based on a common denominator, rather than forcing the chronology and functionality. Even in the case of having experience across multiple industries, you can still keep your resume sensible and tidy.
Read over each section of your CV and assess its coherence: could I explain this simply and logically during an interview? For example, if there’s some connection between the industries you’ve worked in, maybe emphasise the fact by using a colour code, or laying them out alongside each other.
Or if the positions held were similar, and maybe you’ve gone from being an expert in one field to an equal role, but different activity domain, then only state the job title at the beginning, followed by periods and industries. It’s simpler than repeating unnecessary information.
Secondly, if you’re dealing with entirely different industries or job titles, I would suggest you include an explanatory line. For example, you can start each workplace description with a motivation statement.
Instead of opting for the classical responsibilities/achievements, why not give a little bit of context: “I decided to pursue my interest for...” or “Bold decision to change my career, couldn’t be more happy about it!” You set the tone, of course, but remember, if no given restrictions tell you otherwise, you have the power to decide what to include in your CV. Use it responsibly!
Last but not least, are you completely positive that all of the experiences are EQUALLY important? Important for what and who? I am sure all of your work experience is important, but do not forget that your CV is an instrument to get you a specific job, not just any job.
Even though it might be difficult, answer this: are all the experiences I had relevant for the job I want to apply to? It is an especially important issue when dealing with having experience in various industries. I have numerous examples in mind of overwhelmingly long CVs, starting with summer internships and student jobs. Your professional path can be detailed during a 1:1 dialogue, your CV does not have to do all the talking.
I will end this article with the original piece of advice: be happy that you have so much to write about, stay positive, but re-read your CV and edit it like a true storyteller. Best of luck!
We hope you have a bit clearer idea now of how to structure your CV having experience in different industries. The more experience, the better - just know how to effectively describe it!
Are you a recent graduate or looking for a change in career? Take a look at How to find an internship & some reasons why it can be great for your career!
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