Career change tips : Resume tip for Career Changer

I am a "mature" professional who has taken the leap of leaving an Industry I was in for 20 years to explore my passion; decorating. I would like some advice on how to construct my resume to best reflect my background experience and what qualities I can bring to this new field. My background is in Corporate Travel; operations, sales, manager, marketing. My new field of interest is Interior Design. I do not have any formal education in the design field however have taken various evening courses and have done design work in my home and for friends. I have photos to share and feel my work experience, maturity and desire will benefit any employer.

You have asked me specifically about your resume. I assume that you have done your homework on what employers require, the kinds of entry points for someone without the credentials, etc.

What you need to do then, is turn your other experience into an advantage rather than disadvantage.

Your general experience being responsibile for important things, managing to deadlines, being dependable, etc.
Any Customer facing experience. Interior design means serving customers. You can sell that.
Sales experience. Interior Design businesses need to market and sell their services. And that includes the Proposal / Quoting process. Any track record here can be used.
Project management. Interior Design is a project business. If you worked in project environments and ideally managed some form of projects, even if small, that is transferable and sellable.
Vendor management. Interior designers need to bring in and work with vendors - materials, furniture, etc. plus contractors / sub-contractors. Managing, negotiating all of this, and staying on top of it is important.

So, there may be many transferable areas of your resume. In your professional experience section, try and demphasize industry jargon and focus on transferable language. Show that you have valuable experience in these and other areas.

Devote the top third of the first page to an invisible table that highlights in one column your professional strenghts, like above, and in the other, describes what you bring to the table in language that bridges between what you've done and their world. Make it relate.

Ian Christie
Career Changers Coach

Thank you. Your advice makes sense. Sometimes we can get so consumed with what it is we need to do we forget how to "simplify" things. I appreciate your feedback.

Career Tips

Resume tip for Career Changer