CV for changing career
For an application into a field you have not worked in. The layout puts a short summary and your transferable skills first, so the reader understands the move before they reach a history that will not obviously match.
Everything on this page stays in your browser. Your CV is autosaved on this device only, and the Save data button gives you a file backup; nothing is ever uploaded.
How to write it
- A plain template is selected. Write the summary first, then drag Skills above Experience.
- Fill in your details on the left. Leave a section empty and it disappears from the page rather than sitting there half filled.
- Reorder the sections and the entries by dragging them, so the strongest thing you have comes first.
- Click Download PDF and choose Save as PDF in the print dialog.
Frequently asked questions
How do I explain the change without apologising for it?
In two lines at the top, stating what you are moving towards and what you bring to it, in the language of the new field rather than the old one. Then let the history speak: keep the roles, cut the jargon nobody there will know, and lead each one with the part that transfers. Never open with what you are leaving.
How long should it be?
Two pages is the normal ceiling for a CV in most of Europe, and one page is the norm for a resume in the United States. Academia is the exception and runs as long as the record does. If you are over the limit, cut the oldest roles down to a line each rather than shrinking the type.
Which sections do I actually need?
Contact details, a short summary, experience, education and skills carry almost every application. Everything else, projects, publications, languages, volunteering, awards, earns its place only if it is relevant to the job in front of you. Anything you leave empty is dropped from the page.
Will an applicant tracking system read it?
An applicant tracking system reads the text, not the picture. Every template here is real selectable text rather than an image, so the words can always be read, but a two column layout can be read out of order by older software. If the employer is large or the application goes through a portal, the ATS template is the safe one: one column, ordinary headings, nothing decorative.
Is it really free?
Yes. No sign-up, no trial, no watermark, no paying at the download step, and no limit on how many versions you make. The site is paid for by ads.
A CV for a particular moment
Other looks
More free tools: CV Builder