How to Write a Great Career Change CV (With Examples)
Changing careers is a bold, exciting move, but writing the CV that helps you make that leap can feel daunting. After all, how do you connect your experience in one field to an entirely new role? The good news is, with the right structure and tone, your career change CV can tell a powerful story.
Our customers have been hired by: *Foot Note
Switching careers is a bold step in redefining your professional story. And it’s a step that often comes with a lot of uncertainty and stress. You might wonder: How do I show employers I’m ready for something new? How do I highlight skills from a different industry? That’s where this guide comes in.
I’ll show you exactly how to write a career change CV that bridges the gap between where you’ve been and where you’re going. With CV career change examples, personal statement tips, and proven UK formats, you’ll learn how to create a CV that’s clear, professional, and designed to land job interviews.
Career change CV examples
Explore our career change CV examples UK job seekers trust, and find templates that balance professionalism with customisation, helping you stand out and win more interviews.
Career change CV example: copywriting to sales project management
Jordan Smith
Manchester, M1 2AB
Phone: 07912 345678
Email: jordan.smith@email.com
linkedin.com/in/jordansmith0987
Personal Profile
Results-oriented senior copywriter with over 5 years of experience managing client campaigns, coordinating cross-functional teams, and delivering projects on time and within budget, looking to transition into a sales project manager role at Company ABC. Led a marketing initiative for a national retailer, overseeing messaging and collaborating closely with sales teams—resulting in an 18% boost in campaign-driven sales. Eager to bring strong organisational and client-facing skills to support revenue growth and project success at Company ABC.
Skills
Project Management & Organisation
- Coordinated over 50 marketing campaigns, meeting deadlines and budgets while managing input from creative, sales, and external partners.
- Oversaw project schedules using Trello and Asana, improving delivery times by 15%.
Client Communication & Relationship Building
- Served as primary contact for high-value clients, achieving 95% satisfaction scores and securing repeat business.
- Partnered with sales teams to align messaging with client goals, contributing to an 18% increase in campaign-driven sales.
Commercial & Financial Awareness
- Managed campaign budgets up to £250k, consistently delivering within financial targets.
- Identified cross-sell and upsell opportunities during client interactions, supporting revenue growth.
Leadership & Collaboration
- Led briefing sessions with internal teams and external agencies to ensure clarity on project goals and deliverables.
- Mentored junior copywriters, enhancing team productivity and consistency.
Work History
Senior Copywriter
CreativeCo Marketing, Manchester | 2019–2024
- Coordinated the delivery of 50+ multi-channel campaigns, working closely with sales and client teams to align messaging with revenue targets.
- Managed campaign schedules and milestones using Trello and Asana, improving on-time delivery by 15%.
- Handled key client accounts, achieving 95% satisfaction scores and helping secure repeat business.
- Oversaw campaign budgets up to £250k, ensuring cost-efficiency and ROI.
Copywriter
BrightIdeas Agency, Manchester | 2017–2019
- Supported sales and marketing teams in creating targeted messaging that contributed to increased lead conversions.
- Assisted with coordinating campaign timelines, supporting on-time delivery of over 30 projects.
- Collaborated with external partners to ensure campaign materials met brand and sales objectives.
Education
Diploma in Project Management (PRINCE2 Practitioner)
Chartered Management Institute | 2023
BA (Hons) English & Media Studies
University of Leeds | 2016
Certifications
- PRINCE2 Practitioner (Chartered Management Institute, 2023)
- Certified Salesforce Associate (Salesforce, 2022)
Professional Memberships
- Associate Member, Association for Project Management (APM)
- Member, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Languages
- Spanish (B2 – Upper Intermediate)
Conferences
- Speaker: Aligning Sales and Marketing for Growth – Manchester Marketing Conference, 2023
Career change CV example: retail management to HR
Olivia Bennett
Birmingham, B1 1AA
07812 345678
olivia.bennett@email.com
linkedin.com/in/oliviabennett1234
Personal Statement
Organised and people-focused professional applying for the Human Resources Coordinator role at PeopleFirst Solutions. Brings 7 years’ experience as a Retail Store Manager, leading teams, managing recruitment, and driving employee engagement in high-volume environments. Successfully developed and delivered in-house training workshops that improved staff retention by 20% and boosted team morale. Ready to apply these strengths to help build positive, high-performing workplace cultures at PeopleFirst Solutions.
Key Skills
Recruitment & Onboarding
- Hired and onboarded over 100 employees, implementing training plans to reduce staff turnover by 20%.
- Introduced a referral recruitment scheme that increased applicant quality and reduced time-to-hire by 15%.
Employee Engagement & Development
- Delivered in-house workshops on customer service and teamwork, boosting team morale and performance.
- Organised team-building activities that led to a 10% increase in employee satisfaction scores on internal surveys.
Conflict Resolution & Communication
- Mediated staff disputes and coached team members, contributing to a more positive work environment.
- Facilitated monthly team meetings to improve communication flow between departments and reduce misunderstandings.
Performance Management
- Led appraisals and performance reviews for a team of 30, setting clear KPIs and growth plans.
- Developed a performance tracking system that helped identify top performers and training needs, increasing productivity by 12%.
Organisational Skills
- Managed store operations, scheduling, and compliance while meeting staffing needs efficiently.
- Streamlined shift scheduling processes using new software, cutting rota preparation time by 30%.
Work Experience
Store Manager
StyleCo Fashion | Birmingham | 2018 – 2024
Assistant Manager
RetailStyle | Birmingham | 2015 – 2018
Education & Training
Certificate in Human Resources Practice (CIPD Level 3)
CIPD | Completed 2023
BA (Hons) Business & Management
University of Wolverhampton | 2014
Certifications & Memberships
- Member, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
- Conflict Management Certificate, ACAS (2022)
Languages
- Mandarin (Bilingual)
- French (B1 – Intermediate)
Interests
- Volunteer mentor for local youth employment charity, supporting young people with job applications and interview skills.
Career change CV example: logistics to IT project assistance
Daniel Clarke
Leeds, LS1 3AD
07789 123456
daniel.clarke@email.com
linkedin.com/in/danielclarke4321
Personal Statement
Detail-oriented and tech-savvy professional applying for the IT Project Assistant role at Innovatech Solutions. Brings 6 years of experience as a Logistics Coordinator, managing complex workflows, liaising between departments, and supporting system improvement initiatives. Successfully led the coordination of a cross-functional team during a digital tool rollout, improving reporting accuracy and delivery timelines by 20%. Ready to contribute strong organisational, communication, and analytical skills to drive project success at Innovatech Solutions.
Key Skills
Project Coordination & Scheduling
- Managed schedules for large-scale logistics operations, meeting 98% of delivery deadlines.
Stakeholder Communication
- Acted as point of contact between warehouse, transport, and supplier teams, ensuring alignment on project timelines.
Process Improvement
- Implemented new inventory tracking system that reduced stock discrepancies by 30%.
Technical Tools & Data Management
- Experienced with Excel (advanced functions), SAP, and project scheduling software (Smartsheet, Trello).
Problem-Solving & Adaptability
- Resolved operational challenges quickly, ensuring minimal disruption to services.
Work Experience
Logistics Coordinator
QuickSupply Ltd | Leeds | 2018 – 2024
- Coordinated daily logistics for regional operations, supporting £10M annual turnover.
- Designed and maintained delivery schedules, achieving 98% on-time delivery rates.
- Trained colleagues on new digital tracking tools, improving data accuracy.
- Worked closely with suppliers, transport teams, and internal stakeholders to streamline processes.
- Contributed to system upgrade projects, acting as liaison between operational teams and IT.
Logistics Assistant
MoveFast Logistics | Leeds | 2016 – 2018
- Assisted in scheduling, inventory checks, and data entry for logistics operations.
- Supported team leads in reporting and compliance documentation.
Education & Training
Certificate in Project Management (PRINCE2 Foundation)
Completed 2023
BSc Logistics & Supply Chain Management
University of Hull | 2015
Certifications & Memberships
- Member, Association for Project Management (APM)
- Excel Advanced User Certification (2022)
Languages
- German (A2 – Elementary)
Interests
- Member of a coding bootcamp alumni group; recently completed an introductory Python course to strengthen IT knowledge.
How to write a career change CV
Unlike a traditional CV, a CV for career change focuses less on job titles and more on transferable strengths, core competencies, and your potential to succeed in a new field.
When writing a CV for a career change, it’s crucial to connect the dots for recruiters. That means highlighting skills that apply across sectors, reframing achievements to align with your target role, and demonstrating adaptability and growth. A well-crafted career change CV template helps you do this with structure, style, and clarity.
1. Start with a standout personal statement
Your personal statement is your chance to bridge the gap between where you’ve been and where you’re headed. For a career change CV, this section shows recruiters that you’ve thought carefully about your next step and that your skills and experience are highly relevant, even if your job titles don’t match the role exactly.
A good personal statement for a CV for a career change should include:
- A confident, positive line about your new career goal
- The name of the company and the job title you’re applying for
- Key transferable skills that fit the target job
- An achievement or project that demonstrates those skills
- What value you aim to bring to your next employer
To help you visualise, let’s say you worked as a senior copywriter managing large campaigns. You noticed how much you enjoyed coordinating between the creative team, the client, and the sales department. You found satisfaction not just in the writing, but in hitting sales targets and ensuring campaigns ran smoothly. Now you’re applying for a sales project manager role.
So, your career change CV personal statement example could look like this:
Career change personal profile CV sample:
Results-oriented senior copywriter with over 5 years of experience managing client campaigns, coordinating cross-functional teams, and delivering projects on time and within budget, looking to transition into a sales project manager role at Company ABC. Led a marketing initiative for a national retailer, overseeing messaging and collaborating closely with sales teams—resulting in an 18% boost in campaign-driven sales. Eager to bring strong organisational and client-facing skills to support revenue growth and project success at Company ABC.
2. Highlight transferable skills
For a career change CV, skills are the star of the show. When switching industries, job titles matter less. What counts is demonstrating the strengths and experience that will help you succeed in the new role. That’s why this section deserves extra attention.
Transferable skills are abilities that apply across different industries or job types. In general, job skills fall into two key categories:
- Hard skills — Job-specific abilities that can be taught or measured. Examples include project management software (e.g. Trello, Asana, Salesforce), budgeting, data analysis, or technical writing.
- Soft skills — Personal attributes that influence how you work with others. Examples include communication skills, leadership, adaptability, problem-solving, and time management.
Here’s how you should include them on your CV for career change:
- Group skills under relevant headings (e.g. Project Management, Communication).
- Back each with a real achievement or result.
- Quantify impact wherever possible (e.g. percentage increases, budget sizes, time saved).
- Align skills with the job description keywords to pass ATS checks.
Career change CV example: Transferable skills:
Project Management & Organisation
- Coordinated over 50 marketing campaigns, meeting deadlines and budgets while managing input from creative, sales, and external partners.
- Oversaw project schedules using Trello and Asana, improving delivery times by 15%.
Client Communication & Relationship Building
- Served as primary contact for high-value clients, achieving 95% satisfaction scores and securing repeat business.
- Partnered with sales teams to align messaging with client goals, contributing to an 18% increase in campaign-driven sales.
Commercial & Financial Awareness
- Managed campaign budgets up to £250k, consistently delivering within financial targets.
- Identified cross-sell and upsell opportunities during client interactions, supporting revenue growth.
Leadership & Collaboration
- Led briefing sessions with internal teams and external agencies to ensure clarity on project goals and deliverables.
- Mentored junior copywriters, enhancing team productivity and consistency.
3. Present relevant work experience
Although your work experience isn’t playing the first fiddle like it usually would in a traditional British CV, you can still leverage it to make your career change CV much stronger.
When writing a CV for a career change, the key is not just listing job titles, but reframing your work history to highlight results, skills, and responsibilities that align with your new career. Employers want to see evidence of potential, even if your previous roles were in a different sector.
Here’s what you should do:
- Prioritise relevance: Focus on tasks, projects, and outcomes that demonstrate skills for your target role, rather than providing a full account of unrelated duties.
- Reframe responsibilities: Instead of saying “wrote advertising copy”, say “collaborated with sales teams to align messaging with sales targets”. Using strong CV words helps to convey impact.
- Quantify achievements: Use numbers to show impact—percentages, budgets, time saved, client satisfaction scores.
You don’t need to always create a long work history section on a career change CV. Instead, at the bottom of your CV, briefly list your job titles, companies, and dates (without detailed descriptions). This satisfies recruiters who want to see a timeline without distracting from your skills-focused sections.
Example: work experience on a career change CV:
Senior Copywriter
CreativeCo Marketing, Manchester | 2019–2024
- Coordinated the delivery of 50+ multi-channel campaigns, working closely with sales and client teams to align messaging with revenue targets.
- Managed campaign schedules and milestones using Trello and Asana, improving on-time delivery by 15%.
- Handled key client accounts, achieving 95% satisfaction scores and helping secure repeat business.
- Oversaw campaign budgets up to £250k, ensuring cost-efficiency and ROI.
Copywriter
BrightIdeas Agency, Manchester | 2016–2019
- Supported sales and marketing teams in creating targeted messaging that contributed to increased lead conversions.
- Assisted with coordinating campaign timelines, supporting on-time delivery of over 30 projects.
- Collaborated with external partners to ensure campaign materials met brand and sales objectives.
4. Showcase your education
On a career change CV, your education and additional training help demonstrate that you’re serious about making the switch. This section shows employers that you have both the formal learning and the commitment to succeed on your new path.
For a good CV education section:
- List your qualifications in reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent or most relevant.
- Include degree, course title, institution, and year of completion.
- If your education isn’t directly related, focus on any modules, projects, or achievements that show transferable skills.
- Optionally, add any retraining, certifications, or short courses that support your new career goal.
CV for career change example: education and training
Diploma in Project Management (PRINCE2 Practitioner)
Chartered Management Institute | 2023
BA (Hons) English & Media Studies
University of Leeds | 2016
5. Include bonus sections to strengthen your career change CV
Bonus sections give your CV extra depth and help paint a fuller picture of your capabilities, interests, and commitment to your new path. On a career change CV, they can reinforce your suitability for a role, even when your job titles don’t fully match the target position.
Which bonus sections to consider? Here are some of the more popular ones:
- Certifications & training: If you didn’t include them under your education, show relevant formal learning or qualifications that support your new career. These demonstrate dedication and readiness.
- Known foreign languages: Multilingual skills are a big bonus in many client-facing roles.
- Professional memberships: Highlight affiliations with industry bodies. They show professionalism and interest in the field.
- Conferences or workshops: Include significant conferences attended or where you contributed, showing continuous learning and engagement.
- Publications or projects: List relevant published work, side projects, or freelance work that strengthens your qualifications.
- Hobbies & interests or volunteering experience: Briefly mention activities that demonstrate transferable skills (e.g., teamwork, leadership, organisation).
Example: bonus sections on a career change CV
Certifications
- PRINCE2 Practitioner (Chartered Management Institute, 2023)
- Certified Salesforce Associate (Salesforce, 2022)
Professional Memberships
- Associate Member, Association for Project Management (APM)
- Member, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Languages
- Spanish (B2 – Upper Intermediate)
Conferences
- Speaker: Aligning Sales and Marketing for Growth – Manchester Marketing Conference, 2023
6. Provide your contact information
It may seem basic, but getting your contact details right is essential. Make a mistake and recruiters won’t be able to contact you at all. Place this section at the top of your CV so it’s easy for recruiters to find. Include:
- Full name (in larger font size than other information)
- Location (city and postcode are sufficient—no need for a full address)
- Mobile phone number
- Email address (use a work-appropriate address)
- Optional: LinkedIn profile, portfolio, or website link (particularly helpful if you have projects that support your career shift)
Example:
Jordan Smith
Manchester, M1 2AB
Phone: 07912 345678
Email: jordan.smith@email.com
linkedin.com/in/jordansmith
7. Set up a skills-based or combination CV format
For a career change CV, the standard chronological CV format may not be the best choice. The reason being—it focuses on a clear, linear career progression. However, a CV for a career change is different. In some scenarios, you might be transitioning into a completely unrelated field from what you’ve been doing so far.
That’s why I recommend a skills-based CV format. Go for either a functional CV or a hybrid CV:
Skills-based CV: This format groups your experience by key abilities like leadership, communication, or technical expertise, rather than by job title. It allows you to spotlight the strengths that align with your new career goals, even if they were gained in a different sector. It only briefly mentions your work experience.
Combination CV: A hybrid format that blends skills-based sections with a brief, reverse-chronological work history. This structure lets you highlight relevant capabilities at the top, while still providing a clear timeline of your experience. It’s ideal if you want to show both transferable skills and a solid employment record.
At MyPerfectCV we offer customisable career change CV templates designed for these formats. They’re easy to personalise and perfectly suited to impress hiring managers in any industry.
8. Proofread and refine for a perfect finish
Once you’ve written your CV, take time to proofread and refine it. Small errors or sloppy formatting can undermine your career change CV. A polished, error-free CV shows attention to detail, professionalism, and genuine commitment to your new career path.
Remember that you’re competing with hundreds of other candidates, most of whom are likely moving on a linear career progression path. So don’t tank your chances on the final stretch. Polish your career change CV by following these pointers:
- Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Don’t rely solely on spellcheck. Read your CV aloud, or better yet, have a friend or mentor review it.
- Ensure consistent formatting. Double-check that your CV fonts, bullet styles, and spacing are uniform throughout. Section headings should follow the same style, and dates should be aligned consistently.
- Prioritise readability. Use clear headings, legible fonts (like Arial, Calibri, or similar), and plenty of white space. MyPerfectCV’s templates are designed to help with this automatically.
- Trim unnecessary details. Keep your CV focused on what’s most relevant for your new field. The ideal CV length for a career change is one to two pages, depending on your experience.
- Save in the right format. PDF is usually best, as it preserves your layout across devices and is ATS-friendly, unless the job advert specifies another format.
With the right structure, storytelling, and design, your career change CV can open doors to exciting new opportunities. MyPerfectCV’s templates and pre-written content make it easy to create a tailored, high-impact CV that reflects your unique journey.
It only takes
MINUTES for an average MyPerfectCV user to create a CV
Create Your Career Change CV in 3 Simple Steps
- Fill in a quick and easy form
- Tailor the CV to your liking
- Download and apply
Key takeaways
To write a great career change CV:
- Choose the right CV format: A skills-based or combination CV is ideal for career changers, allowing you to highlight transferable skills and achievements over job titles.
- Craft a confident personal statement: Use this section to connect your past experience to your new career goal, showing how your strengths apply to the role you want.
- Focus on transferable skills and quantified achievements: Showcase both hard and soft skills, and back them up with measurable outcomes that demonstrate your readiness for a new field.
- Present work experience creatively: Reframe your responsibilities and accomplishments to align with the requirements of your target job.
- Showcase relevant education, certifications, and bonus sections: Include training, memberships, languages, and volunteer work that strengthen your case for a career switch.
- Optimise for ATS: Incorporate job-specific keywords naturally, so your CV passes applicant tracking systems and reaches recruiters.
- Proofread and perfect your CV: A polished, well-organised CV of the right length (one to two pages) demonstrates professionalism and helps you stand out.
*The names and logos of the companies referred to above are all trademarks of their respective holders. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such references are not intended to imply any affiliation or association with myperfectCV.