How To Explain a Career Change on Your Resume

Learn how to explain a career change on your resume- and do it with skill.

Did you recently go through a significant career change? Not only is it emotionally and mentally taxing, but it’s also going to affect how people perceive your resume. But it’s not a bad thing, and it won’t be detrimental to your profession.

There is this idea that spending 20 years at a company is the way to go. But that is no longer the case- or the norm for younger professionals.

Whatever the reason, you’ll be asked to explain the career change on your resume. So, be prepared to answer some questions. Before we dive into how to skillfully talk about the shift, look at these career change statistics.

Career Change Statistics

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years an employee stays with their employer is 4.1 years. That data was taken from 2020. The 2020 data is almost incomparable to 2018, which was 4.1 years.

Their study also showed that the median employee tenure for men was 4.3 years. For women, the median tenure was slightly lower at 3.9 years.

Employee tenure was also measured by occupation:

• Management (5.8 years)
• Legal (5.8 years)
• Architecture and Engineering (5.1 years)
• Educational, Training, and Library (5.0 years)
• Service Occupations (2.9 years)
• Food Service (1.9 years)

These career change statistics are incredibly fascinating because they reveal a commonality. Changing careers is something that everyone does, at least once or twice.

It shows that frequent movements within specific industries are more common (expected) than within others as well.

How to Skillfully Explain a Career Change on Your Resume

Think about how you’re going to explain those frequent (or drastic) changes on your resume. You don’t have to go in-depth and give an entire bullet-point story. But you do want to provide enough information to help the interviewer feel confident about your reliability.

Always Be Honest

What can we say? A little honesty goes a long way. Always be truthful about why you shifted careers, industries, etc.

If you got fired due to your own wrongdoings or poor performance, be honest still. However, you will want to relay that information skillfully.

For example, you can always fall back on things not going well in your personal life, tensions at home, and all of that piling up to end in a stressful situation for everyone.

Own up to whatever reasons you have for changing careers. It might be something as simple as wanting to explore your passion.

Focus on Your Achievements

One of the best ways to elaborate on your career change is by focusing on your achievements. Spin the conversation toward the growth you experienced.

So many skills and bites of information transfer between jobs. They even transfer between entirely different industries.

Think about your most recent position. Did you learn any new skills? Did you solve a weakness or hone a strength?

This is the time to turn on your shine and tell the world what you’ve achieved. Bonus points if you also end that spiel with what you hope to accomplish at “x” company.

Don’t Get Defensive

Your interviewer might be pushing the conversation. For example, they might start asking questions about your career change that are irrelevant or personal.

You’ll know it when you feel the emotion after hearing their question. However, do not get defensive or standoffish.

The interviewer might be trying to test you and watch for a reaction. Staying calm is a skillful response. Answer as best as you can, and then reframe their question.

You might answer their question with one of your own to guide the conversation toward a positive light. Or you can simply say, “While that is a personal topic for me, I’d love to tell you about what I’ve learned from my experience at “x” if you’re interested.”

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