keenresume
  1. Home
  2. Resume examples
  3. Students & first jobs
  4. Career change

Career change resume example

A resume for a retail store manager moving into human resources. Career change resumes work when they show the reader that you already do much of the new job, so the bullets pick the HR work inside a store manager’s role (hiring, onboarding, employee relations, payroll) and put it first, backed by a new credential.

Career change resume example, page 1 of 1Lorenzo AshbyHR Generalist (Career Change from Retail Management)SUMMARYRetail store manager moving into human resources after nine years ofhiring, training and scheduling teams of up to 45. I have hired 120+people, cut first-90-day turnover by a third, handled employee relationscases with HR partners and earned the aPHR in 2026. Looking for an HRgeneralist or HR coordinator role.EXPERIENCEStore ManagerApr 2020 – PresentWasatch Outfitters · Salt Lake City, UT•Hired 120+ seasonal and year-round employees in 6 years with astructured interview guide I wrote, later adopted by 8 stores in thedistrict.•Rebuilt new-hire onboarding (first-week plan, buddy system, 30-daycheck-in), cutting 90-day turnover from 42% to 28%.•Handled 30+ employee relations cases with the district HR partner,from attendance to harassment complaints, documenting each one.•Manage scheduling and timekeeping in UKG for a $1.1 million laborbudget and approve payroll weekly, with no wage-and-hour findings in2 audits.•Run annual reviews and coaching plans for 45 staff; promoted 9associates to key holder or assistant manager.Assistant Store ManagerJun 2017 – Mar 2020Beehive Home Goods · Sandy, UT•Trained 60 new associates on a 2-week program I created; traineesreached sales targets 3 weeks sooner.•Led the store’s safety committee and cut reportable injuries from 6 ayear to 1.HR PROJECTSEmployee handbook, volunteer project2025Salt Lake youth sports nonprofit•Wrote a 20-page handbook and onboarding checklist for 22 staff andcoaches, reviewed by the nonprofit’s attorney.EDUCATIONB.A. in Communication2011 – 2015Weber State University · Ogden, UTCONTACTlorenzo.ashby@example.com(801) 555-0108Salt Lake City, UTlinkedin.com/in/lorenzoashbyCERTIFICATIONSAssociate Professional inHuman Resources (aPHR)HRCI · 2026SHRM Essentials of HumanResourcesSHRM · 2025SKILLSRecruiting and interviewingOnboardingEmployee relationsPerformance coachingInvestigations documentationScheduling and timekeeping(UKG)Payroll approvalWage-and-hour basics (FLSA)Training designWorkplace safetyExcelConflict resolution
Career changeUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • A clear new target: the role you want, in the headline and summary. Recruiters should not have to guess.
  • Transferable experience, in the new field’s words: for HR, hiring, onboarding, employee relations, payroll and compliance.
  • Results that matter in the new field: turnover, time to hire, training outcomes, audits passed.
  • Fresh proof of commitment: a certification, a course, a project or volunteer work in the new field.
  • Level that makes sense: many changers enter one step below their old level; show why you can climb fast.

Writing the summary

Name your current career and the new one in the first sentence. Then give two or three pieces of evidence that you already do parts of the new job, and the credential you earned. End with the roles you want.

The summary in this example

Retail store manager moving into human resources after nine years of hiring, training and scheduling teams of up to 45. I have hired 120+ people, cut first-90-day turnover by a third, handled employee relations cases with HR partners and earned the aPHR in 2026. Looking for an HR generalist or HR coordinator role.

Teacher moving into corporate training

High school teacher with ten years of designing lessons, assessing learning and coaching new teachers, now moving into corporate training and instructional design. Built a 12-week onboarding course for 30 new staff in my district and completed the ATD Instructional Design certificate in 2026.

Hospitality worker moving into sales

Hotel front desk supervisor with six years in guest service, now moving into B2B sales. I handled group bookings worth $400,000 a year, upsold suite upgrades at twice the team average, and completed a sales development course with HubSpot. Looking for a sales development representative role.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Interviewed 300+ candidates and cut average time to hire from 21 days to 9 by holding weekly group interviews.
  • Trained 15 shift leads on documenting performance issues, which reduced escalated complaints by half.
  • Ran the store’s benefits enrollment sessions for 40 employees with the corporate HR team.
  • Built an Excel tracker for certifications and training due dates for 50 staff, ending missed renewals.
  • Investigated and documented 12 workplace complaints with HR, all closed within 2 weeks.
  • Created a recognition program that raised engagement survey scores from 3.4 to 4.1 out of 5.
  • Volunteered 5 hours a week in HR at a nonprofit, updating 22 job descriptions and the onboarding checklist.
  • Reduced overtime costs by $40,000 a year by redesigning shift schedules around sales data.
  • Completed 60 hours of HR coursework in employment law, compensation and recruiting in one year.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • Recruiting and structured interviewing
  • Onboarding and training design
  • Employee relations documentation
  • Timekeeping, scheduling and payroll approval
  • Employment law basics (FLSA, FMLA, Title VII)
  • HRIS or applicant tracking systems (Workday, BambooHR, UKG)
  • Excel for HR reporting (turnover, headcount)

Soft skills

  • Coaching and difficult conversations
  • Discretion with sensitive information
  • Fairness and consistency
  • Learning a new field quickly

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • aPHR (HRCI): an entry-level HR certification with no experience requirement, made for career changers.
  • SHRM-CP or PHR: the next step once you have HR experience, and a common requirement in job ads.
  • Certifications in your new field generally: pick the entry-level one recruiters recognize (CAPM for project management, Google certificates for data, CompTIA A+ for IT).
  • Certifications from your old field only if they help in the new one.

Length and format

One page usually works best for a career change: only the parts of the old career that support the new one deserve space. Use a clear headline with the new target, a summary that names the change, and an HR projects or relevant training section near the top.

Common mistakes

  • Writing the old career in its own language. Translate store terms into the new field’s terms.
  • Listing every duty of the old job. Keep only what supports the new target.
  • No new evidence: a course, certificate or project shows the change is real.
  • A functional resume with no dates. It makes recruiters suspicious; use a normal format and focus the bullets.
  • Aiming too high too soon, or too low without explaining why.

Questions and answers

How do I write a resume for a career change?

Name the new target in the headline and summary, choose bullets from your current job that match the new field, translate them into its language, and add a certification, course or project in the new field. Keep the format standard.

Should I use a functional or chronological resume for a career change?

Chronological, or a hybrid with a short skills or projects section near the top. Purely functional resumes hide dates and recruiters tend to distrust them.

Do I need a certification to change careers?

Not always, but it helps a lot when you have no job title in the new field. Pick the entry-level credential recruiters in that field actually ask for.

What about the cover letter?

It matters more for a career change than for anything else: it is where you explain why, and connect your past to the new job. The cover letter generator starts from this resume.

Related examples

All Students & first jobs examples

All resume examples