How to Write a Resume for Non-Engineering Roles

I think I get at least one question every day about optimizing your resume to land interviews as a career pivoter. So let’s break it down: how to write a resume to pivot into a new job that you don’t previously have experience in 💡 (and to be confident you’re getting the best advice, I come with receipts from Wharton’s best practices for career changing resumes) Before we start... general resume best practices will still be your best friend. Think ATS-friendly formatting, focusing on accomplishments rather than responsibilities, quantifying your achievements, and using keywords - all tips that still apply. But there are a few resume tweaks that can help you compete with more "traditional" talent. 1. Include an objective You may have been told to skip a summary at the top of your resume that it’s a waste of space - not anymore! A summary is your chance to make it crystal clear why your background (that doesn’t look like an obvious fit on paper) will be the perfect thing this hiring manager needs (even more perfect than the “right fit on paper candidates”). To do this, focus on the outcomes you can deliver and the skills that qualify you for the job. 2. Summarize your skills Above your work experience, try creating a skills summary section, by listing a few of the most important skills you want to highlight, and then a bullet point that describes an example of when you used this skill. 3. Focus on only relevant experience Time to be RUTHLESS with tailoring your work experience. You’re only including bullet points that are relevant to the role you’re applying to. Get rid of the fluff. 4. Emphasize education This section can be a great way to show you’re serious about making the career pivot. List relevant coursework from your university education, plus any courses or certification programs you’ve completed to make this pivot. The more reputable the better. 5. Use a notable accomplishments section Especially if you don’t have a ton of experience, it can be helpful to add a notable projects or accomplishments section. I remember on early versions of my resume I had a Leadership Experience section where I listed Volunteer programs that I ran and my position on my Sorority’s Executive board. Be sure that everything you list here ties back to the key skills required in your target job. Go forth, and build your resume, and remember, career pivoting is a whole strategy that is sooo much more than just applying to the jobs you want!

As a hiring manager, and a manager of hiring managers, I've probably reviewed close to 1,000 resumes in my career. Here are the biggest mistakes I see people make over and over again (and what to do instead): ❌ Focusing on responsibilities rather than impact. If your title is "e-commerce editor," someone reading your resume can probably guess at what your basic duties were—so don't waste a lot of space listing them out. ✅ Emphasize the accomplishments you had in each role. What impact did you make to the team or the business? Did you increase traffic to your vertical by X%? Contribute to the highest-ever Black Friday/Cyber Monday revenue sitewide? Streamline the publishing process? Tweaking your bullet points to highlight impact will help you stand out from the crowd. ❌ Not tailoring your resume to the job you're applying for. When I was hiring a Director of SEO Content at Policygenius, it was shocking how many resumes I got from very experienced editors that did not include the words "SEO" or "search" at all. They might have had the relevant experience, but how could I know that? ✅ Take the time to make sure your bullets match up to the job description. Don't force the hiring manager or recruiter to guess at your qualifications; make it easy for them to see that you're a great fit. ❌ Overstuffing your resume. I'm not strict about the one-page rule (though if you have less than 5 years of work experience, stick to one page!). But I once saw a resume where the person used four whole pages (!) to cover the last four years of their career. Unless you're creating an academic CV, a resume is meant to be a synopsis of your career, with emphasis on the last 5-10 years—not an exhaustive accounting of everything you've ever done at work. ✅ Be ruthless about highlighting your biggest accomplishments in each role, and keep it to two pages or less. Once you've got 10-15 years of experience under your belt, your early career roles should start dropping off your resume altogether (let's face it, they probably aren't relevant anyway). Bonus note: A big contributor to overlong resumes is summary statement bloat. If your summary statement is 3/4 of a page, that's not a summary! Try for 4-5 lines—1/4 page at most—and put those big accomplishments under the relevant role instead. I could go on at much greater length about each of these—which would you like to hear more about? And what are your favorite resume tips?

Have you been applying for jobs lately? This post is for you. Yesterday, I attended a resume prep session organized by the AWS Skills Center in Arlington, VA. I gained some valuable insights that I believe can help anyone looking to enhance their resume and stand out in the job market. ----- Here are some key takeaways ----- 1️⃣ Tailor your resume to each job Carefully read the job description and align your skills and experiences to the requirements. Use keywords from the posting to get past applicant tracking systems (ATS). -> Whatever you put on your resume, be ready to discuss it. 2️⃣ Quantify your achievements Include strong metrics that will show the amount of impact, the number of people, etc. For example, Instead of saying "Improved customer satisfaction," say "Increased customer satisfaction scores by 20% through process improvements." -> Numbers speak louder than words. 3️⃣ Keep it concise and relevant Recruiters typically spend just a few seconds scanning your resume. So, ensure your most relevant experiences and achievements are easy to find. A well-structured one-page resume (or two for more experience) is ideal. -> Everything you put in your resume should be relevant to the job you are applying for. 4️⃣ Highlight transferable skills Even if you’re transitioning into a new role or industry, focus on the skills that apply across domains such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability. -> You can include an experience that is not directly related to the role you are applying only if it demonstrates leadership skills. 5️⃣ Professional formatting matters A clean, professional layout with consistent fonts, spacing, and bullet points makes your resume easier to read and leaves a good impression. -> Using fancy fonts will distract recruiters from important information on your resume. 6️⃣ You need more than one resume Keep a primary CV that includes everything you have ever done (DO NOT SHARE THIS WITH ANYONE). Then, create multiple resumes from it when applying.  -> This will save you a lot of time. 7️⃣ Hyperlink wherever possible If you have a chance to hyperlink something on your resume, do it. It will be helpful to the recruiter. -> Keep it simple and avoid long links. For example, for your LinkedIn profile, write it like “in/your_name” and hyperlink it. 8️⃣ Proofread your resume Get someone to proofread your resume. A second eye to your document will always spot something you missed. Besides, anything you see as negligible, could be a big deal to the recruiter. I would like to thank the AWS Skills Center for hosting us. A big shout to the organizers of that resume prep session for their dedicated time and input. It was an invaluable moment for me and I am sure for everyone present. Have you recently updated your resume? What are some tips you would like to add to this list? Let’s discuss this in the comments section. Found this helpful? Please like ❤️, comment 💬, or repost ♻️ to help others.