Resume Summary for Career Transitions

As a healthcare professional making a transition into industry, your resume must do more than document your background it must communicate your strategic value. One of the biggest mistakes I see healthcare professionals make? Listing everything they’ve ever done. Recruiters don’t read resumes they scan them. You have 6-8 seconds to capture attention. 1. Reposition Clinical Experience as Strategic Capability Instead of: Completed medication therapy management for 40 patients weekly Try: Delivered evidence-based therapeutic recommendations impacting formulary decisions and patient outcomes aligning with cost-containment initiatives. Why it matters: You're connecting clinical work to health economics, population impact, and business relevance. 2. Lead With Value, Not Job Descriptions Instead of listing tasks: Identify how you contributed to efficiency, safety, accuracy, or outcomes. Quantify when possible (e.g., Reduced prescription errors by 18% through workflow redesign). 3. Integrate Industry Buzz Words Thoughtfully If you’re targeting roles in: Medical Affairs → Mention scientific communication, KOL engagement, literature evaluation. Clinical Research → Highlight GCP knowledge, protocol adherence, trial monitoring exposure. Regulatory Affairs → Emphasize documentation, compliance, detail orientation. Use terms recruiters scan for: cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder alignment, therapeutic area expertise, etc. 4. Add a Career Summary That Speaks Their Language Start with 2-3 lines at the top that answer: How does your background translate into this industry’s priorities? Example: Doctor of Pharmacy with strong foundations in evidence-based medicine, patient safety, and interdisciplinary communication. Adept at translating clinical data into actionable insights and committed to advancing therapeutic innovation in regulated environments. Your resume should tell a clear, focused story: I am the solution to the problem you’re hiring for. Not sure where to start? Ask yourself: What do I want this resume to say about me in 10 seconds or less? Let that guide your edits. #ProTipTuesday #CareerAdvice #ResumePrep #RedefiningthePharmD #ResumeTip #JobSearch #CareerGrowth #PersonalBranding

"You don't need to have a Career Summary on your resume". I read that last night on LinkedIn. Now... I've included a Career Summary on every single resume I've created. So as you might be able to guess, I disagree with that statement. ---------- Here are what I see as the advantages of including a Career Summary at the top of your resume. ➡️ A Career Summary gives you the opportunity to position yourself via using a job title that is aligned with what you've done in your career and aligned with the job description. This is particularly valuable for career changers. For example, I worked with a teacher who wants to transition into Instructional Design. So at the very beginning of her Career Summary, I positioned her as an "Educator with 5+ years of instructional design experience". But this sort of positioning can also be valuable to non-career changers. Particularly those who have held a variety of job titles none of which reflect the breadth of what they've done in their career. ➡️ The Career Summary is an opportunity to weave in some of the language from the job description. Which shows, right at the top of your resume, that you've read the job description and understand what they're looking for. Recently, a client told me that when she tweaks her resume to fit a job description, she focuses on the bullet points. That's fine but tweaking the Career Summary is important as well. Since it's a shorter section and comes right at the top, it's easier for the recruiter and/or hiring manager to see the job description language that you've incorporated. ➡️ The Career Summary is an opportunity to duplicate key information that is covered later on in your resume. Remember, the initial scan of your resume may only be 6-10 seconds. Which is why it's important to duplicate key information in your Career Summary. That way there's a better chance it will be seen when the recruiter scans your resume. If they miss it in one place, they may see it in the other. ---------- So those are what I see as the key advantages to including a Career Summary on your resume. But please do NOT include a generic Career Summary. One that's filled with lots of buzzwords (results-oriented, creative, etc) and uses language that could apply to anyone who's held similar job titles. Use your Career Summary to position yourself, to demonstrate that you've taken the time to read the job description, to duplicate key information. In other words, use the Career Summary to stand out!

For my next installation of changing the way you view your #resume during your #militarytransition, I want to talk about WHAT you write about on your resume. This week, I want to talk to you about the fact that your resume is about where you are GOING and not where you have BEEN. This is especially important if you are making a pivot in your career. Often times, you did not get a choice of what your career field specialty was going to be in the military. Perhaps you were assigned to aircraft maintenance, but you have always wanted to work in finance. If you write your resume all about aircraft maintenance, even though you are targeting a role in finance, the employer will look at you as unqualified and will likely pass right by your application. ✅ However, I truly believe everyone coming out of the military has valuable skills that transfer to other industries, you just have to showcase them in a new way! If the very first line of your resume says something like "Military veteran with 26 years of experience in aircraft maintenance leadership," that line is about where you have been, not where you want to go next. (And yes, I know that this is the way one of the largest providers of free resumes starts almost every one of their templated resumes, but that doesn't make it right!) Remember, your resume is about showcasing your skills, experience and accomplishments in a way that highlights how your past has prepared you for what you want to do next. Pull out your resume and assess if, from the very first line of your summary, you have focused on where you have been or where you are going. Have you: ✅ Translated your military job title to highlight the relevance of the jobs you have held? ✅ Analyzed the new industry and career field to understand what skills they are seeking? ✅ Sat down and evaluated the value that your skills can bring to your next employer? When we work together on writing your resume, these questions are all part of the intake interview process. I only write targeted resumes, so once you know what you want to do next I can help you answer these questions and more. If your resume is more focused on where you have been than where you are going, reach out - this is what I do best!

Ok, let me get on my soap box for a minute. You’re talking about your career in job interviews + info conversations all wrong. I see wildly impressive women make this mistake daily, so I say this in the most loving way possible. Every info conversation + interview starts in the same place: “Tell me about yourself.” You can spend weeks (months!) preparing for your job search — Sundays doing reflection exercises + personality tests, late nights scrolling job boards + the hard work of setting up calls. But all that preparation is wasted if - You can’t talk about yourself in a way that immediately conveys your : - unique value - direction, and - readiness to lead at the next level It’s not your fault! This requires marketing + storytelling. Skills you’ve learned in a business context, but aren’t taught to apply to yourself. Let me walk you through how to do it right. Here’s a simple structure I use w/ clients to help them turn their resume into a compelling, confident story — one that positions them for the roles they want next: 1) 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰/ 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞. Lead w/ a one‑line headline that signals your value and direction. Template: I’m a [adjective] [function/level] in [industry], known for [edge]. Example: I’m a strategic operations leader in consumer tech, known for scaling scrappy teams into revenue engines. 2) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. Explain why you made each move, so your path reads as intentional. Template: I moved from X to Y because… which let me… Example: I left consulting for a growth-stage startup to own outcomes end-to-end + build cross‑functional muscle. 3) 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞. Select 1–2 proof points per role that ladder to your target. Template: What did I learn or deliver here that directly serves the role I want now? Example: Launched a new product line that became 30% of annual revenue. 4) 𝐂𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. Edit ruthlessly. Cut side projects, tool lists & responsibilities that dilute the through‑line. Rule of thumb: If it doesn’t strengthen why you for this role, it’s out. Example: If you’re pivoted from sustainability consulting into partnerships, cut the references to sustainability + position yourself as a consulting generalist. 5) 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬. Translate activity into outcomes with numbers, speed + scope. 6) 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐬 𝐰/ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. Briefly, confidently address gaps, pivots, layoffs, or sabbaticals - then move on. Ex: Took a 4‑month sabbatical to care for family; returned w/ refreshed systems that improved my team’s cadence. Want to see this action? Check out the example below – this is my main character, “Maya,” the star of all my trainings. See how we turned her dry biography into a page-turning memoir. Your story is already powerful. You just need to know how to tell it.

Thinking about a career change? Here’s how to actually make it happen, step by step. I’ve spoken with hundreds of people stuck between “I don’t want to do this anymore” and “But where do I even start?” Here’s the truth: Changing careers isn’t about starting over. It’s about repackaging what you already know, and proving you can solve a new set of problems. Here’s how to do it (with examples): 1. Start with your story. What’s pulling you away from your current path—and what’s pulling you forward? ✅ Example: “I’ve spent 6 years in education, but what I really loved was designing systems and learning tools. I’m now pivoting into UX design for edtech.” Make the shift clear and intentional. 2. Identify your transferable skills. You’ve built real value, name it. ✅ Example: Sales → Relationship-building, persuasion, handling objections Ops → Process design, cross-functional collaboration, execution List your strongest 4–6 skills and align them with your new target role. 3. Learn the language of the new industry. Every field has its own lingo. Start speaking it. ✅ Tip: Search 10 job listings in your target role. Write down the top 5 repeated words/phrases. Mirror those in your LinkedIn, resume, and pitch. 4. Rewrite your resume to match the direction, not the past. Lead with relevance, not chronology. ✅ Example: Add a “Career Summary” section: “Operations leader transitioning into product management, with 7+ years leading cross-functional teams, driving process improvements, and delivering results.” 5. Build proof fast. Don’t wait to get hired to show your skills. ✅ Options: Freelance Volunteer Build your own project Take a short course and create a case study Demonstrate that you’re not just interested, but also taking action. 6. Apply smart, not just often. Instead of applying everywhere, focus on quality roles in flexible environments. ✅ Pro tip: Use DailyRemote to find legit, remote-friendly roles across industries. It’s especially helpful for career changers who want fresh opportunities and a bit more breathing room. 7. Network with purpose. Start with conversations, not asks. ✅ DM example: “Hi Alex, I saw your post about transitioning into UX. I’m making a similar shift from content strategy. Would love to hear about your journey, no pressure at all.” Career changes take courage. But they’re absolutely possible. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience. Now package it with purpose, and go get what’s next.