Change Management Resume Example

In the article, you'll find guidance on creating a change management resume that showcases desirable qualities for senior management and director-level appointments. The article will guide you on how to show your long-term vision and how your leadership has led to success for organizations. You'll also find tips on how to present your resume for the maximum impact with employers and key decision makers. Continue reading to discover the tips Jobseeker's career experts recommend for an effective change management resume.

Main sections of a change manager resume

Most resumes contain similar key sections, with a change manager resume being no different.

How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:

Resume Header with Contact Details

The resume header is the place to add your name and contact details, along with your LinkedIn URL if you have a profile, so employers can find more information about your career journey and skills. You don't typically need to add a photo, or any other personal information to this section. Make sure your resume header is as brief as possible and doesn't take up too much valuable space. Choose a clear, professional design that sets the tone for your application.

Opt for a professional-looking email address based on your name. If your email address could be construed as unprofessional or inappropriate because it contains nicknames or unsuitable language, create a new, more professional email address for your job applications. Always check your contact details to make sure they're up-to-date before you send your resume.

Resume Profile

Your resume personal profile is a short, concise paragraph to highlight two or three key skills and achievements in change manager roles. You may also see this section named as 'resume summary' or 'resume objective'. Resume summaries tend to focus on your career experience, while resume objectives cover your ambitions and plans for the future. Furthermore, when writing your profile, focus on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for change manager roles.

Alternatively, you could use this section to reference your objectives and ambitions, and how this role would fit into your career journey.

A great resume summary should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for change manager roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description and provide evidence to support them. It should also introduce your personality and unique qualities to the reader, to help them start to form an opinion about you as a candidate. You can see some positive examples of a resume summary for change manager jobs below.

Conversely, an ineffective resume summary would include generic, unspecific information on your skills and experience, while failing to provide any useful information on what makes you a unique and interesting candidate. In the graphic above you can find some negative examples of how to write a resume summary.

Work Experience

Your resume work experience section is the chance to show your relevant previous jobs and career achievements as a change manager. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.

For each job listed in this section, add some bullet points so the employer can understand the skills you developed, and your achievements. Focus on showcasing the impact you made on the organization, and show evidence of how you made a difference.

If you're writing a change management resume resume, you can afford to make your work experience section a little longer and more detailed than a traditional resume. Roles at this level require plenty of experience and examples of your achievements, so an extended work experience may be necessary. While established best practice suggests you should go no further than 10 to 15 years back in your resume work experience section, for a change manager resume, you might wish to go back further. This can help you prove you've got the necessary expertise in your field to take on a leadership or senior management position.

An effective resume work experience section is one that constantly echoes the skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you used your skills to positive effect in each job. Each bullet point should be carefully crafted to showcase a particular skill or achievement relevant to change manager jobs, with evidence to show the value you added. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.

In the graphic above you can see a great example of what to avoid when writing your resume work experience section. A bad resume work experience section might fail to address skills and achievements that relate directly to the job description. Falling back on clichés, vague descriptions and basic responsibilities, rather than showing the impact you made, is likely to disengage the reader.

Education

In your education section, include details of your most relevant change manager qualifications and educational achievements.

If you're applying for change manager positions you'll typically need to have a degree. A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management will usually help your chances of success. You could also list any qualifications that demonstrate your risk assessment or stakeholder analysis.

Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. You can enhance this section by adding bullet points that show any outstanding grades, awards or achievements and any specialist subjects you studied. These details can make you stand out from other candidates.

If you took part in any volunteering or you were a leader or member of any university societies, you could also mention these in your education section.

Skills

The skills section is one of the main ways to show employers you've got the skills required for change manager roles. Whether your skills include stakeholder analysis, conflict resolution abilities or any other useful skills for the role, you'll want to list them here. Again, refer to the job description and make sure you include skills that the employer has listed as essential or desirable for employment as a change manager.

Highlighting your hard skills

Under hard skills, add any specialist skills you possess that are specifically required for change manager jobs. These tend to be technical skills and industry knowledge essential to the position. Furthermore, these skills are essential for a change management resume as they showcase your expertise in the field. Add up to five key hard skills that show you're an ideal candidate for the role. It can also be beneficial to add context to each skill, showing how you've used it to positive effect in your career to date.

The best resume hard skills sections focus on specific technical skills necessary for the job, showcasing skills that you have particular expertise in. There are some examples of valuable hard skills for a change management resume below.

Adding soft skills to your change management resume

Your soft skills are the core qualities and personal characteristics that make you a good employee. They tend to apply to multiple professions and jobs, though the soft skills you'll require may change as you move from junior to senior positions. Indeed, transferable skills are growing in importance in the modern world of work, so make sure you include several of these in your resume.

It's best to aim for four or five soft skills that match the job description and reflect your strongest personal qualities. When applying for senior positions, such as change manager roles, your soft skills section should emphasize your leadership skills.

Your soft skills section should make the most of your unique personal qualities and strengths, while also reflecting the requirements laid out in the job description. See below for some examples of useful soft skills for a change manager resume.

Certifications and Training

Under this section, list any relevant certifications or licenses that are relevant to change manager jobs. Add any official certifications or accreditations that increase your level of qualification and suitability for working as a change manager. Therefore, add any necessary licenses and certifications in this section, along with valid dates so employers can see you're still qualified for the job.

Below you can find several examples of certifications for a change manager resume:

Optional Information

In addition to the core sections of a change manager resume, there are several optional sections you could include to enhance your chances. Choose optional sections from the list below, if they help to showcase your relevant skills and experience.

Hobbies and Interests

Add any hobbies and interests that reinforce your credentials for the position. Your hobbies and interests are useful for a change manager resume if you want to show a different side to your personality, or to stand out among other candidates. They can also be valuable if you're a junior candidate without much relevant work experience. Only include hobbies and interests that showcase your personality and personal qualities, and add something different to your application.

Volunteering

Adding voluntary roles can be a useful way of showing relevant experience and skills for change manager roles beyond your main employment history. Write your volunteer section in a similar format to your work experience, including your role, the organization name, relevant dates and the details of your contribution.

References

References aren't a standard change management resume section, but employers do sometimes ask for them. Check the job advert and only include them if requested. Include a maximum of three professional references, being sure to check with your referees before including them in your resume.

Best words to use in a change management resume

Start each bullet point in your work experience section with a strong verb to show actions you took. Choose verbs from the suggestions below that highlight your key skills or those mentioned in the job description.

If you're an experienced change manager, your resume may be longer than the standard one to two pages. Resumes for such senior positions need space to showcase achievements, experience and relevant activities that indicate your senior standing, so a resume length of two pages or longer is generally more acceptable. Jobseeker's clean, attractive resume formats can help your applications make a strong impression on employers. Check them out for help designing a winning resume, and see our cover letter templates to help win over recruiters and hiring managers.

Example resume for change manager applications

Using each of the sections above, we've created this example change management resume, to help guide you when creating your own:

How to make your resume ATS compliant

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. There are several things you can do when writing your change management resume, to give yourself the strongest chance of ranking highly in the ATS stage and progressing through the recruitment process.

Create an ATS-optimized resume by following these quick tips:

• Opt for an established, traditional resume format such as a reverse-chronological or functional structure. These will ensure your resume includes all the necessary details ATS systems scan for.
• Include keywords throughout your resume that align with the job description. ATS software tends to compare your resume to the job description for points of similarity, so careful, considered use of keywords should help your chances of success.
• Use clear headings that break your resume up into readable, scannable sections that match the standard content employers expect from a resume.
• Adopt a resume design that uses clear, professional design principles and leaves white space for your content to breathe. Use the most readable fonts and incorporate subtle design elements to enhance the readability of your document.
• Adopt simple, professional language to keep your resume as concise as possible. This tends to make your document more readable, and easier for ATS software to scan.

Key points for your change management resume

The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Pick a resume format that matches your experience levels, and tailor the content of your resume to reflect the details of the job description.

Use Jobseeker's resume templates, other tools and resources to create an application that impresses employers. Sign up today to access a wealth of valuable resume and cover letter resources. To make the best possible impression with your applications, write a cover letter with the help of Jobseeker. You can also find plenty of expert-designed cover letter examples for inspiration.

Sources:

(1) Overcoming the Most Common Challenges in the Executive Job Search, MIT Career Development Office: https://cdo.mit.edu/blog/2024/10/15/overcoming-the-most-common-challenges-in-the-executive-job-search/

(2) How to Impress an Executive Recruiter and Break Into the C-Suite, Harvard Division of Continuing Education: https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-impress-an-executive-recruiter-and-break-into-the-c-suite/