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Changing careers (skills first)

Sample CV2 pagesFictional person

Best for

You want to move into a different field and your job titles do not obviously match. A skills-led layout makes your strengths easier to see.

Download Word file (.docx)

Sidebar style. Navy side panel for contact, education and referees, with the main story on the right. Open it in Word, Pages or Google Docs, replace the fictional details with yours, then save as PDF.

Profile

Customer-focused hospitality manager moving into customer support. Eight years of resolving problems face to face, training teams and working under pressure. Recently completed a customer service certificate and a short course in CRM software.

Relevant skills

  • Resolving customer problems: handled 50+ customer issues a day on a busy floor, with most settled on the spot and a 95% satisfaction score on follow-up cards.
  • Written communication: wrote training guides and weekly team updates used by 25 staff.
  • Learning systems quickly: moved a team from paper bookings to an online system in three weeks.
  • Working with data: tracked complaints and refunds weekly and used the results to cut repeat issues by 30%.

Work history

Restaurant ManagerHarbour Street Bistro, WellingtonMar 2020 - Aug 2026

Restaurant closed in August 2026.

  • Managed a team of 25 and daily service for up to 200 customers.
  • Introduced an online booking system and trained all staff to use it.
  • Dealt with complaints, refunds and supplier issues, keeping customer feedback at 4.5 stars.

Assistant ManagerLambton Quay Grill, WellingtonJan 2016 - Feb 2020

  • Opened and closed the venue, handled rosters and trained new staff.

Earlier hospitality roles2010 - 2015

Why it is laid out this way

  • A 'Relevant skills' section sits above the work history, with an example under each skill from a past job.
  • The profile names the new field and says what you are bringing from the old one.
  • Job titles stay honest, but bullets are chosen because they show skills the new employer wants.
  • Recent study or a short course shows you are serious about the move.

Making it yours

  • Pick three skills from the job ad and build your 'Relevant skills' section around them.
  • Use the ad's wording, as long as it is true. 'Stakeholder engagement' and 'talking to customers' can describe the same skill.
  • Cut or shorten anything from your old career that does not support the new direction.

Paste into Word or Google Docs, use one column and a plain font (Calibri or Arial), and save as PDF unless the ad asks for Word. Full advice in the NZ CV guide.

The people, employers and numbers here are made up. Use only your own real, checkable details. Spotted something out of date? Email help@unemployed.nz.

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