I've reviewed hundreds of resumes from people switching careers. The same 3 mistakes show up every time:

Mistake #1: Leading with your old job title.

Recruiters spend 6 seconds on your resume. If the first thing they see is "Retail Manager" and the job is "Product Manager," you're already in the no pile. Lead with a summary that speaks their language.

Mistake #2: Listing duties instead of results.

"Responsible for inventory management" tells me nothing. "Reduced stock discrepancies by 35% through a new tracking system" tells me you solve problems. Every bullet should have a number.

Mistake #3: Not customizing for ATS.

80% of resumes get filtered out by software before a human sees them. Pull exact keywords from the job description. If they say "stakeholder management," don't say "worked with people." Mirror their words.

The fix? Reframe everything through the lens of your target role. Your experience isn't a liability — it's your edge. You just need to translate it.

I built ResumeAI to help career switchers do exactly this. It's free to try.