Career Change CV: Example and Template
How to structure your CV when moving into a new occupational field without a traditional background in that industry - with a focus on recognised Swiss adult vocational qualification (Nachholbildung) and demonstrable transferable achievements.
Currently 36 open Career Changer positions in Switzerland, across 14 cantons, 4 of them from the last 7 days. SBB CFF FFS advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
What qualification do I need for a career change in Switzerland?
In most sectors you need a federally recognised qualification - as an adult you can obtain this through the Nachholbildung pathway under Art. 32 BBV, the validation of prior learning procedure, or shortened training programmes.
The Swiss labour market places strong emphasis on formal qualifications. The shortened apprenticeship under Art. 32 BBV generally requires five years of professional experience, at least two of them in the target occupation, and concludes with the same EFZ as regular initial vocational training. Alternatively, under the validation of prior learning procedure pursuant to Art. 31 BBV, you document your competencies in a portfolio against the occupation's qualification profile; whatever you can prove is recognised. Always state the pathway on your CV, for example 'ICT Specialist EFZ, Nachholbildung Art. 32 BBV, 2023' - this signals equivalence to hiring managers rather than a gap.
Depending on your target occupation, there are established career-change pathways: Registered Nurse HF (Pflegefachfrau/Pflegefachmann HF) via the part-time programme for adults, career-changer entry into teaching at a University of Teacher Education with several years of professional experience and employment from the first year of study, the SVEB Certificate Level 1 for adult education, or the professional examination leading to a federal Fachausweis diploma if you meet the admission requirements through years of practical experience. State the ongoing training programme on your CV, with start date and planned completion, rather than leaving it out.
Certificates cannot replace a formal qualification, but they bridge the time until you obtain one and make you immediately employable. Choose evidence that is standard in the industry: ITIL 4 Foundation or Microsoft certifications in IT, a first-aid course and BLS-AED in healthcare occupations, a forklift licence and dangerous goods (ADR) certification in logistics, or SUVA safety courses in construction. Also check with the RAV about a training voucher for labour market measures, or with the IV about retraining under Art. 17 IVG - both are financially relevant and should be listed factually as further training on your CV.
How do I present work experience if I don't yet have experience in the new industry?
Translate your previous responsibilities into the terminology and metrics of your target industry, instead of copying your old job descriptions unchanged.
Start with a skills profile: for each previous position, list which tasks are directly transferable to the target industry. 'Duty roster for 14 employees' becomes resource and workforce planning, 'daily closing of CHF 210'000' becomes financial and process responsibility, 'resolved complaints at the table' becomes de-escalation in customer contact with first-time resolution. Use the terminology from the job advertisement and from the occupation's training plan so that your CV is recognised by applicant tracking systems and in the initial screening.
Support your new technical skills with actual output, not statements of intent. Effective options include a three- to six-month internship, an interim job arranged through the RAV, a work programme, volunteer work with a documented portfolio, or a personal project with figures: 'Set up a home network with 12 devices and VLAN segmentation', 'Coordinated 40 banquets per season'. One or two such pieces of evidence turn a career change from a risk into a verifiable promise.
Structure your CV in reverse chronological order, but control attention through length: give your new role four quantified bullet points, and your previous industry two to three bullet points focusing on leadership, customer relations and resilience. Above your work experience, include a three-sentence profile that explains the reason for your career change and states what you bring to the table. Add two references with their role and phone number, ideally one from your previous field and one from your new one - references are contacted more often for career changers than for other candidates.
How long should the CV be, and do I need a photo?
Two pages, a professional portrait photo, and a clear statement of work permit, availability and workload percentage are the standard in Switzerland.
Keep to a maximum of two pages, even if you need to cover two careers. Shorten positions that are more than ten years old or unrelated to your target role to a single line with job title, employer and period. A photo remains standard practice in Switzerland and, for career changers, is often seen as an additional trust factor: use a recent portrait in business attire, not a holiday or selfie photo. Year of birth, marital status and nationality are optional, but stating your nationality, or your permit category B, C or G, saves non-Swiss applicants a follow-up question.
List your qualifications with the correct Swiss title and year: EFZ, EBA, federal Fachausweis, Diploma HF, Bachelor FH. List foreign diplomas with their original title and, if available, the recognition decision from Swissuniversities or the SBFI. Name your file clearly, for example 'CV_Buehlmann_ICT-Support.pdf', and send it as a PDF rather than Word. A complete application dossier includes the CV, cover letter, work references and copies of diplomas.
Declare gaps and retraining periods openly and with substance: 'Nachholbildung Art. 32 BBV, part-time alongside employment' or 'RAV labour market measure: network technology module'. Finally, state your availability, desired workload percentage and salary expectation as a range in Swiss francs with the apostrophe, for example CHF 82'000 to CHF 88'000 at 100 percent, if the job advertisement asks for it. Adapt the title at the top of your CV for each application to match the target profile - for a career change, it is the most important element on the first page.
Where Career Changer are hired in Switzerland
How the 36 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 7 |
| Bern | 4 |
| Aargau | 2 |
| Luzern | 2 |
| Basel-Stadt | 1 |
| Graubünden | 1 |
| Obwalden | 1 |
| Schaffhausen | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 34 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| German | 34 (29) |
| French | 5 (2) |
| Italian | 2 (0) |
| English | 1 (0) |
Who hires Career Changer in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| SBB CFF FFS | 17 |
| Coop | 15 |
| Convit Central GmbH | 3 |
| R+V Versicherung | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 33 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 3 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Marco Bühlmann
ICT Specialist EFZ (Nachholbildung, Art. 32 BBV) - Career changer from the hospitality industry
Career changer with eight years of management experience in chain restaurant catering who obtained the ICT Specialist EFZ vocational qualification in 2023 through the Nachholbildung pathway under Art. 32 BBV. Currently responsible for 1st- and 2nd-level support for 320 clients, achieving 96 percent SLA compliance with an average of 38 tickets per day. Brings strong customer focus and stress resilience from his previous career and translates technical issues for users without an IT background.
What sets me apart
A recognised qualification, not just a course certificate: The EFZ was obtained through the Nachholbildung pathway under Art. 32 BBV, comprising 5 qualification areas and an individual practical work project (IPA, grade 5.3) - the same federally recognised qualification as through a regular apprenticeship.
Management experience from day one: 5 years as shift leader, scheduling 14 employees, holding budget responsibility for monthly revenue of CHF 210'000 and maintaining L-GAV-compliant time recording - a level of management routine that typical career starters don't bring with them.
A user's perspective as an advantage in support: Drawing on his own experience as a former point-of-sale system user, wrote 24 guides for the self-service portal, reducing the number of password and printer tickets by 31 percent within 6 months.
Proven resilience under peak pressure: Used to handling 300 covers per evening, now takes on-call duty with 24-hour standby availability and in 2024 resolved two inventory management system outages within the 4-hour recovery time target.
Key achievements
Vocational qualification alongside an 80% job. Completed the ICT Specialist EFZ Nachholbildung in 24 months alongside an 80% position, financed through an RAV training voucher of CHF 6'400 plus personal funds, achieving a final grade average of 5.1.
Windows 11 client rollout. Migrated 180 laptops and 40 thin clients to Windows 11 using Microsoft Intune and Autopilot, completing the rollout in 7 weeks with no data loss and reducing installation time per device from 90 to 25 minutes.
Redesigned the ticketing process based on ITIL. Introduced a priority matrix and standard solutions in Jira Service Management: reduced average resolution time from 9.5 to 5.2 hours and increased first-time resolution rate from 58 to 74 percent.
Experience
ICT Support Specialist, 1st and 2nd Level — Nordwest IT Services GmbH, Olten, since 03/2023
IT service provider with 26 employees, supporting 14 SME clients from trade and healthcare in the Solothurn/Aargau region.
- Supports 320 clients and 22 servers, handling an average of 38 tickets per day with 96 percent SLA compliance
- Migrated 180 laptops to Windows 11 using Intune and Autopilot within 7 weeks
- Created 24 self-service guides and reduced standard tickets by 31 percent within 6 months
- Took on on-call duty for 4 clients from 2024 as well as onboarding 2 IT apprentices (Informatiker/in EFZ)
Shift Leader, Service — Restaurant Zum Rebstock AG, Aarau, 08/2018 - 02/2023
Establishment with 120 indoor and 80 outdoor seats, annual revenue of approximately CHF 2.5 million, team of 22 people.
- Managed 14 employees per shift and scheduled duty rosters in compliance with the L-GAV, achieving staff turnover of only 12 percent
- Responsible for daily closings and monthly revenue of CHF 210'000, with till discrepancies below 0.2 percent
- Introduced a new point-of-sale and ordering system on 9 tablets and trained 22 employees within 3 weeks
- Reduced stock shrinkage by 18 percent within a year through monthly inventory checks
Restaurant Specialist EFZ — Hotel Seeblick Interlaken AG, 08/2014 - 07/2018
Seasonal hotel with 74 rooms and banqueting facilities for up to 200 guests, international guest segment.
- Served up to 60 guests per shift in à la carte service, with an average guest service rating of 4.6 out of 5
- Coordinated 40 banquets per season with up to 200 guests as the main service contact
- Handled accounting and ordering for a beverage stock worth CHF 45'000
Education
Federal VET Diploma (EFZ), ICT Specialist, Nachholbildung under Art. 32 BBV, IPA grade 5.3 — Berufsfachschule Aargau-Solothurn · 2023
Federal VET Diploma (EFZ), Restaurant Specialist — Gewerblich-Industrielle Berufsschule Bern · 2018
Module certificates, Network technology and operating systems (4 modules, RAV training voucher) — Weiterbildungszentrum Mittelland, Olten · 2022
ITIL 4 Foundation (2024) · Microsoft Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate MD-102 (2024) · CompTIA Network+ (2022) · Vocational trainer course under Art. 44 BBV, 40 lessons (2025)
Common questions
- What language should I write my CV in as a Career Changer?
- 100% of the adverts are in German — write the CV in German unless the advert itself is in English.
- Where in Switzerland are Career Changer most in demand?
- Spread out, Zurich first at 19%, then Bern and Aargau. Across a language border, apply with the matching version.
- What language level do Career Changer adverts ask for?
- German in 100% of adverts that state a requirement, 85% of them at professional level. "Good knowledge" will not do — give A2 to C2.
- Are Career Changer roles offered full or part time?
- 92% full time, only 8% part time. If you need part time, say so early rather than leaving it open.
- Who hires Career Changer in Switzerland?
- Currently SBB CFF FFS, Coop, Convit Central GmbH, among others. Their adverts are the best word list for your own CV.