How to Write a Winning Mid-Career Resume for Mid-Level Professionals

Years of experience show you’re knowledgeable about your role. But, it’s not the most crucial factor to prove you’re an expert at what you do – it’s your track record. 

Some details are essential on a resume. Some are relevant but not necessary. How can you tell? 

Well, these are some of the challenges with writing a mid-career resume. The most common challenge is creating a resume that presents your track record in a way that resonates with the company you’re applying to. 

This guide will show you how to create a mid-career resume that wins interviews. We’ve also included examples, tools, and techniques you can use to speed up the process.

What Is a Mid-Career Resume?

A mid-career resume is for mid-level professionals with at least three years of work experience. Mid-career resumes highlight a person’s track record and achievements over the course of their most recent work history. There’s less emphasis on qualifications and more on the results you were responsible for in previous companies.

Your skills are mainly shown through your accomplishments. This is why the most successful mid-career job seekers pour a lot of effort into highlighting their areas of expertise based on the company’s needs. 

Here are a few ways to tell you’re a mid-career professional: 

• You’re capable of taking on leadership and management responsibilities such as coaching new employees
• Managers often ask for your insights before making an important decision
• Colleagues and peers often seek your advice for reassurance
• People in your industry trust your opinion, knowledge, and experience
• You have the salary of an average mid-level worker

How Long Should a Mid-Level Resume Be?

A one-page resume is ideal because it makes it easier for hiring managers to assess your track record and most recent achievements quickly. 

Two-page resumes are also appropriate for mid-level professionals. 

However, a one-page resume means prioritizing the most vital information. This means recruiters will first notice your most relevant skills and experience. Keeping your application to a single page is often more impactful because you’ll only present the essential details to employers. 

How to Write a Mid-Career Resume 

Here are the steps to writing a mid-career resume: 

1. Use quantitative data to showcase work achievements
2. Highlight the skills you applied in previous roles
3. Show career progression 
4. Use job description keywords
5. List educational qualifications
6. List skills that are directly related to the role
7. Stick to a single-page resume
8. Consider a summary section|
9. Consider an additional resume section

Here’s an example of what this type of resume looks like: 

The top 3 reasons why this resume works: 

• Results-oriented: The resume includes numbers and data to showcase key accomplishments, highlighting the purpose of the skills and responsibilities carried out.
• Content-focused: Just pure content with minimal design to present the candidate’s skills because ultimately, employers care more about the actual content of your resume rather than how it looks.
• Concise: It gets straight to the point by immediately highlighting skills, tasks, and project outcomes.

1. Use Quantitative Data to Showcase Work Achievements

The most crucial aspect that makes a strong mid-level resume is how you showcase the results you were responsible for. Highlight how you made a positive difference with previous employers. 

Quantitative data means using numbers and statistics. This improves your resume significantly as it shows that you’re aware of the impact you can make and that you know what you need to do to get those results. 

Here’s how to emphasize work achievements: 

• Start your bullet point with an action verb to describe the outcome achieved 
• Include a specific number, percentage, or metric to quantify the outcome of the skills or responsibility you’re describing 
• Mention the timeframe of the result 
• Mention the skills applied or the responsibilities carried out to achieve the results

And here’s an example of what this would look like as a resume sentence: 

• Improved workflow efficiency by over 50% in 3 months through the implementation of streamlined processes, automation tools, and cross-functional collaboration

OR... Use an AI Writer to Highlight Your Achievements

Our AI Writer can generate resume bullet points that highlight your achievements. Simply enter your previous role and let AI take care of the rest. 

See the example via the screenshot below. 

Try our AI Resume Writer for free. 

2. Highlight the Skills You Applied

This time, instead of starting a bullet point with a result, start the bullet point by highlighting a specific skill you had to apply. You can also use numbers to specify your skills and responsibilities. Then, highlight the outcome you achieved by applying that particular skill. 

Here’s how it looks: 

• Start your bullet point with an action verb to describe the skill you applied 
• Follow up with the responsibilities you carried out 
• Mention how your actions led to a positive outcome 

And here’s an example of what this would look like as a resume sentence: 

• Executed website redesign and optimized 3 landing page variants using HTML, customer feedback, and Expression Engine as a CMS to increase leads for sales teams

OR… Use an AI Writer to Highlight Your Skills

Our AI Writer can also generate resume bullets that highlight your skills. Simply enter your previous role and let AI take care of the rest. 

See the example via the screenshot below. 

Try our AI Resume Writer for free. 

3. Show Career Progression

Show career progression by writing about your work experience in reverse chronological order. List your previous and most recent roles as far back as 3-8 years ago. 

Here’s how to show career progression: 

• Highlight promotions to show that you’re increasing work responsibilities as you grow
• Add bullet points for the most recent job positions describing new skills you applied that you didn’t do as much in previous roles

However, Showing Career Progression Isn’t Always Necessary

You could even list only three of the same job titles in your work experience from the past 3-5 years. This is just as compelling, especially when the bullet points for each role have data and statistics to showcase significant achievements. 

Although career progression shows how you’ve improved your skills, listing the same professional title can give you an edge. Why? Because it shows you specialize in particular areas. In other words, it highlights your expertise, giving potential employers confidence in your ability.

4. Use Job Description Keywords 

Keywords are the words used to describe your responsibilities. You’ll find this in the company’s job description. 

Including job description keywords is essential for getting past the company’s applicant tracking system. This is hiring software a prospective employer uses to filter out qualified and unqualified candidates faster. It’s similar to how job seekers like us can use AI, such as ChatGPT, to speed up resume writing. 

Let’s say you’re applying for a marketing role. 

Keywords for a marketing job description might include “email marketing” or “social media.” So, you should have these in your resume by adding a sentence such as the following:

• Spearheaded email marketing campaigns which led to a 20% increase in click-through rates
• Oversaw social media accounts to enhance brand visibility and engagement, resulting in an 82.31% increase in followers and a 43.27% boost in website traffic

OR… Use AI Keyword Targeting

Copy and paste the job description with our AI Keyword Targeting feature to know exactly what keywords you need to include. 

See the example via the screenshot below. 

Try AI Keyword Targeting for free. 

5. List Educational Qualifications

Here’s what goes in the education section: 

• University Degree 
• Institution 
• Graduation Date

This is all you need. Anything more than that is optional. As a mid-career professional, employers care more about your practical experience than formal qualifications.

6. Only List Skills That Are Directly Relevant in the Skills Section

Focus on listing your most relevant technical and leadership skills. Show that you could do the job effectively. 

You don’t need to list as many skills as possible. Most of your skills and expertise will be shown through your professional experience anyway. So, you don’t need to worry too much about listing everything you can in the skills section. Only list what’s most directly related to your job responsibilities. 

But if you do decide to list a range of skills, you can put group-related skills into categories such as “technical skills” and “communication skills.” 

Here’s an example below of a mid-level resume that categorizes skills. 

7. Stick to a Single Page

A one-page resume puts more emphasis on your strengths. Instead of presenting all things that are relevant, you’re presenting all things that are essential. This makes your job application twice more compelling. 

In other words, double down on quality rather than quantity for a more impactful job application.

Here are a few tips to keep your mid-career resume to a single page: 

• Prioritize relevant skills and achievements over what’s “nice to have” 
• Focus on the most recent work experience by only going back up to 3-5 years on your resume
• If you’d like to list earlier career roles, briefly summarize them using 1-3 bullet points without the extensive details (you could even list them without writing any bullet points)
• Only use the essential resume sections: header, work experience, education, and skills
• If you’re listing a range of core competencies in the skills section, use categories to save space
• Have concise bullet points by using strong action verbs 

8. Consider a Summary Section 

When you have a resume with many different achievements, write a summary to clarify your areas of expertise. Resume summaries also allow you to have the first say. So, tailor this to the company’s needs, and you’ll set a solid first impression. 

A summary section isn’t necessary but can be helpful for professionals at all levels. If tight on space, consider leaving this section out. 

Ask Our AI Writer for a Summary 

Having trouble coming up with a compelling resume summary? Try giving our AI Summary Generator a go. Enter the job and skills you want to highlight, and then we’ll handle the rest. 

See the example via the screenshot below. 

Try our AI Resume Writer for free. 

9. Consider an Extra Resume Section 

Only consider an extra resume section when you can highlight a significant achievement. 

For example, let’s say you started a business. This could be included in your resume under an extra resume section titled “Projects.” Then, write bullet points to highlight business acumen and other core skills or qualities your employers want to see. 

An extra resume section isn’t necessary. If tight on space, leave this section out because your experience, education, and skills section matter the most. 

Note: Our AI Writer also helps generate resume bullet points for other sections. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, you can give our AI Writer a go for free or even look at other resume examples for inspiration! 

What to Leave Out of a Resume Even When It Seems Relevant

Leave details highlighting the same skills on your resume more than twice. Not that this is a bad thing, but it’s because you’ve already mentioned something similar. Hence, it’s not entirely necessary even though it can help show your proficiency. 

Here’s the order of information to prioritize for a mid-career resume:

• Quantitative achievements 
• Skills applied that led to a positive project outcome
• Job responsibilities that directly tie into the keywords from the company’s job description 
• Other job duties and responsibilities (this goes last because what employers are more interested in is how well you can do your job, therefore achievements always go first)

How a Mid-Career Resume Is Different From Entry-Level and Senior Resumes

Mid-career resumes are different because they focus more on highlighting your practical skills, depth of expertise, and whether you align with the company’s needs. Employers will want to assess whether you’re a good fit based on not only your extensive experience. But based on past performance and what you’ve been able to accomplish during those years. 

Entry-level positions often focus on relevant experience, qualifications, and transferable skills. Senior resumes often focus on having a track record of success, leadership skills, and executive qualities. 

To be specific on the differences, see the comparisons below. 

Mid-Career Resume vs. Entry-Level Resume vs. Senior-Level Resume

We’ll compare entry-level resumes, mid-career resumes, and senior-level resumes. This will be based on what they focus on most when it comes to these five aspects: 

• Years of experience
• Achievements
• Skills
• Formatting
• Qualifications

Years of Experience

• Entry-level resume: limited employment history, hence a stronger focus on qualifications, soft skills, transferable skills, and relevant experience
• Mid-level resume: at least three years of experience in a specific role or industry, hence a stronger focus on achievements and results
• Senior resume: at least 5+ years of work experience in a specific role or industry, hence a stronger focus on having a positive track record as well as leadership skills

Achievements 

• Entry-level resume: basic job responsibilities and educational achievements or certifications
• Mid-level resume: specific project outcomes, consistent work achievements, and career progression
• Senior resume: high-impact accomplishments, major decision-making responsibilities, and a track record of delivering positive results

Skills 

• Entry-level resume: focuses on transferable skills, qualifications, and knowledge from education
• Mid-level resume: highlights areas of expertise and technical skills or knowledge directly related to the role
• Senior resume: highlights executive responsibilities, management skills, and deep subject expertise

Formatting

• Entry-level resume: one-page resume with multiple additional resume sections
• Mid-level resume: one-page resume (also common to have two-page resumes) highlighting project outcomes and achievements
• Senior resume: one-page resume (also common to have two-page resumes) highlighting areas of expertise and most significant accomplishments in previous roles

Qualifications

• Entry-level resume: education can be the first resume section after the header, but it’s also common to have other qualifications besides a bachelor’s degree, e.g. certifications 
• Mid-level resume: education comes after the work experience section and usually only lists bachelor’s degree and above qualifications
• Senior resume: education comes after the work experience section and usually only lists a bachelor’s degree and above qualifications

3 Examples of Mid-Career Professional Resumes

We’ll now share a few resume examples for job seekers applying for the mid-level position. Each is a modern resume that you can take inspiration from.  

Business Consultant

Marketing Analyst

Recruiter Resume

Results Come First—Always

It’s not about showing how many tasks you’re familiar with and how much you’ve done in the past in terms of job responsibilities. It’s more about how well you’re familiar with those tasks by showing how well you carried them out. 

When describing a role, highlight specific project outcomes: cost savings, revenue growth, improved efficiency, and so forth. 

Even if you have less experience than other applicants, you can still get chosen for an interview depending on how you communicate the impact you’ve been capable of making in the past (what we’ve discussed in this mid-career resume guide).

Use the steps in this guide to write an impressive resume as a mid-level professional.

And if you want to try any of our resume tools for free, you can sign up here. We won’t ask for any payment details – just enter your email and create a password to get started 🙂

Good luck!