career

Making a career change: How experience fits the new role

A lateral entry rarely succeeds with standard documents. This is how applicants can credibly show experience, motivation, and willingness to learn.

Editorial8 min read
Female applicant planning a move to a new professional role with notes and a laptop

As of: 3 July 2026. Ein Quereinstieg klingt oft mutiger, als er in der Praxis sein muss. Many people don't switch from zero to one hundred into a completely unfamiliar profession; instead, they bring experience from sales, office work, technical roles, care, hospitality, project work, customer contact or family organisation. It is precisely these transferable skills that determine whether an application is convincing.

The timing is right: the Austrian labour market remains selective, but it is in motion. According to the latest AMS figures, companies continue to seek staff but scrutinise profiles more closely. For applicants this means: a career change rarely works with a standard application. It needs a clear bridge between previous experience and the new role.

This post shows how applicants in Austria can build a career-change application, which arguments matter, which occupations are not possible without formal qualifications, and how CV, cover letter and interview make the transition credible.

A career switch is not a fresh start without a past

The most common misconception is: "I've never worked in this profession, so I have nothing to offer." That is rarely true. The AMS emphasises, for jobs aimed at lateral entrants, that existing knowledge, qualifications and experience form the basis for a successful transition. Those who find points of connection can use them as arguments in their application.

For example: Someone wanting to switch from the catering industry to customer service brings resilience, complaint management, shift experience, and direct customer contact. Someone wanting to move from retail to office assistance can demonstrate organization, inventory management, cash handling security, communication, and prioritization. Someone switching from a technical profession to sales often knows products, processes, and customer objections better than pure sales beginners.

The resume should therefore not pretend that everything is starting anew. It must translate previous experience. Good career-changer applications show not only where someone comes from, but why this background is useful for the new task.

Clarify the target role first, then apply

Before the first application, a clear picture of the target role is needed. The AMS recommends comparing task areas and one's own skills in advance. This is particularly important for career changers because job advertisements often use terms that sound similar to those outside the industry but imply different requirements.

Practically, a simple table helps: on the left, the requirements from three to five suitable job advertisements; on the right, your own experience. What fits directly? What is transferable? What is missing? Only when these gaps are visible can one decide whether an application makes sense immediately or whether a course, an internship, a conversation with someone from the industry, or a smaller entry-level goal is necessary beforehand.

Those who want to read the market systematically first can use the article Reading job listings correctly: Where applicants should take a closer look now. For the current situation, the labor market briefing Summer in the job market: What applicants can learn now from the AMS figures.

Which professions are suitable for career changers

Not every occupation is freely accessible. The AMS points out that there are protected occupational groups in Austria that require specific theoretical and practical training. Examples include medical professions, psychotherapeutic professions, or the legal profession. Clear qualification and authorization rules can also apply in nursing, early childhood education, electrical engineering, or certain trades.

This does not mean these fields are closed. It only means that entry must be planned differently. Sometimes the route is via vocational training, recognition procedures, the final apprenticeship examination (Lehrabschlussprüfung), Kolleg, a course, a trainee program, or a supportive entry-level position. An immediate move into the core role is then not realistic, but a phased entry may be possible.

The AMS Career Compass helps with orientation because it bundles job information, training paths, starting salaries, and labor market trends. Those who are unsure should not only search for job titles, but also for professional fields and competencies. This makes related roles visible that are easily overlooked in the first search.

The strongest argument: transferable skills

Career changers are rarely invited because of perfect industry experience. They become interesting when they can solve a problem. Therefore, application documents should not start with "I am looking for a new challenge," but with concrete benefits: What can this person do that is needed in the new role?

Transferable skills include, for example, customer consulting, appointment scheduling, team coordination, complaint resolution, data maintenance, accuracy, technical diagnosis, sales talks, training new employees, safety awareness, language skills, or digital tools. It is important not just to mention them. Evidence is better: "up to 80 customer contacts daily," "training of new team members," "managed order and inventory lists," "documented shift handovers," or "independently resolved complaints."

The AMS recommends that career changers prepare for critical questions, such as what added value they offer compared to applicants with industry experience. The answer should already be laid out in the documents. Then the interview does not feel like a defense, but like a continuation of the application.

Cover letter: Motivation must be concrete

A good cover letter for a career change explains three things: Why this industry? Why this role? Why does previous experience fit? General sentences about the desire for change are not enough. Companies want to know if the change is prepared or if it only arises from frustration with the old job.

A viable formulation can sound like this: "In my previous job in retail, I advised customers daily, resolved complaints, and trained new colleagues. I would like to bring this experience into technical customer support because it combines calm communication, structured troubleshooting, and service orientation." This is stronger than an abstract "I am ready to learn and motivated."

oesterreich.gv.at describes the content structure for a cover letter, clarifying motivation, suitability, and attachments. This structure is particularly useful for career changers: motivation alone is not enough, and suitability without motivation seems random. Both must fit together.

CV: don't throw everything out, but re-weight it

The CV remains chronologically traceable. Nevertheless, it can be weighted differently for a career-change application. What is relevant is not every previous task, but the experience that leads to the target role. For example, anyone wanting to switch to personnel administration should emphasize duty rosters, applicant contact, training, time recording, or documentation more strongly than internal routine activities without relevance.

A short profile paragraph can help: three to four lines that connect previous experience and the target role. Example: “Customer-oriented career changer with five years of experience in retail, proficient in consulting, complaint resolution, and merchandise management. Goal: Entry into telephone customer service with a focus on structured request processing.” This is followed by professional experience, education, further training, and competencies.

If the career change is related to a gap, a caregiving phase, or a reorientation, the CV should still remain factual. The article Resume gap: How to explain career breaks shows how such phases can be briefly classified.

Further training: targeted instead of decorative

Further training can support a career change, but only if it closes a recognizable gap. An arbitrary course quickly looks like filler material. A clear justification is better: For which role do I need which knowledge? What can I demonstrably do better afterwards? Is there a certificate, a project, a portfolio, or a practical application?

The Chamber of Labour Upper Austria refers people considering a career change to educational counselling, competence counselling, further training opportunities and information on funding. Erwachsenenbildung.at consolidates counselling services in Austria, including in-person, telephone, video and online counselling. Such services are useful when there is a desire to change but the target role, financing, or training pathway are still unclear.

What matters is the order: first identify the target role and the skills gap, then look for a course. If you do the opposite and collect training courses at random, you risk a lot of effort with no clear benefit for your applications.

Use job boards and search channels more broadly

For career changers, traditional job titles are often too narrow. Someone who only searches for "Marketing Manager" may overlook assistant roles, content support, customer communications, project coordination, or inside sales. oesterreich.gv.at lists general and specialized job boards, public job postings, university job boards, and EU listings. The AMS additionally points to "alle jobs" and the eJob-Room.

The search should therefore be run with several terms: target role, core competency, industry, working time model and entry type. It's also worth keeping an eye out for phrases such as 'career changers welcome', 'training', 'trainee', 'junior', 'with customer-facing experience', 'applications from other industries possible' or 'structured onboarding'.

Anyone who recognizes recurring patterns after rejections should refine their documents. The article "Following up on a job rejection: How feedback improves applications explains when a follow-up question is appropriate.

Job interview: preparing for the difficult question

In an interview you are almost certain to be asked: 'Why do you want to change jobs?' The answer should be neither defensive nor overly romanticized. Poor answers revolve around escape: 'I just want to get away.' Better answers show direction: 'I've realized that I especially enjoy advising and structured problem solving. That's why I'm looking for a role where those strengths are central.'

Equally important is the question of lacking industry experience. A good answer acknowledges the gap and names compensating factors: the ability to learn quickly, relevant practical experience, preparation, a course, job shadowing, industry research, or clear onboarding expectations. Those who sugarcoat everything come across as naive. Those who state the gap matter-of-factly and present a learning plan come across as professional.

For concrete interview preparation, the article is suitableJob interview: What applicants should clarify beforehand. For a career switch you should especially practice translating your experience into the target role in two minutes.

Checklist for the career-change application

  • Name the target role concretely: not just 'something new', but a suitable position.
  • Analyze three to five job postings and mark recurring requirements.
  • Demonstrate transferable skills with examples.
  • Check formal access requirements, especially for regulated professions.
  • Tailor your CV to relevant experience and the target role.
  • Connect your cover letter to your motivation, suitability, and the value you will bring to the company.
  • Use targeted training only where there is a genuine skills gap.
  • Prepare answers to "Why are you changing jobs?" and "Why without industry experience?"
  • Expand search terms: related roles, junior roles, trainee, onboarding, career changers welcome.
  • Identify patterns in rejections and refine your application materials.

Conclusion: switching careers requires translating your experience.

A strong application as a career changer doesn't claim that a lack of industry experience doesn't matter. It demonstrates why the experience you do have is still relevant. It's precisely this work of translating your experience that decides: Which tasks do I already know in a different form? Which competencies do I bring? What's still missing, and how do I close that gap?

Anyone who proceeds this way doesn't apply as a supplicant, but as a candidate with a clear, credible plan for making the transition. That's especially important in a selective job market. Companies aren't only looking for perfect resumes. They're looking for people who quickly understand where they can contribute.

Sources and further information

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