Combination Resume Format Examples & Tips

What is a Combination Resume? 

A Combination resume format, also known as a hybrid resume format, is a combination of two formats Chronological format and Functional format. The chronological format highlights your work experiences, which are listed in chronological order. The functional format highlights your skills and work experiences. The format for combination of competencies and experiences makes your resume perfect. If you have some years of experience after completing your qualifications, the format for combination of your achievements and competencies is best for presenting your professional background effectively.

Who Should Use this Combination Resume Format

This format allows employers to pay attention to the skills section. It is the best option if you feel that your past jobs do not clearly show your capabilities and employment history. It emphasizes your abilities and achievements related to the job. It focuses on what you can do and how your experience matches the job responsibilities. 

1- Career Changer

If you’re changing your career and looking for a new Job or post different from the previous role, employers find hiring difficult. They try to match the spot between your new job and your last job by the skills that are similar but not same. This type of resume is mixed with two sections: expertise and experience section. The goal is to show your abilities in advance and make it easy for hiring managers to see why you’re eligible for this post. 

2- Recent Graduate

If you recently graduated and have less employment history and want to show your abilities, or if you have done work as a volunteer or have gained some knowledge from online courses and workshops, then you can use this format. 

3- Gaps in Employment History: 

If you have gaps in employment history due to reasons like health issues or taking care of a child and parents, then you should choose a combination resume sample that focuses on qualifications rather than how long it’s been since your last job. It should focus on what you want now instead of what you did in the past. 

4- A lot of Experience

It’s the best choice for you if you have a lot of experience and your career faces unexpected challenges and different types of roles. Avoid adding all your experiences to your resume. Only showcase those experiences that are required for the post. This will help the recruiter see your resume easily, quickly notice your experience, and understand why you’re fit for this post. 

How to Write a Combination Resume Format? 

A hybrid resume format includes the following sections: 

• Contact information
• Summary 
• Skills section 
• Work experience section
• Education 

Contact Information

Your resume should start with your name and contact information in this format. Ensure that the information is valid. Add your name, phone number, and email address in your contact information. Use a professional email address. If you have other professional accounts, like LinkedIn or another online portfolio, they can be beneficial for your resume. The format for combination can be used to show your contact details and virtual presence. 

Summary

A brief summary of your resume describes your strengths or relevant experiences. Your summary should be brief. Don’t exceed two to three sentences. For an effective resume summary, clarify and include: 

• Action verbs 
• Measurable outcomes 
• Top accomplishments related to the Job
• Several essential skills 

Skills Section

Below the summary section, mention your top abilities or competencies that are aligned with the job description. Your strengths should match the keywords of the Job posting responsibilities, and they’ll help brag the attention of the hiring managers and employers. You should mention your hard and soft skills. The combination resume aims to show potential employers how your professional experiences and abilities relate. You should include the accomplishments or competencies you have acquired from prior jobs that are relevant to your next job. 

Experience section: 

After the core competencies section, the work experience section will support your skills section. List your work history in chronological order, starting with your recent and ending with the elderly. You should mention the following things in this section: 

• Job title 
• Name and address of the company 
• Duration of employment 
• Demonstrating your achievements 

When you’re writing the experience section, here are things you should keep in mind: 

• Highlight your achievements rather than responsibilities 
• Match your experience with the Job for which you’re applying 
• Support your experience with facts and figure 

Education

After the work experience section, you should mention your qualifications. Your qualification starts with recent and ends with earliest. Some things that are included in this section: 

• Degree Name 
• Institution name 
• Mention the date or year of the degree

If you’ve any other certifications, include this: 

• Name of certification
• Name of organization 
• Dates of starting and ending of the certifications 

Tips for Writing a Combination Resume

Crafting a compelling hybrid resume requires a strategic blend of skills and experience to showcase your strengths effectively. By combining the best elements of chronological and functional formats, you can highlight your key achievements while maintaining a clear career progression. Below are some essential tips to help you create a powerful hybrid resume that stands out to employers.

Tailor your Resume with the Job Description

To increase your chances of landing a Job, review your resume according to the Job description. Find the keywords that align with your skills, achievements, and qualifications. Companies use ATS software that scans your application; if your resume is not ATS friendly or aligns with the keywords, your applicant will not stand out, and you won’t brag the attention of employers and hiring managers. 

Appropriate keywords

Keywords help to tailor your resume to the Job description. Keywords are most important to your resume for the following two reasons: 

• You know that keywords are necessary to fulfil the requirements of ATS-friendly software. Applications scan through this software; if you use appropriate keywords, your applicant will stand out. 
• Keywords exhibiting your capabilities and achievements related to the Job. They emphasize your skills or experience that increase your chance of landing the Job. 

Adding more keywords to your resume is called “keyword stuffing.” The best way to avoid keyword stuffing is to use keywords naturally and stay limited when you list down the skills. 

Use Action Verbs 

Use action verbs that are also known as powerful words. Strong action verbs highlight your accomplishments and enhance the effect of the message that you want to convey. It focuses on your achievements rather than the tasks and shows the result of your efforts. Some following action verbs are below; 

• Achieved 
• Improved 
• Led
• Mentored
• Collaborated
• Developed
• Supervised

Focus on Relevancy

You should focus on the relevancy of the resume. Is any content you added relevant to the format and the job description? If your resume is longer and you convert it to 2 to 3 pages, then you should remove extra talents or experiences that are not related to the post. 

Key Takeaways

In this context, we have discussed the advantages of the combination resume format and how you can highlight your qualifications, skills, and achievements if you want to change your career, have a lot of experience, or have no experience. Are you ready to write a resume that shows your strengths or land a good Job?

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