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What Is A Combination Resume

Versatile And Works For Multiple Roles Within One Company

Combination Resume Format: BEST RESUME FORMAT 2020

Lets face it, we all perform tasks that dont fall within our job description. Sometimes you work on long-term projects that may seem out-of-place to even talk about

However, one advantage of the hybrid resumes is that theyre not fixed and limited to only one specific role. But rather, multiple roles in that same company.

For example, you can discuss all of the skills youve managed to develop and discuss how itll be useful in other areas for the tech company youve applied for.

No matter what your official role was in your previous company, you can describe all those skills. As long as theyre transferable and relevant for the new company, there wont be a problem.

The Classic Double Column Resume

In our last handpicked example, we can see shes using elements from the combination resume by the way shes highlighting her skills and experiences.

The first thing we see on Isabelles resume is a one-line quick and short summary of her skills. She then dives straight into her employment history and gives us a brief, listed description thats showing shes a capable candidate. This is clear because we can see the companys success that shes contributed towards.

Ahead Of The Competition By Playing A Different Game

The hybrid resume lets you play by a different set of rules a small percentage of candidates are following.

With resumes that focus on your previous work experience as your selling point, the people who have worked with big names are those that truly make the biggest impact

When comparing someone that has worked in a major company to someone that has worked in a smaller company no matter if the skills are the same youre going to lose the bargaining power.

But, if you change the focus of your resume, you can avoid this issue. In fact, you dont have to worry about it at all.

Not many job seekers are capable of using this format because they have important parts of their careers that are missing. While their resumes have a lesser focus on the influence of their experiences, youll stand out in that aspect significantly.

One way to think about the combination resume is as a jack of all trades all aspects of the resume are balanced. Yet, each resume section is compelling enough for employers to realize your potential.

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What Exactly Is A Combination Resume

You cant really understand what a combination resume is without first being familiar with the two other resume formats it melds together.

Youre probably familiar with the chronological resumesometimes referred to more accurately as a reverse chronological resumebecause its the one job seekers use most often. Your professional experience is the star of this type of resume, which lists your roles from the most recent going back in time with details below each entry and perhaps a brief skills section toward the bottom of the page.

The functional resume, also known as a skills-based resume, takes a different approach. Here, the meatiest part of the document is a detailed summary of your areas of expertise, laying out your key skills relevant to the role with supporting evidence. You might still list your professional experience, but briefly and less prominently, likely putting it lower down on the page and including for each job only your title, the company name, its location, and the dates.

A combination resume, also referred to as a hybrid resume, does exactly what its name suggests, finding a middle ground by combining aspects of both the chronological and functional resumes. It includes a section focused on your relevant skills near the top of the page followed by a section that runs through your relevant work history in some detail. In this case, your skills and work history are billed as co-stars with relatively equal footing.

Start Off With Your Resume Header

Combination Resume: Template, Examples &  Writing Guide

Once youve got your resume format ready, its time to start off by including your resume header.

For any resume you have, this is always the first thing the recruiters should see. It includes your contact information along with any important pieces of detail you want recruiters to see at the beginning of your resume.

Another optional factor to take into consideration is including useful links. These links could take the recruiters to places such as your LinkedIn profile, portfolio site, or freelance website.

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Tips For Writing A Combination Resume:

  • Be extra selective when deciding what to include in your Combination Resume. Don’t get carried away and cram all your work experience, qualifications, and skills onto one page. Include only the aspects of your career you believe the Hiring Manger would be most interested in.
  • Choose a font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica. Use only black and font size 10 – 12. You may bold the headings.
  • Do not use color or fancy graphics and be mindful to remove them if you are using resume builder.
  • Do not include false information on your resume.
  • Use Grammarly to pick up mistakes, but also get someone else to read over your final resume before you submit it.

What To Look For In A Combination Resume Template Structure

Acombination resume is comprised of two main parts, the first part is similar tothat of functional resumes wherein your skills and professional achievementsare highlighted first. Then its followed by the chronological part that listsyour job history.

A typical outline of a combination resume inchronological order:

  • Name and contact details
  • Qualifications summary orprofessional summary
  • Achievements organized accordingto skills used
  • Job history
  • Education

As mentioned, however, this format is flexible and thats anadvantage and a disadvantage at the same time. On one hand, recruiters andhiring managers expect resumes formatted in a certain order, but as theapplicant youre supposed to lead withyour best-selling points which arentalways found in your work history. The key in this situation is to strike abalance, you can follow the combination format described above or you canrevise it to your advantage but not to the point that it looks confusing. Use a scannable resume template with lots of white space.

Need inspiration? Choose from any of the beautifully-designed resume templates in the article below:

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The Information Could Be Too Similar And May Get Repetitive

Since the level of description tends to be more lengthy, if were not careful our use of words or phrases could be too identical. Its avoidable, but making this mistake limits your personality because theres no variation its dull and boring.

Yes, they care about the value youre bringing over. But, its also important to recognize the candidates working culture. The workforce is becoming more interpersonal, so its important to add flavors of creativity and be different!

When To Use A Combination Resume

Combination Resume / Hybrid Resume

The combination resume is pretty rare.

Most job-seekers worldwide tend to use a reverse-chronological format . Its pretty much the standard: HR managers are used to it, its straightforward and easy to make.

The combination resume format is very situational. You shouldnt use it unless you:

  • Are going through a career change.
  • Have some employment gaps in your work history.
  • Are a senior-level candidate, with a diverse range of skills and experiences.
  • In case you fit the bill for one of these 3 cases, though, heres how to create a combination resume.

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    The Combination Resume Layout

    Find out how to create a combination resume using a resume template or from scratch or with a resume maker with the following information about the combination resume layout.

    As the combination resume employs a mix of the two more classic styles of resumes, its very important that you carefully consider the combination resume format which generally begins with a summary of the qualifications, includes an education and skills section and also a work history list, only citing the most relevant positions but also detailing achievements and responsibilities from those roles.

    The main parts of a Combination Resume include the following in this order:

    • Contact details
    • Work experience with descriptions
    • Education

    Each of these areas is considered vital to a combination resume format. Learning how to write a qualifications summary for a combination resume is not easy but with the tips below, your resume should come together nicely to represent your professional profile as a whole incorporating as many suitable aspects as possible.

    To simplify the need to learn how to make a resume with a combination layout without resume help, you could also try out an online resume builder or download a resume example.

    Use An Appropriate Format And Design

    The combination resume is slightly different than the conventional formats youre used to. While this is true, it doesnt mean there are drastic changes when it comes to the layout.

    For instance, resume font principles still apply. And, your contact details should be at the top of your resume within your resume header.

    Start off by using an optimal resume builder that gives you flexibility with constructing your resume and rearranging its design to tailor for your new job.

    If youre unsure, you can easily put together a resume using Enhancv resume templates. Our builder makes your resume sections drag-and-drop puzzle pieces that can be moved with ease without compromising on the format.

    You can also take advantage of our unique resume sections including our exclusive My Time section which allows you to describe your typical work-day. All of our components are customizable too which helps with adding a unique flavor to your resume so that you stand out.

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    Disadvantages Combination Resume Format

    Noresume format is perfect, so you might be better off picking another format ifthe disadvantages below feel like a big deal to you.

    • Job hopping and career gaps willstill be noticeable in your employment history.
    • Some of your skills, tasks, andqualifications may be repeated in several sections, so your resume may end uplonger than expected.

    Group And Put Related Skills Together

    Combination Resume: Template, Examples &  Writing Guide

    For example, if your skills include SEO, digital marketing, Google Analytics, content writing, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CSS and HTML, categorize them in a combination resume as:

    • Digital Marketing: SEO, content writing, Google Analytics
    • Graphic Design:Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
    • Programming:CSS, HTML

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    Are There Any Downsides To A Combination Resume

    Any time youre using a less common format, you take the risk of standing out, and whether thats a good thing or a bad thing really depends on the specific person reading your resume.

    The biggest risk: Some recruiters have the perception that candidates who use functional or combination resumes are trying to hide something, Smith and Raffellini both say.

    Because its format is so different, a functional resume also has the problem of being harder to read and harder to contextualize the work and really understand what your experience has been, Smith says. But thats less of a problem with a combination resume, which also includes robust details about your work experience, making it less likely to confuse or turn off a recruiter.

    And heres the truth: If people havent been getting results, Raffellini says, they dont have anything to lose from trying another format.

    Detail Your Professional Experience

    The experience section on your combination resume should look similar to a chronological resume work experience section, but a bit shorter.

    Whereas a chronological resume includes three to four past positions, a combination resume should only feature your twomost relevant positions to save space and keep your resume laser-focused.

    Regardless of relevance, list your most recent job at the top of this section. Underneath each job, write two to four bullet points detailing some of your key duties and accomplishments.

    Like your skills section, you should add numbers wherever possible to illustrate the impact you made at your previous job. This could include dollar amounts, time saved, or percentages.

    Heres an example of a well-written experience section on a combination resume:

    Combination resume experience section

    IT AMERICA INC., Arizona City, AZ

    Java Developer | August 2018Present

    • Use Java/J2EE technologies to develop web applications for client server environments and add functionalities to existing applications
    • Revamp various Java applications developed with Spring, Hibernate and older J2EE
    • Consult with customers on project status and technical concerns Conduct user requirements analysis to design and program applications and deliver support for system enhancement
    • Play a pivotal role as a part of an agile scrum team accountable, developing new applications using Spring framework backend and Angular.js frontend

    INFOSYS, Charlotte, NC

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    Use A Combination Resume To Incorporate The Best Of The Chronological And Functional Formats Here’s How

    The right resume format will amplify your strengths.

    Of all the choices you make when job searching, one of the most important is the type of resume format you select. The right one will amplify your strengths and downplay your weaknesses, guiding the reader to understand your value proposition and ultimately decide to interview you. The two most common resume formats are chronological and functional, but there’s also a combination resume that could be of use to certain job seekers.

    A chronological resume focuses on work experience, providing a reverse-chronological employment section with ample detail on job duties and accomplishments. This type of resume is often used by job seekers with strong and steady career histories.

    On the other hand, functional resumes focus on skills over experience. The functional resume format is typically used by career changers and job seekers with sketchy work histories, including excessive job-hopping and employment gaps.

    Professional Profile Or Qualifications Summary

    The Best Resume Format: The Combination Resume

    Begin with a professional profile or qualifications summary to emphasize your skills. Both of these introductions introduce your necessary skill set. However, they do it in slightly different ways.

    Your qualifications summary displays your achievements that correspond to your skills. Therefore, they testify your skills as opposed to the professional profile where you address the skills you gained in your previous work.

    A combination resume should begin by emphasizing the transferable skills of an applicant. The best way to do this is to start with a professional profile or qualifications summary.

    A professional profile showcases your skills in your previous positions or projects. A qualifications summary emphasizes your achievements corresponding to those skills.

    While both of these introductions have the same mission, the qualifications summary might be more effective in highlighting both skills and accomplishments in a combination resume.

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    How To Create A Combination Resume

    One of the advantages of a combination resume is flexibility to structure the document so that it works best for you. The main strategy is to lead with a compelling summary, enticing hiring managers to read the rest of your resume.

    The summary section should include content that reinforces your brand, and may incorporate a headline/tagline, career goal, skills, expertise, and notable accomplishments. Follow with a reverse chronological experience section to keep your resume in the chronological format most employers prefer. If youre a student or recent graduate, consider placing education above experience.Keep in mind that because youve included a qualifications summary, youll have less room for work history. Be clear and concise when writing your experience section. Emphasize accomplishments rather than job duties and avoid adding information about jobs and tasks unrelated to your career goal.

    Other sections on a combination resume depend on your specific experience, but may include education, training, affiliations, volunteer work, specialized skills, languages, and other miscellaneous information unique to you.

    The Substitute Teacher Resume

    In the example above, Mitchel created his resume with Enhancv to highlight both his work experience and skills. We can see this almost immediately on his resume template.

    Whats also effective is the My Time section at the very beginning. Not only is it a different approach, but it tells recruiters a lot about how he uses his time. Its another way of combining his career history and skills to show how its consistently being developed.

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    Youre A New College Or University Graduate Or Someone With Some Relevant Work Experiences

    Have you just graduated from university or college? Or are you someone who has work experience, but still feel that its not enough?

    Well, Ive got some news for you

    The combination resume would work for you in any of these scenarios. It just depends on one condition:

    Do you have any professional corporate experiences in the workforce for at least one year? And are any of them relevant to the job title you desire?

    This also includes internships and volunteering experiences

    And, if the answer is yes to any of the above, the combination resume would be applicable for you!

    Ultimately, youve done work thats aligned with the responsibilities youre soon going to take anyway. Employers will see that as invaluable its not something easily replaced through something like a hobby or skills section.

    Compared to the other applicants who may have no relevant experiences at all, you can provide those details that others cant. It sets you one step ahead of the competition so you can land that new job and get hired!

    Job recruiters will know that you have the skills to take on the expected tasks, responsibilities and duties.

    Why?

    Because youre using a combination resume that implicates both your skills and experiences you have to support those statements.

    No matter how minimal it may be, that information is enough to enable employers to conclude that you have a good understanding of what needs to be done. Youre not a complete amateur, but youre someone who knows what to do.

    What To Put On A Combination Resume

    Combination Resume: Template, Examples &  Writing Guide

    When creating a combination resume, a proper layout is your best friend.

    Typically, youll want to cover the following resume sections:

    • Contact Information
    • Work Experience or Areas of Strengths
    • Skills Summary
    • Additional Skills
    • Education

    Now, well walk you through each of these sections, and teach you how to write them.

    Starting with –

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