|
 The combination resume is one of the three main types of resumes used today. The other resumes include the chronological and functional style. As its name implies, the combination resume borrows the best features from each of the other two resume types.
Choosing the Right Resume
We've started each of the articles in this series by reminding everyone that the best resume style to pick is the one that showcases your work experiences in the most marketable fashion. This means you need to choose a resume format that best highlights both your job skills and accomplishments.
That's the reason that there are three different types of resumes used today. Each resume format has a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages, including combination resumes. Choosing the right resume, or picking the right resume, really comes down to two important factors:
- The amount, consistency, and depth of work experience you have accumulated so far in your career.
- How well the job you're seeking is aligned with your past work experience.
As you'll see later on as we look at the advantages and disadvantages of the combination resume that we've outlined below, they're all related to the two factors mentioned above.
The Combination Resume Format
The combination resume generally starts with a functional resume format that allows the reader to see the skills, accomplishments, and qualifications of the job applicant. This is sometimes referred to as the "page one" format.
The second page of the combination resume is a reverse chronological ordering of your career work experiences. The combination resume first lets the reader see the experience you have that is related to the job opening, while the second page or part of the resume lets the potential employer look at your work history.
This format allows the reader to first match your qualifications against the needs of the job opening, and then gives the reader a sense of security by identifying where the accomplishments took place.
Later in this article, we provide you with a link to a sample of a combination resume. But for now, we're going to run through each of the sections used in a combination resume format, so you get a better idea of how information is arranged in this particular resume layout.
Name / Contact Information
Like most resumes, combination resumes start off with a banner that includes your name and contact information such as street address, telephone number, and email address.
Education
The next section you'll find in a combination resume is a table of your educational background. Many jobs today list a "required" or "desired" educational background. If it's that important to someone screening a resume, then it might as well be right up front in the resume.
Honors / Certifications / Licenses Held
The third section in a combination resume contains a bulleted list of the certifications, educational honors, or professional licenses you might hold. For example, a certified public accountant would include that certification in this section of the resume.
Careers Skills / Knowledge
The fourth section you'll find in the combination resume is a bulleted listing or table of the skills and knowledge you've accumulated over time. Since this section is so visible on this type of resume, you'll want to take a great deal of time making sure it projects the best image of your experience.
For example, if you're looking for a sales position, you'll want to emphasize skills such as sales training, P&L responsibilities, client development, and product management.
Career Achievements
The next section of a combination resume should contain a bulleted listing of what you believe are your most significant career accomplishments. Listing out your career achievements, skills, and knowledge upfront adds to the overall attractiveness of the combination resume format.
An example of a career achievement might look like:
Developed custom accounting application for use in start up business, reducing the number of accounting data reporting errors by 90%.
Work Experience
This sixth, and final, section of the combination resume is a listing of your work experience. This is identical to the section appearing in a chronological resume. Again, we're providing a link to an example of this resume format at the end of this article. This way you can see exactly how this section is going to look in an actual resume.
Since a resume is like your personal advertisement, you want to pick the style that showcases your strengths and de-emphasizes your weaknesses. If you read the other two articles in this series, then you know that the easiest way to choose the best resume is to run through the strengths and weaknesses of the combination resume style.
Advantages of the Combination Resume
The list below details some of the strengths of a combination resume:
- If you're a student with little work history, then the combination resume format allows you to showcase your skills first before revealing your short work history.
- If you've worked for the same company for a long time, or held the same type of position for a while, a combination resume allows the reader to see the skills you've accumulated while at work.
- If you are making a radical career change, once again, this format places emphasis on achievements and skills first, rather than pointing out that this is a big change in your career path.
Disadvantages of the Combination Resume
The list below details the major weaknesses of a functional resume:
- If you have switched jobs frequently, then the chronological portion of this format still highlights the frequent switching as well as the timeline gaps in employment history.
- If you have unrelated experience, or have followed a career path that might seem illogical on the surface, then the chronological portion of this resume would highlight that path.
- Finally, if you are trying to conceal your age, the combination resume format would give a potential employer enough information to get a rough idea of when you were born.
Combination Resume Sample
If you've been looking for samples of the combination resume format, then we can help you. Now that we've explained the strengths and weaknesses of this type of resume, you can download a free sample here - Combination Resume Sample. You can use this sample as the starting point, or template, for your own resume.
Functional and Chronological Resumes
If you're not sure the combination resume is the correct format to use in your situation, then don't forget there are two other resume formats that you can choose from. In fact, we suggest that you read the information we've provided on both the functional resume and chronological resume formats before starting to write your own resume.
You might also want to take a look at many of the other resume writing resources we have on this website, including additional free resume examples for you to download, as well as our resume writing tips.
About the Author - Combination Resume
Copyright © 2005 - 2010 Money-Zine.com
Resume Writing Resources on the Web |
Home 
Careers Guide 