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 The combination resume is one of the three main types of resumes used today. The other two resume styles include the chronological resume and functional resume format. As its name implies, the combination resume borrows the best features from each of the other two styles.
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. So you really want 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 the work experiences you've had so far in your career. The combination resume first lets the reader see all of 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 up against the needs of the job opening, and then gives the reader a sense of security by identifying where you've actually accomplished these things.
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, 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. 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 right 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 or 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 up front 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 proving a link to an example of this resume format at the end of this article so you can see exactly how this section is supposed to look in an actual resume.
Since a resume is your personal advertisement, you want to pick the style that showcases your strengths and de-emphasizes your weaknesses. If you've read the other two articles in this series then you know that the easiest way to help you figure out which style to use is to run through the strengths and weaknesses of the combination resume style.
Advantages of the Combination Resume
- If you're a student with little work history, 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 along the way.
- 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
- If you have switched jobs frequently, then the chronological portion of this format still highlights the frequently switching and 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 your age.
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 exactly what this type of resume is all about 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 you situation, don't forget there are two other resume formats that you can use. 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've got on this website including additional free resume examples for you to download as well as our resume writing tips.
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