3 key takeaways
- A clear understanding of the combination resume format and how it differs from other resume types
- What scenarios a combination resume is most beneficial in (and how it can improve your job application)
- Tips and guidance for creating your combination resume with the AI Resume Builder
If you're feeling torn between highlighting your expertise and showcasing your career history, a combination resume could be the perfect fit.
A combination resume balances the best of both worlds—your skills and your work experience—allowing you to showcase what you know and how you've put it into action.
In this guide, you'll learn exactly what a combination resume is. You'll also get examples, templates, and a step-by-step walkthrough to help you build one of your own.
Rename and reorder resume sections for the perfect combination resume in seconds using Teal's AI Resume Builder.
What is a combination resume?
A combination resume is a resume format that blends the functional and reverse-chronological styles, allowing you to highlight both your skills and work experience.
Sometimes called a hybrid resume, combination resumes are particularly useful if you have diverse skills or varied work experiences and want to showcase these elements effectively. It's ideal for those making a career change, re-entering the workforce, or who have gaps in their employment history.
Who is a combination resume for?
A combination resume is a great fit if you want to highlight both your skills and experience. It’s especially helpful for recent grads and career changers as it lets you lead with your strengths and back them up with relevant experience or education—showing a full picture of what you bring to the table, in a clear, easy-to-follow format.
Combination resume for recent graduates
For recent graduates, this format lets you showcase your skills right away, backed up by relevant projects, coursework, and educational achievements. It’s ideal if you don’t have extensive work experience but want to highlight your potential and industry knowledge.
Combination resume for a career pivot
If you’re changing careers, the combination resume lets you emphasize transferable skills and relevant projects alongside traditional job experience. This way, hiring managers can quickly understand how your background applies to the new field, even if your experience is in a different industry.
In both cases—for recent graduates and career changers—a combination resume serves its purpose well, balancing the skills and experiences relevant to the new role while maintaining a clear, chronological format.
Combination resume format
A combination resume, as its name implies, combines elements of both chronological and functional resumes. This format allows you to highlight your most relevant skills and experiences while providing a clear timeline of your work history.
A combination resume typically starts with a clear professional summary, then highlights your hard skills, followed by a reverse-chronological listing of your work experience. Here's the layout:
- Header: This includes your name, contact information, and, optionally, links to your professional online presence (like LinkedIn).
- Professional Summary: A brief, impactful section encapsulating your career highlights and key skills.
- Skills section: A list or bullet points showcasing your most relevant skills. Remember, this section should be tailored to the specific job you're applying for.
- Professional experience: Focus on accomplishments, impact, and how you used your skills for each role rather than just duties. Keep in mind every job should be relevant to the role you're applying for.
- Education: Your educational background, often listed in reverse chronological order.
- Additional sections: Depending on your experience, this can include certifications, awards, volunteer work, or personal projects.
Combination resume vs other formats
While the chronological resume focuses primarily on work history and the functional resume format emphasizes skills, the combination resume strikes a balance between the two. This resume approach offers the flexibility to highlight the aspects of your professional profile that are most relevant to the job title you're applying for. Here's a chart comparing the different resume formats.
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How to write a combination resume
Here’s a detailed guide to writing each section of your combination resume.
1. Start with a header
As the first impression, your header should clearly display your name, contact information, and any professional links like LinkedIn.
Make sure it’s easily visible at the top of your resume. A professional-looking header sets the tone for the rest of the document.
2. Add a professional summary
This is where you craft your elevator pitch. The goal is to summarize your career journey and highlight skills that transfer well to the new role.
Make it engaging, concise, and focused on why you’re a great fit for this career shift.
Here’s an example of a professional summary for Sarah, a junior marketer looking to enter a mid-level role:
Dynamic junior marketer with 3+ years of experience specializing in digital campaigns, SEO, and social media strategies. Proven ability to boost web traffic and conversion rates through innovative and data-driven approaches. Seeking to leverage creative problem-solving and market analysis skills in a challenging mid-level marketing role.
Pro-tip: Try Teal's Resume Summary Generator to write tailored, position-specific summaries in a matter of seconds.
3. Incorporate skills
List hard skills like tools or programs that are directly relevant to your new career.
Much like the functional resume format, in a combination resume, this part immediately showcases your most relevant capabilities and will ideally be a balance of hard and soft skills relevant to the job description.
4. Add professional experience
Start with your most relevant job roles, even if they aren't in the new career field. Focus on achievements and demonstrate how you used transferable skills to have an impact.
If you’re feeling stuck on how to write your professional experiences, use the Problem-Action-Result (PAR) method to articulate your past contributions.
5. Include education
Include all relevant degrees, certifications, and coursework.
If you’re a recent graduate or have less professional experience in the new field, this section would be used in place of “Professional Experience.” It can also be expanded to showcase academic achievements, projects, or relevant courses that align with your new career path.
6. Wrap up with additional sections
This is your space to include anything else that strengthens your application. Consider adding sections for volunteer work, projects, languages, or other certifications. Tailor this part of the resume to showcase experiences and achievements that further demonstrate your suitability for the career change.
Remember, the key to a successful combination resume for a career change lies in how well you customize these sections to showcase your transition into a new career effectively.
How to write a combination resume with Teal
If you’re just getting started, crafting the perfect combination resume can feel overwhelming, especially when balancing so many elements of your professional journey.
But Teal’s Drag-and-Drop Editor transforms this challenge into a seamless and intuitive process. You can effortlessly rearrange sections to suit your unique story, ensuring that your skills, experience, and accomplishments are presented in the most impactful way.
Tips for writing a strong combination resume
An impactful combination resume not only showcases your qualifications but also tells a compelling story of your professional journey. With the right approach, your resume can capture the essence of your career and present you as an ideal candidate for the job.
Here are some essential tips to help:
1. Start with action verbs: Begin each bullet point in your experience section with dynamic action verbs.
For instance, instead of saying, "Responsible for managing a team," say, "Led a team of 10 professionals to surpass quarterly sales targets by 13%."
2. Quantify bullet points: Whenever possible, include concrete numbers and metrics to quantify the work you’ve done.
For example, rather than saying "Improved sales," specify with, "Increased sales by 25% over six months through strategic marketing campaigns."
3. Tailor content to the job: Align your resume's content with the job description by incorporating relevant keywords.
If the job listing emphasizes "project management" and "team leadership," ensure these terms are reflected in your resume, like "Spearheaded a project team to deliver on-time solutions in a fast-paced tech environment."
4. Write clearly and concisely: Avoid industry jargon and complex sentences.
For example, instead of saying, "Utilized cutting-edge methodologies to engender an increase in consumer engagement," you could say, "Applied innovative strategies to boost customer engagement by 30%."
At the end of the day, the key to an effective combination resume is to present a clear, engaging narrative of your career that aligns with the job you're applying for.
Combination resume examples
A good combination resume example can be a reference to understand how to create your own resume more efficiently. Here are a few you can learn from.
Frontend Developer combination resume example
This combination resume example is perfect for a junior-level employee looking to transition into a new role. The relevant skills are placed after the professional summary, followed by her work experience.
However, because her professional experience is limited, this example provides more information about internships and volunteer projects.
Example combination resume Marketing Manager
Here we have Max, a marketing manager with a more extensive work history. The skills section is still prioritized, but his working history takes on a reverse chronological format.
Combination resume template
Looking for a fill-in-the blank option? Here's a combination resume template you can use.
[Full Name]
[Contact Information]
[Target Title]
Professional Summary
Highly motivated and detail-oriented [title and years of experience] with a strong foundation in [key skills]. Experienced in [mention relevant work experience with impact].
Skills:
• [Relevant Skill]
• [Relevant Skill]
• [Relevant Skill]
Professional Experience
[Company], [Title]
[Dates of employment]
• Achievement with impact
• Achievement with impact
• Achievement with impact
[Company], [Title]
[Dates of employment]
• Achievement with impact
• Achievement with impact
• Achievement with impact
Education
[Bachelor's/Master's] in [Field of Study]
[University Name], [Expected Year of Graduation]
Certifications
[Title] [Certifying Institution]
[Dates]
Bonus: Writing a combination resume for career change
Changing careers can be challenging. You’ve already climbed the ladder in one field, and now you’re starting all over.
Here are a few tips for writing a combination resume specifically for a career change.
1. Highlight transferable skills
Showcase skills from past roles that are relevant to your new career.
For instance, if you’re shifting from teaching to corporate training, skills like public speaking, curriculum development, and audience engagement are valuable assets. List these skills in a dedicated section and back them up with examples in your work history.
2. Emphasize relevant experience
Look for overlap between your past roles and the new field. Highlight projects or responsibilities that relate to the role you’re targeting.
For example, if you’re moving into project management, emphasize experience coordinating tasks, managing teams, or overseeing timelines—even if it was in a different industry.
3. Use the professional summary wisely
Use your professional summary to make a strong first impression. Mention your career change intention and why you’re a great fit. For example, “Transitioning into digital marketing, leveraging content creation and audience engagement skills from a journalism background.”
4. Include your education and continued learning efforts
Highlight relevant education and any recent learning efforts, like courses or certifications, to show commitment to your new field. For example, if you’re transitioning into IT, listing certifications like CompTIA or Cisco CCNA can be beneficial.
5. Include projects or volunteer work
Non-professional experiences—freelance work, internships, or volunteer roles—can be just as impactful. For example, if you’re pivoting to graphic design, include any freelance projects or volunteer design work, detailing your achievements and skills used.
Crafting your combination resume
Writing a good combination resume isn't just about assembling parts of your professional history; it's about strategically emphasizing your diverse skills and experiences.
Whether you're starting a career change or work in an industry that focuses heavily on tech and tools, Teal’s Drag-and-Drop Editor simplifies this process, allowing you to effortlessly blend sections, customize layouts, and build the combination resume that best represents you.
If you're ready to elevate your job application, bring your unique professional story to life with Teal. Sign up today.
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