How To Write a Combination Resume
Unless you’re changing careers or have long work gaps, use the combination resume format for your resume. True to its name, the combination resume format combines two important features of other resume formats: the functional format’s profile section and the chronological format’s experience section. Below you’ll find tips on using a combination resume template effectively so your resume gets you interviews for your next job.
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your qualifications
In a brief paragraph or bulleted list at the top of your resume, catch hiring managers’ attention with a summary including the three to five main reasons you can excel in your target job. These may come from your work experience, but they could just as well come from another part of your background, such as your education or language skills.
In the combination resume format, your profile should highlight your skills and achievements concisely. This section is essential to making your combination resume stand out.
The point of this section is to focus employers’ attention on details about you that matter most to their hiring needs, regardless of when or where they occurred. (Note, most job seekers find it easier to write their profile last.)
Profile Example
Teacher Assistant with an extensive background helping engage children of all ages. Focused on working with students to explore new topics and achieve personal learning goals. Skilled in Blackboard online learning, SMART technology, and use of mobile devices and apps for lower-elementary learners, particularly in reading comprehension. Adapt readily to new work challenges and conditions.
2. Add your experience with compelling examples
Below your profile section, outline your recent work experience. For each job, brainstorm your various duties and achievements on a separate document or sheet of paper. Then, identify and copy the most relevant details into your resume. Following this method, the amount of information on each job will roughly correspond with how relevant the job is to your current goals.
The combination resume format allows you to balance your skills and professional experience effectively. This experience section provides a foundation for the combination resume structure.
The point of this section is to give examples of your success in the type of work you’re now after. But on a combination resume, it also serves to put your profile section in context and make your overall resume easy to follow. When you give basic details on your work history, you let hiring managers quickly see you have the minimum years of experience they’re looking for.
Professional Experience Example
NKN Corporation, San Francisco, CA | September 2015 to Present
Diversity Manager (November 2017 to Present)
- Coordinate diversity and inclusion initiatives for a large, complex organization with presence in 7 countries
- Drive cultural awareness campaigns to promote understanding and cooperation among a geographically dispersed workforce
- Introduced a more flexible enterprise-wide policy governing staff holidays and WFH preferences. Measure boosted staff morale, enhanced manager-employee relations, and helped company place in the city’s “Best 50 Places to Work” in 2019
- Grew department by recruiting and onboarding five new team members
- Member of leadership team that repositioned HR as a strategic partner to the wider enterprise
3. Include combination-related key skills
Consider adding a key skills section right below the profile on your combination resume. This section lets you expand on your profile points and further focus your resume on the ways you’d contribute to your target job. Like the profile, it helps you answer the hiring manager’s question: “What do you have for the role I’m trying to fill?”
A well-organized skills section is a critical component of a successful combination resume. Choose a combination resume template that emphasizes your key skills without overwhelming the reader.
Naturally, the terms you include will depend on your circumstances, but below is a list of common ones to help you brainstorm:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Business needs assessment | Client satisfaction and retention |
| Cost reduction and elimination | Cross-team collaboration |
| Efficiency improvement | Inventory management |
| Lean manufacturing | Market strategy development |
| Microsoft Office Suite | Process streamlining |
| Project and program management | Quality assurance |
| Reporting and documentation | Revenue and profit growth |
| Risk management and mitigation | Staff training and development |
| Stakeholder relations | Strategic business development |
| Talent hiring and retention | Task prioritization |
| Team leadership and motivation | Time management |
| Vendor contract negotiations | |
4. Highlight your education and certifications
Your education section is a key part of a combination resume, especially if your academic background directly supports your target role. List your degrees, certifications, and other relevant qualifications in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent accomplishments. Be sure to include the institution’s name, the degree or certification earned, and the completion date.
Education and certifications are often prioritized in the combination resume format. Adding this section strengthens your combination resume and makes it more relevant to the job.
If your education is particularly relevant or you have limited professional experience, consider placing this section above your work experience. Additionally, if you’ve completed coursework, projects, or research pertinent to the job, include brief details to demonstrate your qualifications.
Education Example
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Business Administration
Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Graduated: May 2018
Certifications Example
Certified Diversity Professional (CDP), Society for Diversity, Completed: 2020
How To Pick the Best Combination Resume Template
For most job seekers, a clear and straightforward resume template is best. Opt for a layout that lets the hiring manager quickly review your best career details. Select a traditional resume font, and avoid any template with a colorful or elaborate design. Also, ensure the template complies with applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by employers to screen resumes.
Choose a combination resume template that highlights your strengths clearly and professionally. Using a combination resume can help you strategically showcase your qualifications.
Combination Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Amar Singh
123 Santa Maria, San Francisco, CA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected]
Strategic Diversity Manager with 7+ years of advancement and experience at large corporations. Equally effective in a leadership or hands-on role. Adapt readily to new work challenges and industry conditions.
Key Skills- Business Change Leadership
- Cultural Awareness Campaigns
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
- Employee Engagement
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
- Executive Consulting
- Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS)
- Human Resources (HR) Administration
- Policy Development & Interpretation
- Project & Program Management
- Regulatory Compliance
- Staff Recruiting
- Stakeholder Relations Management
- Talent Retention
- Targeted Resource Allocation
- Team Leadership & Motivation
- Work Culture Improvement
- Workforce Planning & Scheduling
NKN Corporation, San Francisco, CA | September 2015 to Present
Diversity Manager (November 2017 to Present)
- Coordinate diversity and inclusion initiatives for a large, complex organization with presence in 7 countries
- Drive cultural awareness campaigns to promote understanding and cooperation among a geographically dispersed workforce
- Introduced a more flexible enterprise-wide policy governing staff holidays and WFH preferences. Measure boosted staff morale, enhanced manager-employee relations, and helped company place in the city’s “Best 50 Places to Work” in 2019
- Grew department by recruiting and onboarding five new team members
- Member of leadership team that repositioned HR as a strategic partner to the wider enterprise
Human Resources Associate (September 2015 to November 2017)
- Gained strong foundation in recruiting and employee relations principles
Bachelor’s Degree – Business Administration, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Professional in Human Resources (PHR), HRCI
AffiliationMember, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Frequently Asked Questions: Combination Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for combination resumes? -
The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your resume’s profile and experience sections:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Automated | Averted |
| Coordinated | Created |
| Decreased | Developed |
| Eliminated | Enhanced |
| Expedited | Garnered |
| Generated | Improved |
| Increased | Introduced |
| Launched | Lowered |
| Organized | Prevented |
| Produced | Raised |
| Ranked | Shortened |
| Streamlined | Strengthened |
| Updated | Won |
How do you align your combination resume with a job posting?-
First, look closely at the job post text and highlight words that are repeated, emphasized, or otherwise seem important. Compare these highlighted phrases to the language you’re using in your resume, particularly the profile and key skills sections. Then seek ways to align your resume language with the job post while not copying phrases or misstating your background.
For example, say the company seeks someone collaborative. Emphasize that part of your experience in your profile with a line like “Thrive in collaborative work settings” or in your key skills section with a term like “cross-team collaboration.” Or say the company has many non-English speaking customers. Highlight your foreign language skills both in your profile and as a separate section farther down the document.
Also, consider adding brief descriptions of the places you’ve worked in [brackets] right next to or below the company name. Company descriptions let you show any similarities between your past employers and the one who posted the job. For example, maybe you’ve worked for companies of a similar size or industry. Or you might have worked at organizations with a similar mission or leadership philosophy. By adding these details to your descriptions, you can make your resume more relevant to the job opening at hand.
Why is the combination format effective? -
By fusing key sections of the functional and chronological formats, a combination resume lets you present yourself more clearly and strategically. With the experience section, you can outline your recent work history – essential information for most employers. In the profile section, you can display your career highlights at the top, whether they’re from that work history or another part of your background. This format lets you give hiring managers the best view of your experience and relevant strengths, so they can make an informed decision to call you for an interview.
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