What is a Combination Resume

Article on frequently asked resume question "What is a Combination Resume"

There are so many different kinds of resume these days-long lost are the days when you could just write a resume in a standard text, and be done with it. Now there are a host of different choices for resume format, and rules of professional etiquette. Where are you to start, if you haven’t written a resume either ever or for a long, long time? Well, one of the most compelling types of format to consider is the combination resume. It is often the choice most often welcomed by potential employers, as well as being a good means of effectively presenting your range of career capabilities and experience. So, if you have no idea what a combination resume is, we have all the information listed below-just for you.

A combination resume is basically, what it says-a combination of two different commonly applied resume formats: the functional resume and the chronological resume. Some applicants-based upon their particular career situation prefer one or the other-but now you can choose both, and often be well rewarded by the hiring party for it.

You may well be wondering what a functional resume and what a chronological resume is. Basically, a functional resume focuses on the skills, qualifications, and achievements of a particular job applicant-as opposed to the positions they’ve held and where. The chronological resume, on the other hand, focuses on the basic chronology of an applicant’s job history i.e. their job titles and companies they’ve worked for. A chronological resume may be helpful for an applicant who has had a steady history of impressive positions at quality companies; a functional resume is more geared towards a person who has a great skill set to offer a company, but perhaps, gaps or inconsistencies in their career history and/or career field. This said, a combination resume communicates the strengths of each of these resume formats-for someone looking to showcase both history and skill sets and achievements.

So, what exactly is the format of a combination resume, you may wonder? Basically, a combination resume is set up with all the sections for experience, objective, personal information, and education; but lists the most compelling skills and achievements that you want to highlight to a potential employer, first-after the personal and objective (if you choose to use one). So, a person would offer maybe three or four categories under experience-such as communications, managerial, etc-and each would offer a few bullet points on what experiences or achievements were made to that end. After these sub categories of skills were concluded, the chronological career history would begin-just as it would in a chronological resume.

What’s helpful about a combination resume is that it offers a potential employer a polished and concise heading of skills and qualifications up front-which offer the employer all the information that they need to know in a short, convenient amount of time. Moreover, it then lists all the positions that you may have held, and those details; if the employer wants to read more. It is comprehensive, complete, and easy to reference. The only downside that there may be in relation to a combination resume is that, still for the job candidate who has inconsistencies in their career history-such as periods of unemployment, many jobs in a short amount of time, and/or a career change-this type of resume does nothing to play down this reality. This said, the best candidate for this kind of resume format; should have a steady history of employment, as well as strong skills, achievements, and experience gained from them.