The Combination Resume

The Functional Resume and the Chronological Resume both have their strengths. However, sometimes neither one of those resumes completely meets a job seeker’s needs. 

The Combination Resume can help to overcome the limitations that the Functional or Chronological Resumes may place on a job seeker. Many career counselors and recruiters agree that an individual who uses the Combination Resume will have a strong description of both their work history and their skills.

The Combination Resume is useful because it allows you to demonstrate your skills (i.e., the functional resume) and your work history (i.e., the chronological resume) all in one concise document. A Combination Resume tends to focus on skills at the beginning of the resume and concludes with a summary of an individual’s work history and job descriptions.

Headings that can be used for the Combination Resume are as follows:

  • Objective- A statement describing career goals and position desired.
  • Summary of Skills, Experiences, and Achievements- Lists experiences, professional skills, interpersonal skills, and professional achievements. An example of a statement used in this section is "Nearly ten years experience as an industrial engineer with a steady history of improving the productivity of organizations." Another type of statement under this heading could be  "Excellent communication skills with all levels of management."
  • Experience- Lists the names of the companies, the title that the individual held, the dates that the individual held the position, and the location of the company. Also, job descriptions and duties should be included. All positions should be in chronological order with dates listed.
  • Education- Lists all educational institutions, degrees earned, majors, GPA, awards earned, and activities in which an individual participated.  Dates should be included for all educational institutions.
  • Professional Affiliations/Community Affiliations- Lists all affiliations of which an individual is a member.

It is important to remember that a Combination Resume is flexible in the types of information that can be included. This type of resume can be catered to specific positions and career opportunities. The above headings are recommended, but other headings such as Computer Skills, Activities, Research and/or Relevant Coursework can also be included.

The most important thing to remember when creating a resume is that the resume should be a reflection of who you are and what you want the employers to know about you!!

Example of a Combination Resume