• 3-minute read
• 27th June 2020

How to Write a Combination CV or Resume

An employer may only have a few seconds to review your job application, so it’s important to make sure your CV or resume stands out. And if you don’t know whether to focus on your career progress or your transferable skills, check out our guide to combination CVs below for some ideas.

What Does a Combination CV Combine?

As the name suggests, a combination CV combines aspects of different CV types. The two main types are:

• Chronological – A chronological CV is one in which you present your career and education experience in chronological order (starting with the most recent). This is great for showing consistent career progress.
• Functional – A functional or skills-based CV highlights transferable skills. This is useful if you have a gap in your career history or limited experience in the field you’re applying for.

If you want to pick and choose between these approaches, you’ll be producing a combination CV. Let’s take a look at how this might work.

What Should You Include in Your CV?

However you put together your combination CV, there are some basic elements you should always include:

• Personal Information – Your name and contact details (address, email and telephone number are vital).
• Profile/Personal Statement – Two or three sentences summarising your relevant skills and experience as well as your career aspirations.
• Education and Qualifications – Brief details of your education and any professional qualifications relevant to the position.
• References – The contact details and job titles of one or two people who are willing to provide a reference for you.

Importantly, consider how to highlight your career history and any relevant skills or achievements. Focus on things relevant to the position you’re applying for and what you want to emphasise the most.

You could start with a list of your core relevant skills or competencies, followed by a breakdown of your career history.

Alternatively, you could list your previous jobs in chronological order and include a more detailed list of the skills you applied in each one.

You can also include volunteering experience and brief details of your interests or hobbies. But think carefully about whether these are likely to be of interest to the employer or relevant to the role.

How to Present a Combination CV

There is no set way to format a combination CV. But you should make sure it’s professionally presented and easy for an employer to review. Here are some points to keep in mind when putting your CV together:

• Keep it as concise as possible (ideally, no more than two pages).
• Make it easy to follow with headings for each section.
• Use bullet points and formatting to highlight key details.
• Make sure anything you include is relevant to the role.

Finally, remember that errors in your CV won’t make a good impression on a potential employer. That’s why our team of expert proofreaders is always on hand to help polish your formatting and make sure your CV is error free.