15 templates
empty-template-cta
Classic Cook Mid Level Resume:Empathic Emerald color
Modern UX Designer Experienced & Professional Resume:Creative Marigold color
Creative Social Media Manager Mid Level Resume:Team Teal color
Creative Cook Mid Level Resume:Creative Marigold color
Modern Catering Server Mid Level Resume:Empathic Emerald color
Modern Commercial Truck Driver Experienced & Professional Resume:Creative Marigold color
Classic Staff Pediatrician Experienced & Professional Resume:Assertive Asphalt color
Classic Marketing Specialist Experienced & Professional Resume:Balanced Blue color
Modern Copywriter Experienced & Professional Resume:Trusted Taupe color
Classic Construction Site Supervisor Experienced & Professional Resume:Loyal Blue color
Classic Twist Generic Template Mid Level Resume:Balanced Blue color
Modern HR Generalist Experienced & Professional Resume:Empathic Emerald color
Modern Supply Chain Analyst Experienced & Professional Resume:Team Teal color
Creative Event Coordinator Experienced & Professional Resume:Ambitious Red color
Classic Business Intelligence Analyst Experienced & Professional Resume:Empathic Emerald color
Open Google Doc 
Download PDF 
Download Word Doc Make a Resume in 4 Simple Steps
Step 1
Pick your favorite template.
Step 2
Choose text to tell your story.
Step 3
Customize the design and formatting.
Step 4
Download in any file format you need.
Endorsed by the Community
Why Job Seekers Trust Our Resume Templates
Enjoy a diverse selection of downloadable resume templates for free alongside premium options vetted by recruiters.
No longer worry about the pesky, time-consuming formatting issues that arise when creating a professional resume on your own.
Create as many resumes as you want quickly by using our builderâs auto-generated text tailored to your job title and industry.
Make the process quicker with a resume builder that guides you step-by-step to creating your best resume yet.
What Is a Combination Resume?
A combination resume is one of the three types of resume formats that determine the order and organization of the information you include on your resume.
A combination resume is a hybrid format that emphasizes your skills and qualifications while also listing your employment history. This format is ideal for applicants who want to showcase transferable skills, highlight achievements, or balance a mix of relevant experience and abilities.
Each section can be tailored to feature the most important skills first, followed by a chronological listing of work experience.
Who Should Use the Combination Resume Format?
Use the combination resume format if you:
- Are changing careers and want to showcase skills that will transfer to the role youâre targeting
- Are a mid-career candidate with a strong blend of skills and experience
- Have skills or training that are more relevant to the role than your recent job history
- Want to highlight achievements that donât fit neatly into a traditional resume
- Have a unique career story with gaps, freelance experience, or nontraditional qualifications
Consider another format if you:
- Have a steady, linear career and want to emphasize work progression
- Have minimal professional experience and need to focus only on skills
- Are an early-career candidate with few transferable skills
How to Write a Combination Resume
A combination resume presents skills and work experience in a clear, organized layout.
Begin by listing your most relevant skills near the top of your resume, followed by a reverse-chronological work history section. Focus on accomplishments, transferable skills, and results that support your target role.
Step 1
Choose the Right Template
Using a structured template ensures your combination resume is readable for both hiring managers and applicant tracking systems (ATS). Employers use ATS to scan resumes and search for candidates with relevant experience and keywords. Your resume needs to be clear and legible for ATS to parse.
Browse the templates on this page or check out our complete resume templates library to find professionally designed combination layouts that are ATS-friendly and tailored to your experience and industry.
Step 2
Open With a Header & Resume Profile
At the top of your resume, include a header that prominently displays your full name, professional email, and city and state.
Under your header, include a resume summary that briefly highlights your top skills and qualifications. This section should be brief, so keep it to three sentences or less.
Step 3
Write a Powerful Skills Section
In your resumeâs skills section, list your most relevant hard and soft skills that match the target role. For a combination resume, you may list multiple skills sections rather than a simple skills list, including a summary of qualifications.
Optimize your resume for ATS by listing skills that match the wording of the job description. Integrate the resume keywords you identify to help both software and recruiters see how well your skills align with the role.
Step 4
Tell Your Career Story in Your Work Experience Section
List your work experience in reverse-chronological order. Include roles that support your target position and highlight accomplishments or measurable results.
This section is your chance to show your skills in actionâeven if youâre undergoing career changes. For help ensuring your combination resume passes ATS scans and showcases your strongest qualifications, try our ATS Resume Checker.
Step 5
Showcase Your Credentials in Your Education Section
Your education section should list your degrees and diplomas in reverse-chronological order as well. If you have a college degree, you can omit your high school diploma.
A combination resume is adaptable, so itâs ideal for showcasing academic accomplishments, coursework, or unique training.
Step 6
Include Optional Sections
The combination resume format is perfect for showcasing unique experience, so donât hesitate to add optional resume sections as long as theyâre relevant to the role youâre targeting.
Volunteer experience, hobbies and interests, awards, languages, and professional projects can all contribute to a resume that's unique and finely tuned to capture the employerâs attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated: June 01, 2026
You should use a combination resume when your skills or accomplishments are more relevant than a straightforward work history.
It works best for candidates changing careers, those with mixed experience, or applicants who want to highlight achievements alongside their employment history.
Avoid a combination resume if you have a linear career path with steady progression in a single field. In that case, a chronological resume is better for showcasing your growth and development.
On the other hand, candidates with minimal experience may prefer a functional resume that highlights skills without relying heavily on work history.
Employers do prefer combination resumesâin the right context.
A combination resume clearly balances abilities and work history, making it easier to understand your qualifications, especially if you have a diverse background or transferable skills.
A combination resume should cover the past 10 to 15 years of your work experience at most. Focus on positions and accomplishments that support the skills emphasized in your skills section.
Older roles can be included if highly relevant, but avoid listing unrelated jobs that do not strengthen your application.
If you find your experience section taking up most of your resumeâs real estate, consider switching over to the chronological resume format.
Typically, a combination resume begins with a skills section, followed by work experience in reverse-chronological order, and then education. Optional sections like awards, projects, or certifications can appear afterward to highlight additional qualifications.
The benefit of a combination format is its adaptability. Use an ATS-friendly resume template and rearrange the sections as needed to showcase your strengths.
Yes, short-term jobs can be included on your combination resume, but only if they showcase relevant skills or accomplishments.
Since the combination resume emphasizes abilities, you can use short-term roles to highlight your skills in action. But if you werenât able to make a strong impact in the role, then it should be excluded.
Yes, the combination resume is ideal for career changers because it allows you to showcase transferable skills while still providing context through relevant work experience. Highlight skills that match your target role to make your resume immediately relevant to hiring managers.
The best resume format for you depends on your career. To showcase transferable skills and display a balanced blend of experience and abilities, the combination resume is best.
Also consider these options:
- The chronological resume lists your experience in reverse-chronological order. Itâs ideal for experienced candidates who want to showcase career progression.
- The functional resume focuses on skills and can feature multiple skills sections. Itâs the best choice for inexperienced candidates.
Hailey is a career advice writer dedicated to helping job seekers excel in their careers.
Our Templates Are Endorsed by Experts