Looking to write a combination CV? This guide provides a template and information on what you should include.
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As a job hunter, you need a stellar CV to show potential employers what makes you great and why they should hire you. A professional CV that uses the right format and contains all the information recruiters need is of the utmost importance if you’re going to land a job you love. Here at CVHelp, we’re passionate about helping people achieve their career goals by providing support through our extensive range of tips, tools, and resources, including our custom CV builder.
In this post, we’ll look at the combination CV. Learn how to customise your CV, when you should use one, and what to include. You can also download our combination CV template to ensure you get it right the first time.
A combination CV combines elements of the chronological CV and the functional CV. A chronological CV focuses on your professional experience and work history, listing your previous roles in reverse-chronological order. It’s good for people who have a lot of employment history to write about. A functional CV also focuses on your core skills, which you may have gained at or outside of work. This type of CV works well for people who are new to the job market or without many years of experience.
A combination CV contains your professional experience but also has a section emphasising your key skills. It can be a good option for people who are switching careers, as it allows you to show your experience but also highlight skills that will transfer well into a different industry.
As mentioned, your combination CV should include a mixture of your skills and your experience. Think of it as a chance to showcase to hiring managers what makes you a great candidate.
Include all the key details people need to get in touch with you, which will usually be your address, phone number, and email address. Ensure they’re clear and correctly spelled. Many candidates now also include their professional social media links, like a LinkedIn profile.
Start with a short personal profile summarising your background and core attributes. If you’re looking for a career change, you might mention this in your personal profile as well.
Underneath your contact information and personal profile, highlight your relevant skills, knowledge, and abilities. Write these in clear bullet points, with one skill per bullet. You should include 8 to 12 bullet points. Examples of skills you could include are:
Be as specific as possible, using a mix of soft skills and hard skills. Remember that potential employers value transferable skills, like teamwork and interpersonal skills. Don’t assume you can only include job-specific technical know-how. And remember that the recruiter may ask you about these skills in a job interview, so you should have examples to back up when and how you learned and used these skills.
In the work experience section, add a list of the previous jobs or work experience positions you’ve held. Include up to your five most recent roles, in reverse-chronological order, with your most recent job first. Be sure to include the job title, the company name, the time you worked there, and a couple of sentences or bullet points about your responsibilities in the role.
In the education section, include the highest level of education you possess on your CV. Write where you achieved the qualifications and in what year.
Feel free to also add a section detailing any other relevant qualifications you hold, such as professional exams and courses, language qualifications, or other certificates.
Adding a few sentences about what makes you who you are can add some personality to your CV and help make you more memorable. You should be able to relate your hobbies to the job you are applying for.
It can be challenging to start writing a CV, especially if you’ve never written one before. Or perhaps you’ve never created a combination CV before. Here at CVHelp, we’re here to help. You can access a combination CV template, which lays out section by section what you need to include within your combination CV.
Check out our other blog posts for tips on finding jobs, preparing for interviews, and more. If you’re interested in different types of CVs, we also have information and templates for creating chronological and functional CVs. Our CV builder also lets you build a complete, custom CV that displays all your skills and experience in a professional way that will impress employers and get you through the door to your next job.
Yes. Job seekers should always write a cover letter to add to their job application. When applying for a new job, you should take advantage of any opportunity you can to communicate with the hiring manager. Think of a cover letter as a complement to your CV. When writing your cover letter, be sure to check the job description for keywords and pick out phrases that relate to the primary skills needed for that position. You can then use these keywords to customise your cover letter.
The three main types of CVs are the functional CV, the chronological CV, and the combination CV. Each of the CV formats prioritises sections of your CV differently. The chronological format emphasises job history whereas the functional CV places your skills section prominently. The combination CV combines the two and uses elements of both. Before starting your job search, think about what type of CV best suits you.
A resume is just the term more widely used in the U.S. for a CV. So a combination resume is the same as a combination CV. If you are searching online for CV help, you’ll notice that when you look at tips for resume formats, resume examples, and resume templates, you’ll get advice similar to all these topics with CVs.
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