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Should you choose a resume format that highlights your skills or your experience? Luckily you don’t have to choose. You can do both with a hybrid resume. Here’s how.
Some jobs require you to present your experience and show off certain skills. The easiest way to do it is by creating a hybrid resume.
Choosing a hybrid resume format is a job-winning combo that will help you wow the hiring manager with the whole package! You’ve got the skills AND the experience!
However, not everyone should use it, as it can be a double-edge sword. Read our guide and find out if the hybrid resume (or combination resume) is for you and how to write one of your own.
This guide will show you:
What is a hybrid resume format and when to use it.
Perfect hybrid resume examples that will inspire you to write your own.
Hybrid resume templates that will show you how it should be done.
How to write the perfect hybrid resume.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
Taylor Nauman
Senior Software Engineer
660 Scheuvront Drive
Denver, CO 80401
303-526-7424
taylorpnaumann@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/taylornaumann542
Software Development
Team Leadership
Project Management
Technical Lead
May 2017–Present
Swifty Cloud Services, Denver, CO
Senior Software Engineer
March 2013–April 2017
Zippy Inc, San Francisco, CA
Software Developer
May 2010–January 2013
Friendster, San Francisco, CA
2006-2010, BS in Computer Science
The City University of New York
Now you know what a hybrid resume looks like. Get ready to learn all the basics:
A hybrid resume is a resume that focuses equally on both important job skills and professional experience. Also known as a combination resume or chrono-functional resume, they are best suited for people changing careers, seasoned professionals with extensive experience, and those with gaps in employment.
Hybrid resumes skip the traditional resume introduction and instead lead with a skills summary. The skills section is followed by your work experience section.
At first glance, this sounds like the best of both worlds—the work experience recruiters want to see and the in-demand skills that’ll make your resume stand out.
So you might be thinking that there’s no competition—the hybrid resume format is king.
Not so fast. Let’s see how the hybrid resume compares to the chronological and functional resume formats:
Chronological vs Functional vs Hybrid Resume | |||
| Reverse Chronological Resume | Functional Resume | Hybrid Resume |
Main Focus | Work experience (and sometimes education) | Skills | Equal weight to skills and work experience |
Work Experience Section | At the top, relevant | At the bottom, irrelevant | In the middle, relevant |
Skills Section | In the middle, relevant | At the top, relevant | At the top, relevant |
Layout | Professional and traditional | Non-conventional, confusing | Professional and creative |
Applicant Tracking Software Scannability | Scannable | Non-scannable | Scannable |
Main Advantage | Easy to read, universal | Conceals flaws in work history | Emphasizes and validates skills |
Main Weakness | Very common, might require tweaking | Suggests you’re hiding something | Suitable for few candidates |
Best For | Virtually all candidates | Creative jobs, military transitioners, candidates who don’t want to seem overqualified | Career changers, experienced professionals, job seekers with employment gaps |
Not Ideal For | Career changers | Students, experienced professionals, career changers, entry-level candidates | Entry-level candidates, students |
See that? Even though liger hybrids are bigger—and arguably better—than both tigers and lions, the same doesn’t necessarily hold true for resume hybrids.
The hybrid resume isn’t for everyone—in fact it’s only suitable for a few types of job seekers.
Here’s who could benefit by using a hybrid resume format:
If you need more help deciding which resume format is best for your job search, here’s a guide to help you decide: How to Choose the Best Resume Format for You
Now that you know the definition of a hybrid resume, it’s time to get started on your own.
Use this blank template to layout your hybrid resume:
[Your Name]
[Position]
[Address]
[Phone Number]
[Email Address]
[Website]
[LinkedIn] (Optional)
[Social Media] (Optional)
Skills Summary
[Skill]
[Skill]
[Skill]
Additional Skills
Experience
[Dates]
[Job Title]
[Company Name]
[City]
[Dates]
[Job Title]
[Company Name]
[City]
Education
[Graduation Date]
[School Name]
[Degree]
Read more: Soft Skills Examples for a Resume & Hard Skills Examples for a Resume
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, our professional resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”. A piece of advice that everyone struggles with—including recruiters.
That’s why it’s important to have the right resume layout and avoid making any resume mistakes. But most recruiters are willing to look past minor imperfections. What’s most important to them is the content—you know, your experience and job skills. And this is exactly what the hybrid resume style will highlight.
Here’s how to write each section of a hybrid resume:
Don’t forget to cover the basics. It doesn’t matter how good your resume is if HR can’t contact you.
Include the following in your contact information resume header:
Read more: Contact Information on a Resume
Here comes the bread and butter of your hybrid resume. Take your time to get this section pitch perfect. You might be tempted to create a skills summary on a generic resume you use to apply to every job application you come across.
Don’t do that.
Your skills summary should act like a megaphone shouting “I have the perfect skills for this position” to the recruiter. How do you accomplish that?
By tailoring your resume to the job.
Let’s take a look at Taylor’s skills summary from the hybrid resume example above:
Software Development
Team Leadership
Project Management
That’s a great example of a hybrid resume in action.
See how even though Taylor has experience in many different programming languages, he only focuses on three in his skills summary? That’s because those were the languages mentioned in the job description of the job he’s applying for.
One more thing to note—
Pay attention to how Taylor showed proof of his skills by quantifying his achievements. Do your best to mention accomplishments more than duties and responsibilities.
Read more: Targeted Resume Examples
Skills matter. And your resume will look fishy if it’s too targeted (i.e. you seem to only have the skills mentioned in the job description).
Include up to five bullet points of skills that could be relevant to the position you’re applying for, such as:
Wondering what skills look best on a resume? Check out this guide:The Key Job Skills to Put on a Resume [For Any Skill Set]
Hybrid resumes put slightly more importance on your skills than on your professional experience. But that doesn’t mean you should skimp on your work experience section. Afterall, 65% of employers prefer candidates with relevant experience.
Here’s how to write a relevant experience section on a hybrid resume:
Here’s some sample text from the hybrid resume example above:
Senior Software Engineer
March 2013–April 2017
Zippy Inc, San Francisco, CA
Read more: How to Describe Work Experience on a Resume Using the Job Description
Almost done. The last part of a hybrid resume is the education section.
If you have extensive work experience, only add the degree, graduation date, and school name.
If you’re a career changer and your degree is highly relevant or if you have gaps in employment, you can make it glitter with the following:
Read more: How to List Education on a Resume [Includes Examples]
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Hybrid resumes can be great for experienced professionals with certain skills they want to put on display, career changers, and those with gaps in employment.
Follow the following expert advice when writing a hybrid resume:
Do you have any questions regarding hybrid resumes? Is the chronological resume failing you and you’re curious about hybrid resume templates? Let’s chat in the comment section!
This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.
Modern problems require modern solutions. And modern jobs require modern resume templates. Look at the best examples of modern resume templates and pick your personal favorite.
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