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“Hybridizing” Your Resume

This is an excellent way to separate yourself from competitors.  This technique takes a different approach to resume structure than the traditional, reverse chronological method; provided, of course, that you have a very good reason for deviating from the traditional resume format.

The hybrid approach is useful for job seekers who have developed multiple skills or knowledge in more than one area. Here, instead of employing a reverse chronology of work experience with a subheading for each job or employer, you substitute subheadings for each area of expertise, e.g., Insurance Law, Risk Management, Administrative Litigation, Etc.

The hybrid resume does not completely abandon the traditional approach; rather, it accords more importance to content than time. To allay any employer concerns that you are attempting to hide your employment history, you would precede your Experience section (where you place the content subheadings) with a section labeled Employment History, under which you accord a single line to each employer without going into the specifics. For example:

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Associate, Ruth, Cobb and Foxx, New York, NY – 2011-Present
Compliance Attorney, Amalgamated, Inc., Edison, NJ – 2007-2011
Attorney-Advisor, New Jersey Department of Licensing, Trenton, NJ – 2005-2007

The advantages of the hybrid are that: It liberates you from the strictures of the reverse chronology, enabling you to lead with the subheadings that are likely to be the most compelling to the particular employer to whom you are applying;

It enables you move items around to best effect; and It serves an important collateral purpose by impressing potential employers you’re your organizational skills as manifested in how you structure your resume.