Best Examples of Combination Resume Examples for Executives in 2025

Real-World Examples of Combination Resume Examples for Executives

Let’s skip theory and start where most executives learn best: real examples. Below are several examples of combination resume examples for executives in different functions and industries. Each one blends a strong skills section with a focused work history so hiring managers can scan quickly and still see depth.

Example of a Combination Resume: Chief Operating Officer (COO) in Manufacturing

Imagine a COO with 20+ years in traditional manufacturing who now wants to move into a more tech-enabled, data-driven operation. A strong example of a combination resume for this executive might open like this:

Executive Summary (Top Section)
Global Operations Executive with 22+ years leading multi-plant manufacturing, supply chain, and continuous improvement. Known for driving double-digit margin expansion, building high-performing cross-functional teams, and leading digital transformation initiatives across North America and Europe.

Core Leadership & Technical Skills (Immediately Below Summary)
Strategic Operations Leadership · Lean / Six Sigma (Black Belt) · Global Supply Chain Optimization · Digital Manufacturing (IoT, MES) · P&L Management ($800M+) · M&A Integration · Workforce Planning & Labor Relations · Safety & Compliance (OSHA)

This COO’s combination resume then transitions into Selected Career Highlights, where each bullet pairs a skill with a measurable result:

• Reduced plant downtime by 27% in 18 months by implementing IoT-enabled predictive maintenance across 5 facilities.
• Increased EBITDA margin from 14% to 19% by restructuring supplier base and renegotiating contracts across 3 regions.
• Led integration of 2 acquired plants, consolidating operations and eliminating $18M in annual redundant costs.

Only after these highlights does the resume move into a Reverse-Chronological Experience section. This layout is one of the best examples of combination resume examples for executives because it keeps the focus on outcomes and strengths while still giving a clear career timeline.

Example of a Combination Resume: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in SaaS

Now picture a CMO targeting high-growth, private-equity-backed SaaS companies. Their combination resume needs to balance strategic vision, digital expertise, and revenue impact.

Executive Summary
Revenue-focused CMO with 15+ years in B2B SaaS, leading global demand generation, product marketing, and brand strategy. Track record of scaling ARR from \(20M to \)150M, building data-driven marketing organizations, and partnering with sales to exceed aggressive growth targets.

Key Executive Skills
Go-to-Market Strategy · Demand Generation · Product-Led Growth (PLG) · ABM (Account-Based Marketing) · RevOps Alignment · Brand Positioning · Global Team Leadership · Marketing Analytics (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo)

Selected Marketing Wins

• Grew ARR from \(32M to \)96M in 3 years by overhauling GTM strategy, introducing ABM, and building a 40-person global marketing team.
• Cut CAC by 21% while increasing SQL volume 38% through improved lead scoring and lifecycle nurture programs.
• Repositioned brand for enterprise buyers, contributing to 3x increase in average contract value.

In this example of a combination resume, the CMO’s skills are not just listed—they’re linked directly to outcomes. That’s what separates the best examples of combination resume examples for executives from generic templates.

Example of a Combination Resume: CFO Pivoting from Public to Private Equity Portfolio Role

A CFO moving from a large public company to a PE-backed portfolio company needs to highlight transformation, cash focus, and partnership with investors.

Executive Profile
Strategic CFO with 18+ years in public and private companies, specializing in financial restructuring, cash optimization, and value creation for investors. Partner to CEOs and Boards on M&A, capital allocation, and operational efficiency.

Financial & Strategic Skills
FP&A Leadership · Capital Structure Optimization · Debt Refinancing · IPO & Exit Readiness · PE / Investor Relations · Cost-Reduction Programs · Shared Services Implementation · ERP & Finance Systems (SAP, Oracle)

Value Creation Highlights

• Delivered $120M in cost savings over 24 months via zero-based budgeting and shared services consolidation.
• Led refinancing of $600M in debt, reducing interest expense by 14% and extending average maturity by 5 years.
• Partnered with PE sponsor to design and track value-creation plan, contributing to 2.4x MOIC at exit.

This is another of the best examples of combination resume examples for executives: skills and metrics are front-loaded, but the resume still walks through each major CFO role in reverse order to maintain credibility and context.

Example of a Combination Resume: CHRO Leading Culture and Transformation

People leaders often struggle to show impact in numbers, but a smart combination resume can fix that.

Executive Summary
CHRO with 17+ years building scalable people strategies for global organizations (5,000–25,000 employees). Known for driving culture change, leadership development, and DEI initiatives that improve retention, engagement, and performance.

Core Competencies
Workforce Strategy · Organizational Design · DEI Strategy · Leadership Development · Executive Coaching · HR Technology (Workday) · Labor Relations · Change Management

People & Culture Results

• Increased employee engagement scores by 23 points in 2 years through leadership training, manager enablement, and recognition programs.
• Reduced regrettable turnover by 31% across key leadership roles via succession planning and targeted retention initiatives.
• Implemented Workday across 14 countries, improving HR data accuracy and reporting, and reducing manual processes by 45%.

Here, the combination format lets the CHRO show both strategic skills and real-world outcomes—one of the strongest examples of combination resume examples for executives in HR.

Example of a Combination Resume: VP of Product in a Tech Company

Product leaders in 2025 are expected to be both visionary and data-driven. Their combination resume has to reflect that.

Executive Summary
Product leader with 12+ years in B2B and B2C SaaS, building high-impact product organizations and shipping customer-obsessed products. Experience leading cross-functional teams of up to 80 across Product, Design, and Research.

Key Skills
Product Strategy & Roadmapping · Customer Discovery · A/B Testing & Experimentation · Pricing & Packaging · Agile / Scrum · UX Collaboration · Data Analytics (SQL, Amplitude) · Stakeholder Management

Impact Highlights

• Increased product adoption by 46% and expansion revenue by 29% by redesigning onboarding and launching usage-based pricing.
• Reduced churn from 9.4% to 5.8% through customer research, feature re-prioritization, and proactive success programs.
• Built and scaled product organization from 6 to 38 people, implementing OKRs and outcome-based roadmapping.

Again, the power here is in how the resume weaves skills with measurable results, making it one of the more modern examples of combination resume examples for executives in product.

Example of a Combination Resume: VP of Operations Transitioning into Tech or E‑Commerce

Executives moving industries often benefit the most from a combination format. Take a VP of Operations moving from logistics into e‑commerce or tech-enabled services.

Executive Summary
Operations executive with 15+ years optimizing large-scale logistics, fulfillment, and customer operations. Proven success leading digital transformation, implementing automation, and improving service levels while reducing cost per order.

Transferable Skills
End-to-End Operations · Fulfillment & Logistics · Process Automation · Vendor Management · KPI Design & Performance Management · Customer Experience (CX) · Data-Driven Decision Making · Cross-Functional Leadership

Transition-Focused Highlights

• Implemented warehouse automation and routing optimization, cutting average delivery time from 4.3 days to 2.1 days.
• Reduced cost per order by 18% while maintaining 98.7% on-time delivery.
• Partnered with IT to roll out new order management system, increasing order accuracy and enabling real-time tracking.

This is one of the best examples of combination resume examples for executives who are changing industries: the skills section is intentionally written in language that applies to tech, e‑commerce, and logistics alike.

Why the Combination Format Works So Well for Executives in 2025

Hiring for executive roles in 2024–2025 has become far more data-driven. Recruiters rely heavily on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and fast pattern recognition. That means your resume needs to:

• Surface your executive-level skills in a scannable way.
• Show a clear narrative of progression and scope.
• Provide hard numbers that demonstrate impact.

Combination resumes do this by putting a skills and achievements section up front while still preserving a reverse-chronological work history. Modern ATS systems, as discussed in resources from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, still expect job titles, dates, and employers in a structured format, which the combination layout supports while giving you more storytelling power:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Compared to a purely functional resume, which can look like you’re hiding something, the best examples of combination resume examples for executives feel both transparent and persuasive.

How to Structure Your Own Executive Combination Resume

You can borrow patterns from all the real examples above and shape them into your own structure.

Top Section: Executive Summary That Matches the Target Role

Think of the first 3–5 lines as your “elevator pitch on paper.” Use the job description as your guide and mirror the language that fits your background. For instance, if most postings mention "P&L ownership,” “transformation,” or “AI enablement," weave those terms in where they genuinely apply.

Authoritative career resources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics emphasize matching your skills and experience to employer needs, not just listing everything you’ve ever done:
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/top-executives.htm

Skills Section: Grouped, Not Dumped

Instead of a long laundry list, group skills into clusters that match how executives are evaluated. For example:

• Leadership & Strategy: Vision setting, board communication, cross-functional leadership, change management.
• Financial & Operational: P&L, budgeting, cost optimization, capital allocation, supply chain.
• Digital & Technical: Data analytics, AI/ML initiatives, automation, ERP/CRM platforms.

The best examples of combination resume examples for executives use 3–4 clusters with 4–6 skills each, written in plain language, not just acronyms.

Highlights Section: 6–10 Wins With Numbers

Right under your skills, add a Selected Achievements or Career Highlights section. Each bullet should:

• Start with a strong verb (Led, Built, Increased, Reduced).
• Include a metric (%, $, time, volume).
• Tie back to a skill or priority in the job posting.

For instance:

• Increased recurring revenue by 42% over 2 years through new pricing model and upsell strategy.
• Cut operating expenses by $15M annually by consolidating vendors and automating reporting.

These kinds of bullets appear in nearly all real examples of combination resume examples for executives because they’re easy for both humans and ATS to parse.

Experience Section: Concise, But Not Vague

After your highlights, list your roles in reverse order. For each:

• Include company, title, location, and dates.
• Add a one-line description of scope (team size, budget, regions).
• Include 3–6 bullets focused on impact, not duties.

If you have a long career, you can shorten roles older than 10–15 years to just title, company, and dates, or a short summary.

Modern Trends to Reflect in 2024–2025 Executive Resumes

When you study current examples of combination resume examples for executives, a few trends keep showing up:

• Digital and AI Literacy: Even non-tech executives are expected to understand data, automation, and AI use cases. If you’ve led AI pilots, analytics programs, or automation projects, highlight them.
• ESG and Sustainability Awareness: Especially for public companies and global firms, showing familiarity with ESG reporting, sustainability initiatives, or stakeholder engagement can help.
• Remote and Hybrid Leadership: If you’ve led distributed teams or redesigned operating models for hybrid work, mention it.
• DEI and Culture: Boards and CEOs are more attentive to culture, inclusion, and engagement metrics.

You don’t need to force these into your resume, but if they’re part of your story, they belong in your combination format.

For ongoing labor and leadership trends, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and leading universities like Harvard provide helpful context:
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/
https://www.harvard.edu/in-focus/future-of-work/

Frequently Asked Questions About Executive Combination Resumes

What are some good examples of combination resume examples for executives?

Good examples include the COO, CMO, CFO, CHRO, VP of Product, and VP of Operations profiles described above. Each one shows a short executive summary, a grouped skills section, and a set of quantified achievements before listing detailed work history. The best examples keep the resume to two pages while still showcasing 10–20 years of leadership.

Can you give an example of when an executive should not use a combination resume?

If your career path is very straightforward—for instance, you’ve been promoted steadily within one company and your job titles alone tell a powerful story—a traditional reverse-chronological resume might be fine. Another example of a situation where you might avoid a combination format is when you’re applying to very traditional or government roles that expect a detailed chronological document with extensive information for each job.

Do ATS systems read combination resumes correctly?

Yes, as long as you keep standard headings (like Experience, Professional History, or Work Experience) and include titles, company names, and dates. Avoid putting everything in tables or graphics. Many government and large corporate ATS systems, as noted in government hiring guidance, still scan for recognizable fields and keywords, which you can easily include in a combination layout.

How many skills should executives list in a combination resume?

Most real examples of combination resume examples for executives show around 15–24 skills, grouped into 3–4 categories. Listing 40+ skills looks unfocused. Prioritize the skills that match the roles you’re targeting and that you can back up with specific achievements.

Should I customize my combination resume for every executive role?

Yes. You don’t need to rewrite from scratch, but you should adjust your executive summary, reorder or tweak your skills, and swap in achievements that better match the job description. The strongest examples of combination resume examples for executives are tailored—generic, one-size-fits-all resumes are easy for recruiters to spot.

Use these examples as a starting point, not a script. Your goal is to create a combination resume that sounds like you, clearly shows how you operate at the executive level, and makes it very easy for a hiring manager to say, “Yes, this is someone we need to interview.”