Recruiters notoriously skim through resumes quickly, taking only six to eight seconds to decide whether you’re the right person for the job. This means that whatever information you list on your resume must be clear, concise, and immediately impactful.
It also means that your resume should only include the most relevant information.
Not so long ago, the home address was undoubtedly a standard – and relevant – part of every resume. After all, physical mail was the only way employers could send important documents and correspondence and respond to the submitted application in the first place. But this is no longer the case. Now, your resume doesn’t have to include your entire home address. Not only that, but it shouldn’t display your entire address, whether writing the resume on your own or entrusting the task to one of the best resume writers.
Keep reading to learn why.
Why Including Your Entire Home Address on a Resume Is a Bad Idea
Name. Home address. Telephone number. Email address. This is the information traditionally included in the “Personal Information” section of your resume. However, the home address is arguably the most sensitive among these details, which is why there are several reasons to leave it off the resume.
No. 1 – You Never Know Who Will See Your Address
There are numerous benefits to applying for a job position directly through the company’s website. One of the benefits is avoiding sharing your personal information with unauthorized individuals or third-party entities.
However, even if you do apply through the company’s website, you still aren’t guaranteed 100% security.
Simply put, you never know who could potentially see your address and what their intentions might be.
So, how can you prevent this vital information from falling into the wrong hands? It’s simple. Leave it off your resume!
No. 2 – Your Privacy Might Be Compromised
Let’s put aside the worst-case scenario of compromising your security by sharing your address for a moment. Your privacy could be compromised by this move, which is reason enough not to go through with it.
You see, if you list your entire home address on your resume, you’re exposing your personal information to potential theft identity or unwanted contact from strangers. Sure, your phone number and email address can be used for the same purposes, but these details are much easier to change.
No. 3 – You Might Be Spammed
Unfortunately, the job market is fraught with job scams. Scammers have gotten rather good at creating fake job listings to deceive potential job seekers and gain their personal information. But not all fake job listings have such insidious plots.
Oftentimes, marketing agencies will create fake job listings to promote their services under the guise of recruitment. Include your full home address on your resume, and the next thing you can expect is a flood of unsolicited marketing materials coming straight to your door.
When this happens via email or phone, there’s a simple solution – the block button. However, once your home address is out there, controlling the influx of physical mail becomes much more challenging.
No. 4 – You Might Face Discrimination
So far, all the reasons for leaving out your entire address off your resume have had something to do with malicious actors. But let’s say your resume gets into the right hands and isn’t misused in any way. Even in those situations, including your full address isn’t prudent.
Why?
Well, as already mentioned, your home address reveals the most information about you. It reveals your exact location, but it also gives a glimpse into your finances. Based on where you live, recruiters can draw conclusions about your social class, income, and educational background. These preconceived notions can work against you.
For instance, if the recruiter deems your home to be of lesser value, they might be inclined to offer you less money. Similarly, if your home happens to be in a lower socioeconomic neighborhood, the recruiter might make unfair assumptions about your suitability for the role. Some recruiters go as far as using the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to filter out candidates with addresses in specific areas they perceive as undesirable.
Though this is illegal, it happens all the time, so removing your full address from your resume allows your education, skills, and knowledge to speak for themselves.
No. 5 – You Might Get Written Off Based on Your Location
Besides drawing conclusions about your socioeconomic status, recruiters might use your full address to make assumptions about your commute time and, thus, your reliability. In other words, if you live relatively far from the job location, recruiters might assume you’ll have long commute times or transportation issues, potentially impacting their decision to consider you for the role.
After all, companies often prefer – and even prioritize – local applicants, even when the job posting indicates that the open role is remote or hybrid.
Should You Leave Your Address Off Your Resume Altogether?
This is one of the most common questions to ask a Denver Resume Writing Service. The short answer is no. You see, the employer and the recruiter still need to know your location to create your applicant profile, assess your general proximity to the workplace, and plan for any necessary onboarding processes. But they don’t need to know your full home address.
So, instead of exposing your sensitive information for virtually anyone to see, only list your city and state in the “Personal Information” section. If you live in a major city, you might consider also including your zip code or area.
Let’s say you live in Colorado Springs, and the following is your complete address:
210 E Pikes Peak Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Your resume might only contain Colorado Springs, CO; Colorado Springs, CO 80903; or Downtown Colorado Springs.
Specifying your city area will help ease your employer’s mind that you can make the commute and be on time every day.
But what if you don’t currently live in the same city as your desired workplace? In that case, you can leave your current home address off the resume altogether and replace it with a simple: “Relocating to Colorado Springs, CO in Fall 2024,” for instance.
コメント