When it comes to reading your resume, famous recruiters spend very little time — the average 7.4 seconds, to be precise. That’s according to a 2018 study by Ladders. Therefore, you only want to include the most relevant information to convince them that you are the right candidate.
Some elements are a no-brainer: Include titles and experience similar to the job you’re applying for, any relevant degrees, and skills appropriate to the required role. But what about information like your physical address? Does a potential employer need to see exactly where you live at the top of your resume?
“Regarding your entire physical address,” says Angelina Darrisaw, career coach and founder and CEO of C-Suite Coach. “It’s very rare that it’s something that’s needed.”
Here’s what the experts suggest you include when it comes to where you live.
At a minimum, include your state
At a minimum, Darrisaw will advocate for your state’s inclusion.
“There could be a variety of reasons why an employer would want a candidate from a particular state,” he said. “For example, federal policy is different in New York than in other states. And I may want the state to cover some of your paid family leave if I’m a small business and I can’t pay all of that on mine.”
Depending on the size of the company you apply to, they may have an internal recruiting system that helps them screen applicants. This could include “filters where they look for candidates for certain states,” he says, “So putting your state in there can, at least, help you get past one of those filters.”
‘You want to show that you can go there without a problem’
If you’re applying for a job that’s hybrid or full-time in an office, you might consider including your city as well, says Amanda Augustine, career expert at TopResume.
“If it’s a face-to-face job, and you’re expected to go to a company office, of course you want to show that you can get there without a problem,” he says. Sometimes companies also want to know your time zone because “they try to keep people within a certain number of time zones for work coordination,” he says.
But cities and states are really as detailed as you need them to be, he says. In fact, in this day and age, it can be dangerous to include much more.
“You don’t need everyone in the world to know exactly where you live,” says Augustine. “A lot of people think of it as a security issue, either for identity theft or because you don’t want someone showing up at your house.”
Check:
Should you include your GPA on your resume? Not ‘if you pass by the skin of your teeth’
3 terms you should always have on your resume to target what ‘every organization cares about’
‘Don’t go more than 2 pages’: How long a resume should be, according to experts
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