Do I Need My Address On My Resume
Including your full address on your resume might seem a no-brainer. Yet, including or omitting your street address can influence the hiring process and the outcome of your job application. In this article, we are going to explain when job-seekers should add their full street address on their resume and how to do it right.
Years ago, listing a full address on a resume was essential. Communication took place by phone and physical mail, so, without knowing your address, the employer could not contact you. Now, communication during the job search process happens mostly online, and you can get hired without sharing your complete contact information with the employer. Yet, hiring managers need your physical address not only for communication purposes. So, the answer to the question "Should I include my full address on a resume?" will depend on your specific career situation.
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When should you include your mailing address on your resume?
In many cases, including your address is popular resume advice. Here's why it makes perfect sense:
It is a common standard
Most hiring managers (especially older ones) expect to see the address on your resume header. And if they do not see it in a particular place in a document, this may raise questions. In particular, they might think that you are hiding something.
It shows that you can commute
Many employers want a full street address if they want to hire local talent for a full-time job in the office. In this case, including your exact location is a huge plus as the employer will see that you can easily commute every day.
It is important for ATS
Including at least your city and state is important for applicant tracking systems. Some ATS software is set to filter out non-local candidates. Thus, to avoid location bias and to get your resume seen by a human recruiter, you need to add the address, especially if you are in the same city.
It is essential for government jobs
If you apply for a government job posting, remember that some of them require a full address on your resume. Be sure to list your address completely when it's an employer's requirement.
When to leave your mailing address out?
In 2023, including a full address on a resume is no longer a must. Here are the situations when your address is not necessary:
You apply for remote positions
If you are looking for a fully remote job, your full address is not important to an employer. You might want to add just the city and state, or the time zone (some companies look for remote workers in the same time zone as it's convenient to coordinate the team).
It's not essential for communication
Up until you get a job offer, you are likely to communicate with the potential employer through email, phone, or messengers. Thus, your mailing address simply adds no value to your resume and can be skipped.
There are privacy and safety concerns
After you've sent a resume, you cannot know who sees it and how your personal data is used. If you post your resume online, you don't want everyone to know where you live. Plus, you don't know if companies protect your personal data. Not including a full address relieves you from these privacy concerns.
To top it off, adding a full address on your resume in 2023 is not necessary. Yet, skipping it whatsoever can raise questions with recruiters. The best strategy is to include your city state and zip code. For remote positions, you can include only your city.
When it comes to location, always follow the requirements in the job description. If the employer only looks for candidates from a certain city or area, make sure that your resume includes your location. If you use a different location, your resume is likely to get tossed. And if you only plan to relocate, below you'll find tips on how to explain this.
How to include your address on a resume?
Including the address on your resume for job searching takes a few minutes - here's how to do this in different situations:
Adding address on a resume for office jobs
If you apply for on-site jobs not far away from home, consider adding city state and zip. Thus, the employer will see that you are located within driving distance:
- 5396 North Reese Avenue, Fresno CA
- Livermore, CA 94550
Moreover, such a format of your address is likely to pass ATS software scans.
Listing your address for remote job search
Remote employers are rarely interested in your precise location. What they might care about is your state (as federal policies can be different) and your time zone (if they need to coordinate a large remote team). So, here are the best address formats in this case:
- Los Angeles, CA
- Remote (EST time zone).
Including address on a resume for relocation
Mentioning relocation on a resume is tricky. If you list your current address, you may face employment discrimination, as companies often reject non-local candidates. Yet, if you are sure about your relocation and don't expect the employer to compensate it, here's how you can mention it:
- Relocating to New York, NY 08/2023
- New York, N
In the second option, you simply include your target city without specifying that you will relocate. In this case, be ready to travel for an in-person interview if the employer schedules it.
Where to list your home address on a resume?
Put your address at the top of the resume, where a hiring manager will see it at once. As a rule, it goes right after your name in the contact section, as in this sample resume:
Image source: https://images.ctfassets.net/7thvzrs93dvf/wpImage5550/f3453b2aee09550c28027bed811f5dd8/including-zipcode-on-resume.png
Tips to improve your resume quickly
After updating your resume address, you might want to give your resume a few extra tweaks to make it more attractive to hiring managers. Here's how you can improve your resume in a few minutes:
Use a sans-serif font
The best fonts for your resume are Arial, Helvetica and Verdana. They are plain, readable and displayed correctly on most computers. Also, make sure that indents are the same everywhere and formatting remains consistent.
Add professional links
Add the link to your LinkedIn profile (first, make sure that your profile is complete and up-to-date), professional website, or online portfolio. If you use Facebook or other social media for professional purposes, you can add such links as well.
Do a spell check
49% of hiring managers reject resumes that have typos or poor grammar. Use an online spell checker, or proofread the text manually to make sure it is free from mistakes.
Remove cliches
Recruiters are tired of cliches phrases, such as go-getter, hardworking, team player, result-oriented, and more. Instead of listing such traits, prove how you used them in the workplace.
Update your list of skills
If your resume has a Skills section, make sure that it contains up-to-date skills. Remove skills you no longer use, and obvious skills such as MS Office or email. If you are an expert in multiple areas, consider dividing skills by categories (management skills, programming skills, etc.).
Remove outdated jobs
If you have 10+ years of professional experience, you can confidently remove jobs you had at the beginning of your career. Employers are most interested in your 1-2 most recent positions. So, you may remove earlier jobs completely or only keep job titles and company names.
Use a strong file name
Many job-seekers name their resume file as "My resume" or "Resume 1". Change the file name so that it includes your name and job title, for example, "Resume-Mary Jones-Executive Assistant". Thus, the hiring manager will easily find your resume on their computer.
Get your resume professionally updated
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