Should you put your address on a resume?

AnswerAn address should definitely be on a resume! It's basic information that an employer needs to know when creating their files. Employer's aren't going to sell your information or make it public, so it will be kept in confidence. It's information that will go on a job application, W4, I9, etc.

Not having it on there can open the door to an employer's wondering if you:

• Hiding something
• Afraid they won't keep it in confidence
• Don't have a place to live or somewhere to contact you

How else are they going to contact you?

AnswerIncluding a physical address is not necessary on the resume, as long as you make it known that you're willing to fill out all the appropriate information upon being hired.

If you're sending your resume to a large, reliable company, then there shouldn't be any problems with them abusing your information. However, if you're applying to a small company with relatively little public information, it's understandable that you would want to hold back personal information until being hired.

Besides personal safety, other benefits of not including an address include not receiving a rejection letter, no economic profiling, and not being rejected based on the distance between work and home.

Instead of receiving a rejection letter, a hiring manager will have to call your home or send you an email since there is no physical address for them to contact, and courteous employers will have to contact you to let you know you've been turned down. If they contact you by phone or email, this gives you an opportunity to sell yourself once more, especially if the person calling or emailing you is the person who interviewed you. You can ask about any other positions within the company, or at the very least, find out how you did on your interview and where you could use improvement to sell yourself better next time.

Sometimes, when you put an address on your resume, an employer might do a search on your neighborhood to find out whether you live in a high-profile area or a low income one. Based on that, they may adjust your salary or even choose another applicant with similar skills and experiences, but who will be cheaper to hire.

Also, an employer may do a search to find out how far you would have to travel on a daily basis to get to work. If your commute time is too much, the employer may reject your application simply based on that.