Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

Diane Smith, marketing specialist and career adviser at Eastern Illinois University, recently asked members of the NACE Community whether students need to put their addresses on their resumes.

James V. Toy, manager of university relations and early career development at Evonik Corporation, answers that from an employer's perspective, students should not include their street address.

“If you want to explain where you live or where you're looking for a job, use a city or metro area in the header. Mimic the level of detail in a LinkedIn profile,” Toy writes. “Applicant tracking systems [ATS] will require an address to set up a profile, and if that information is missing from a candidate’s document, they can manually add it during a later step.

“Think about all the people who could potentially see this resume. Externally, do not post a resume with a street address to a job board. A simple Google search will show the world someone’s street address. Even within a company, there are multiple people who will review the resume: sourcer, recruiter, interview panel, hiring manager, etc. The only people who need that level of detail are HR and payroll. They’ll find that information in the ATS or a separate written application.

“Resumes are documents with limited space, and I want to read more about how a candidate fits the job than where [he or she lives].”
 
Want advice on an issue or have information to share? Join the member discussions in the NACE Community.