Your resume is prime real estate and you should carefully consider every bit of information that you add to it. Including your address at the top has been an acceptable practice and many haven’t put any thought to whether they should or should not have it in.

Lise Stransky and I were talking in preparation for the webinar Is Your Resume Ready? And discussing the pros and cons. Your address usually goes at the top of the page, introducing yourself, part of the first impression you are creating. Could your address raise some pre-conceived biases? Positive? Negative?  The important point to consider is: is your address adding value to your resume?

When would your address add value to your resume?

Mainly if there is an advantage to being local.

Is the company located in your home town? They may appreciate a local.

Is it stated in the job posting that the position is located in a certain location, that is, not a remote position? In this case adding your address would confirm that you are local. Yes, don’t think for a second that if the job posting says local, only local candidates will apply. And for the right candidate, the company may consider relocation, but there are additional costs involved. In this scenario, if you are remote, deleting the address would be advantageous, don’t let your address prevent you from getting that first interview.

If you think that the suburb you live in may raise some biases, but being local adds value to your resume, you can put Greater “city” area, like Greater Boston.

What else should you or should you not have on your resume? Watch Lise Stransky’s webinar, Is Your Resume Ready? to learn.

Miki Feldman Simon, Founder & CEO IamBackatWork