Resume styles have changed immensely over the past 15 years. These vital documents need to be adaptable to the ever changing world of recruiting, HR, and how we apply for jobs.
Fifteen years ago, we poured through the classifieds in search of work. Fax machines were still the way to apply for a job, or by snail mail with the paper version of a resume photocopied at the local Kinko’s on high quality linen. Ten years ago we started emailing resumes when requested, and five years ago we saw the advent of online job boards, hiring sections on company websites, and the online job applications where keywords were born. Today we can add social networking, such as LinkedIn or myspace.
With technology, comes a huge responsibility to “not put too much out there” so as to have your identity stolen, or have the recruiter perform a desktop background check on you (i.e. google yourself and see.) Further, the value of your home can be easily retrieved by the website zillow.com. That means future employers can determine whether you live in a trailer or a $2 million estate within seconds, and set their salary decisions based on what they think you’ll take.
Therefore, I advise that you leave your address off your resume altogether. An email address and telephone contact will be most relevant. Afterall, at 41 cents for a stamp, who mails anything anyway? However, if you have an IM address, add that instead to your job search documents. It shows your technically savvy and they’ll have instant contact with you.
Stay tuned, the job search is always changing, just like everything else in the world.
–Susan Geary, CERW / 1st Rate Resumes