Your resume: What's in a name?

Many people list their full name at the top of a résumé, for example: John Paul Smith. While not required, there is certainly no problem with this. It looks professional. It makes your Mom proud. (My mom loves seeing my full name written out on important documents.)

But, what if you go by your middle name? If Mr. Smith actually goes by the name of Paul, presenting his name this way gives the impression you are a John. This is how you will be addressed on the telephone, in an email, and how you will be introduced in an interview. Why create the hassle? Consider John (Paul) Smith. Or my favorite, J. Paul Smith.

Similarly, what if Mr. Smith actually goes by Jack? Some think a nickname has no place on a résumé, but again, why create confusion? It’s not uncommon for someone in this situation to have reference letters or even awards or certificates in both names – sometimes John, sometimes Jack. Modifying a title to John Paul (Jack) Smith, or John (Jack) Smith can clear this up nicely.

Lastly, what about those tricky gender neutral name like Ashley, Alex or Ryan? Including the Mr. or Ms. prefix can avoid that awkward moment when an employer calls for Mr. Smith only to discover he’s a she.

By Natalie Joan

http://www.nataliejoan.ca/resume-blog/your-r-sum-what-s-in-a-name-

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Comments

[Recruiter Resume]

The post is very helpful to me. I used to write my full name. I updated my resume. Thanks for the post.

[Joe Buffalino]

I agree that your name is important to state the way you use it. Our nonprofit had a guy come in the other day with the name John Paul BLANK and he went by "Paul". I had someone call him and ask for John and he said "I'm sorry, there's nobody here named John".....he would have lost out on that "interview" request.

Also, I want to mention that a lot of the people we help have gotten jobs through blogs. Blogs can be great exposure for virtually anyone, yet certain careers are more blog inclined than others.

For most traditional jobs (engineer, accountant, attorney, etc.) there is no substitute for a traditional resume.

Our non-profit organization recommends people get a "real" resume to augment their blog or website.

Our non-profit organization uses a great service that also sets people up with their own blog for promotion. This is not advertised on their website, yet this is a service they do for us and I think they do it for anyone asking for it. We thought this was very original, as none of the resume services we had contracted with in the past have offered any blog assistance.

For info on getting a traditional resume and your own custom blog, go to http://www.careerpathresume.com (Career Path Resume)

Please mention that you heard about them from the Community For Advancing Urban Minorities (CAUM).