How Must You List Your Personal Information in Your Resume

Using a personal data section has become outdated. During the past 15 years resumes have gone from virtually always having a personal data section, which included such information as age, marital status, height and weight, and health status, to an almost total extinction. Women began excluding it from their resumes about 15 years ago and men have followed suit. Equal Employment Opportunity legislation also helped hasten the trend. It was never a very helpful section, but it was traditional to include it. In the 1930s and 40s it was traditional to include religion and the national origin of parents in a personal data section. It was assumed that employers wanted to know and therefore it should be included. Actually, including this information merely gave employers greater opportunity to discriminate. The best recommendation would be to exclude it as a section. Sometimes, however, it is useful to use a section called "Personal." It can be used to cover bonding, security clearances, citizenship, willingness to relocate or travel, and any other aspects that might not fit in other categories of a resume.

Bonding

Mention you are bondable if your type of work requires it. Essentially, anyone who does not have a prison record is bondable. Bonding is a type of insurance that employers take out on employees who handle large amounts of money. If an employee heads to Mexico with thousands of dollars, the employer collects from the bonding company.



Security Clearance

Many people in the military, and civilians working on military projects, have been given security clearances, typically "Secret" or "Top Secret." After leaving the military, it quickly lapses and a new investigation is conducted before reestablishing a security clearance. By including your security clearance, however, you're really saying, "My honesty and integrity were verified by a very thorough investigation; you, too, can trust me." If you held a security clearance within the last ten years, it may be helpful to mention it. Indicate the years it was active. An alternative is to mention your security clearance in your military job description.

Citizenship

Include this information only if you believe an employer might question your citizenship, or if you especially want to let an employer know that you are a U. S. citizen. If you are not a U. S. citizen, you may want to state "Permanent Resident" or indicate your status. There is no need to specify "Naturalized U.S. Citizen;" simply say "U.S. Citizen," or possibly "U.S. Citizen since 1978." Other terms could be "Canadian Citizen since 1959' or "Valid Green Card."

Health

The best suggestion is to not list your health status. Everyone always states "Excellent Health" anyway, so it really has no purpose. Have you ever seen a resume that said "Fair Health?" If you have a disability that you believe could affect your chances of getting a job, but not your job performance, do not mention the disability in the resume, but be pre pared to discuss it during an interview. Legally you do not need to divulge any illnesses or disabilities which will not affect your job performance. This is also true when filling out application forms and during interviews. If you have any questions regarding disabilities, consult a city or state Equal Employment Opportunity office.

Military experience

If you have military experience, you can include it in your employment section, under previous experience, or under personal. It can be listed under personal in this way: "U.S. Navy, 1972-74," "U.S. Navy/ E-5/1972-74," or "U.S. Navy 1972-74, Honorable Discharge."

Relocation

If you are willing to relocate and you are contacting national or regional firms, state this in the personal section or merely state at the bottom of the resume, "Willing to Relocate."

Activities

Whether you should include activities or interests is open to de bate. Some insist that anything not demonstrating work-related skills or background should be excluded. Others feel a discussion of activities can become an interesting topic of conversation and help the candidate to be remembered. Both sides make good points. We can sometimes include activities because it can make you seem more like a real person, someone employers can identify with. Select your interests and activities carefully: use only those in which you really are active. Jogging is an excellent activity to include, but don't list it if you run only occasionally.

With each activity you select, ask yourself what impact it will have on an employer. Let's say you're an unemployed loan officer who loves to skydive. Most skydivers are viewed as high risk takers, but loan officers are noted for their conservative, low-risk approach to business. Even though you may be just as conservative on the job as your colleagues, listing skydiving as an activity could arouse just enough doubt to cause an employer not to interview you. Give a consistent picture of yourself. Decide what image you want to convey and then select the appropriate activities. Office workers are wise to state interests that indicate a highly energetic personality.

ACTIVITIES

Strong involvement in marathon running, skiing, and scuba diving.

ACTIVITIES

Actively involved in golf, jogging, and camping.

ACTIVITIES

Avid backpacker. Enjoy flying, horseback riding, and hunting.

INTERESTS

Enjoy making exotic breads, creating stained glass windows, and dance exercise activities.