The Gen Z Insight Millennials and Gen X Need – You Don't Have to Use Your Legal Name

There's something that Gen Z knows about resumes that Millennials and Gen X have not caught onto yet. (Yes, I'm entering the generation wars as a very old Millennial.) It's so simple but I think it's important enough to share.


You don't need to use your legal name on your resume.

That's it. Not earth shattering I guess, but so many people don't know this.

And why does it matter?

It's not a huge deal. But I like to see clients really 'own' their resumes by using what they're called or what name they go by on their resume, instead of your full legal name, which many of us are not called and therefore don't associate with it closely.

There will be time for all of that if you're hired when you fill out forms etc.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻.

Gen Z gets this, but the Millennial (like me) and Gen X clients I work with got the message long ago that the resume was essentially a legal document and it had to be 100% accurate. This just isn't true anymore. (Though definitely don't lie.)

We don't put our full addresses on there anymore either.

So use the name you feel most comfortable with.

If you're John but you've always gone by Jack, just use Jack.

If you go by initials, use those.

If you want to share a phonetic spelling of your name on the top of your resume because people tend to get it wrong, do so.

If you want to use both, put the name you go by in parentheses after your legal first name.

Just know that you have a choice.

#resumetips #jobsearch #careers