Should You Put Your Address on Your Resume (And Reasons Why)

Your address is no longer a mandatory component of your resume. Despite this, including your address can affect the hiring manager's perception of you. Learning more about whether to include your address on your resume can help your application be more effective. In this article, we discuss the question, "should you put your address on your resume," explore when to omit it, review where to include it, and discover ways to include your address on your resume.

Related: How to Write a Resume

Should you put your address on your resume?

If you're wondering, "should you put your address on your resume?", there are several reasons why it might be necessary, including:

Hiring managers may expect to see your address

It is a common procedure to write your address on your resume. While most employers are becoming more flexible about the information they expect to find on your resume, some may continue to expect you to include your address. It is advisable to have a standard resume with your address included, as omitting it might negatively affect your application.

Hiring managers may need your address to create an applicant profile for you

Some employers create profiles for candidates at the beginning of the hiring process. While you might not get the role you originally applied for, hiring managers can use this profile to consider or refer you for other positions within the company. Some candidate profiles require an address to be complete, so it may be helpful to include your address on your resume so that the employer can consider you for future opportunities.

Employers may need your address to conduct background checks

Many employers conduct background checks on potential staff. Employers may want to verify and confirm your identity during the hiring process, especially if the role involves you handling sensitive information or working with vulnerable people. Including your address on your resume makes this process easier and faster and can give you an advantage.

Related: What Is a Background Check?

Employers may be cautious if you omit information

It is best to provide the employer with all information they require to consider you for the job. Adding your address to your resume gives it credibility and for some employers, excluding your address from your resume might be a deterrent. This may cause them to believe that you are omitting other important details or concealing information for negative reasons.

When submitting your resume and job application, aim to create a sense of trust and build rapport with the hiring managers. If the hiring manager distrusts you due to the omission of your address from your resume, it might negatively affect your application. Some employers might also assume that you ignore details and forgot to include it.

Application Tracking Systems (ATS) may require your address to pass you during screening

Most employers use Application Tracking System (ATS) software to screen applications. ATS software uses various criteria to scan and select applications. This means that applications that do not contain specific information might not pass the screening and get eliminated from consideration for the role. ATS software might scan for applications that do not contain an address if the employer set it as mandatory criteria.

Related: How To Write an ATS-Compliant Resume (With Tips and FAQs)

Employers may consider you a preferred candidate

Most employers prefer to hire local candidates to overcome the problems involved with commuting long distances. If you live close to the company's area, it might be a good idea to include your address on your resume to increase your chances of being hired. For some roles, the hiring manager might require that you have an in-depth knowledge of the area where the company is located. They might use your proximity to the location of the office to determine if you are an ideal candidate for the role.

Hiring managers might need it for company records

Some hiring managers keep a file containing the records of all applicants once the hiring process begins. The hiring managers update it with your information and ensure that it is complete before considering you for the role. If you don't provide your address on your resume, the hiring manager might record your application as incomplete and reject it.

Related: What To Include In Your Address on a Resume (With Tips)

Employers may prefer mailing as a method of communication

Most recruiters contact successful candidates online, using their email addresses or phone numbers. Some recruiters prefer to use the traditional method of sending letters to contact successful applicants. Including your address on your resume might be necessary for the recruiter to reach you.

When to omit your address on your resume

Here is a list of situations where it may be necessary or acceptable to omit your address from your resume:

You have security or privacy concerns

Sharing sensitive information, such as your home address, poses many security risks. It might be necessary for you to protect your privacy by omitting your address on your resume. If you have any concerns about your safety, this is a valid reason to exclude your address. As an alternative, you can decide to state only your city and province instead of including your full address.

You discovered the job opening on a third-party site

It is advisable to exclude your address when applying for jobs posted on third-party sites to help protect your information from potential threats. A safer option is to confirm job openings on the company's website and apply through there. If you cannot do this and decide to send in your application through a third-party site, you can omit your address from your application.

Your location is far from the company

Most companies prefer to hire individuals that are located near the company, and the hiring manager may consider localized candidates first. It might prevent your application from being reviewed if your address is far from the company. The hiring manager might wrongly assume that the commute to work is too burdensome for you. If you are sure that you can adequately address these concerns, you can exclude the full details of your address on your resume.

Your address is long and affects the resume layout

Try to have your resume as brief as possible. Writing your full address on your resume may take up valuable space you can use to explain other information that applies to your application. Alternatively, if the employer has requested you include your address but it's too long, consider placing it somewhere else in your resume, like at the end in an extended "contact details" section.

You intend to relocate

You might not live close to the company with the job opening. If you're relocating to that area or intend to relocate there if you get the job, it might not be necessary to include your current address. You can state your intention or plan to relocate to the company's location. Writing this can give your application a higher chance of being considered by the hiring manager.

Related: Considerations When Relocating for a Job

Your prospective job is remote

Remote jobs don't require your physical presence. If it's clearly stated in the job posting that it's remote, you can exclude your address from your resume. If there is no reason to add your address to your resume, you can exclude it.

Related: What Is Remote Work?

Where should you put your address on your resume?

There are many ways to write your address on your resume, but it's advisable to write your address in the header. You can include your address at the top of your resume, alongside your name and contact information. If you don't want to include the information at the top, you can include a "contact details" section elsewhere in the document.

Read more: How To Write The Best Resume Header

Ways to include your address on your resume

There are a few ways you can adequately write your address on your resume when applying for any job, including:

Full address

You can write your full address on your resume if necessary. Your full address includes your house number, street name, province, city, and postal code. This is the traditional and most comprehensive way of writing your address on your resume.

Example:

25 Peter Street
Brooks, Alberta
K1A 0B1

City and province address

When writing your address on your resume, you can provide information only about the city and province where you live.

Example:

Brooks, Alberta

City, province, and postal code address

You can decide to write only the city and province you live in as your address on your resume. You can also choose to include your postal code.

Example:

Brooks, Alberta
K1A 0B1

Relocating address

If you are relocating to a new area, you can specify that on your resume instead of writing your current address. This informs the hiring manager you're moving into their area and are going to be available to work.

Example:

Relocating to Brooks, Alberta

Related: Interview Question: “Are You Willing To Relocate?”

Now that we have reviewed all of the reasons why you should or should not include your address on your resume, you can confidently answer the question, "should you put your address on your resume?".

The model shown is for illustration purposes only, and may require additional formatting to meet accepted standards.