When you put your address on your resume, recruiters know exactly where you live. This matters because a person with a one-hour commute has to earn 40% more money to be as happy with life as someone who walks to the office (Stutzer & Frey). They’re also a lot more likely to get divorced (Sandow).

The Problem

You might not have thought about it, but in-house recruiters know that people with long commutes have more stress and often eventually quit “because of the commute.” If you quit, they don’t look good AND they have to replace you. That’s more work, with no more money, for them.

When you put your address on your resume, believe me, they do the math. If your commute would be longer than what’s tolerable long-term, your resume often finds its way into the “maybe” or “no” pile.

The Fix

Instead of giving your address, give your current or most recent employer’s city location, like this:

The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, GA (if you work at the mother ship)

or

The Coca-Cola Company, Oakland, CA (if you work at a branch office)

Sharing your employer’s city places you in a broad metropolitan area.  It gives recruiters enough information to know you’re local (if you are), without sharing that you’re not local enough (if you aren’t).

Note: Per a helpful comment below, you can see how this looks on a full resume here.

More

Beyond the push to get a job, think about the stats in this post’s opening paragraph when you decide where to live and where to apply for work. Working close to home can make you and your family happier and prevent you from looking like a job hopper on your resume.

Hat tip to The Guardian for the terrific article that led me to these stats: The Secrets of the World’s Happiest Cities.

I write executive resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Save time. Get hired. Email me at donnasvei@gmail.com or call me at (208) 721-0131.