What Personal Information Should You Leave Off Your Resume to Avoid Discrimination?

Omitting specific personal details from your resume is a critical strategy to prevent unconscious bias and discrimination during the initial candidate screening process. Based on our assessment experience, information unrelated to your professional qualifications—such as date of birth, marital status, or religious affiliation—can inadvertently lead to your application being overlooked, even if you are fully qualified for the position. This guide outlines what to exclude and what to include to ensure your resume is evaluated solely on its professional merits.

Why is it risky to include personal information on a resume? Your resume is a marketing tool designed to secure an interview, not a personal biography. Hiring managers often spend mere seconds on an initial resume review. Including personal details can trigger unconscious biases related to age, race, religion, or other protected characteristics, potentially leading to discrimination before you even have a chance to interview. The goal is to present a focused document that highlights your skills, experience, and achievements relevant to the job target, forcing the recruiter to evaluate you based on professional criteria alone.

What specific personal details should you consider omitting? To protect yourself from potential bias, carefully review your resume for the following common types of information that are often best left off:

• Demographic Data: This includes your date of birth, marital status, number of children, nationality (unless required for a visa), social security number, and a personal photograph. In the United States and many other countries, this information is not relevant to your ability to perform a job.
• Affiliations and Memberships: Be selective with organization names. While leadership roles in professional associations are excellent to include, you may omit the names of groups that explicitly disclose your cultural background, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation if they are not directly relevant to the job. The key question is: does this affiliation highlight a skill that qualifies you for the position?
• Extracurricular Activities and Hobbies: List these only if they demonstrate a skill or quality valued by the employer. For example, "Marathon running" might suggest discipline and perseverance, which could be a plus. However, a generic list of hobbies adds little value and can unintentionally reveal personal characteristics.

Table: Common Resume Sections and What to Consider

When is it appropriate or necessary to include personal information? There are clear exceptions to these guidelines. You should always include information that is a factual part of your professional history or is legally required.

• Your Name and Legitimate Work History: You must use your legal name and cannot misrepresent your employment history. For instance, if you worked for an organization like the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, you should not hide the employer's name.
• International or Specific Industry Standards: When applying for jobs in other countries, research local norms. In some European countries, for example, including a photo and date of birth is standard. Similarly, for federal government applications in the U.S. or in fields like modeling where appearance is a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ), specific personal data may be required.
• Strategic Inclusion for a Target Audience: If you are applying to an organization like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), your involvement in diversity-related organizations could be a significant asset. In this case, you would strategically include experiences that demonstrate alignment with the employer's mission and values.

How can you decide what to include on a case-by-case basis? The final decision rests on a careful evaluation of the specific role and company. Follow this three-step process:

1. Evaluate Relevance: For every piece of personal information, ask: "Does this directly highlight a skill or experience that qualifies me for this specific position?" If the answer is no, omit it.
2. Research the Company Culture: Visit the company’s website and social media to understand its values. A company that prominently features its commitment to diversity and inclusion may be more receptive to certain personal details that demonstrate alignment with those values.
3. Prioritize Your Goal: The primary objective is to get an interview. Based on our assessment experience, erring on the side of caution by omitting potentially biased information maximizes your chances of passing the initial screening. You can always share more about your background and personality during the interview itself.

To minimize the risk of discrimination, focus your resume exclusively on your professional qualifications. Thoroughly research the company culture before applying to determine if strategic inclusion of certain experiences is beneficial. Ultimately, when in doubt, leave it out to ensure your skills and achievements remain the central focus for the hiring manager.