Race, Ethnicity, Age—and Resumes

Candidates often question whether they should include information on their resumes concerning categories which they may fall under. While it is often difficult to mask your gender, most experienced recruiters, human resource professionals and wise hiring managers recommend against specifically indicating that you are a diversity job seeker.

Many of the minority hiring regulations and initiatives of the 1960s through 1980s have been misinterpreted over time. Consequently, some resume evaluators subconsciously acquire the erroneous idea that your candidacy is dependent on your diversity and little else.

Remember, resumes do not generate job offers. You must depend on your resume to initiate interview invitations. Your race, ethnicity and age will often be apparent during a personal interview, but this face-to-face meeting also offers the opportunity to validate your resume, which should focus on your skills, expertise, experience and professionalism. The interview allows you to turn a two-dimensional resume into a polished, three-dimensional person, who offers high value to a prospective employer.

Creating a resume with your goal—being invited for an interview—at the forefront, empowers you to focus on your skills, abilities, past successes, and proven reasons why an employer should become interested in speaking with you. You already know that your race, ethnicity, and age have little to do with your qualifications for a responsible position.

Avoid giving resume readers any incentive to disregard—or even accept—your resume for reasons not directly ascribed to your skill set or qualifications for the open position. Resumes accurately targeted to reader interest and interview generation seldom include any irrelevant information, particularly data highlighting your race, ethnicity, or age.