Change name: how do I put it on my CV/resume?

Monday, March 30th, 2009 - How to Write a CV, Professional CV, career change, career transition, cv writing, how to make a cv, job application, tutorial

Change Name

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Christine asks: I’m changing my name: how do I put it on my resume/CV? I am changing my name from my married name back to my maiden name. However, as I work in the academic and research world, I have four publications listed under my married name.

I am currently applying to academic positions, where the publications will matter very much to my likelihood of securing an interview.

My current solution is to put my legal name at the top of my CV (contact info), drop one line and place in brackets (formerly married name), but is there a better, more accepted solution to this problem?

I am also thinking that as I move further on into my life, the more I would like to forget about my formerly known as persona. So, if I want to claim those publications, does I have to be (formerly XX) forever?

Thanks for your help

In Answer:
There are lots of ways of addressing this, but keep the reader in mind, and I think this gets much clearer.

Issue number one on any CV/resume – what is your name? Your name is X (maiden name), so use that as the point of writing the CV/resume. I have seen too many people use various names and ways of addressing past relationships, that when it came to interview stage the first question for the interviewers was “and what is your name?” That’s actually a pretty bad exclusion sign, and could result in reduced interviews. So just for the reader, refer to yourself as X all the way through the CV/resume

Addressing the publications, when they are referenced use the name under which they were published, and add a note saying “published under married name of Y.” As divorce is an accepted part of life these days, that will not be a major concern to most employers, and makes verification much easier. The only issue it could raise is with HR, who will want to be assured that all is stable, but that sounds like a given in your case

The only way to remove the “formerly know as” problem is to have the published documents reissued under your maiden name. Personally, unless the breakdown or the reasons for it involved some form of national level misdemeanour or media coverage, I would leave them as is. If you get married again, then you could choose to have them changed to that name, and hence the issue of “what name” repeats. Accept the previous choice, and move on – like it sounds you have, very much for the better.

Good Luck!

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5 Responses to “Change name: how do I put it on my CV/resume?”

1. Divorce Advice - Who let the Dogs Out? | Divorce Information Says:
   April 20th, 2009 at 11:15 pm

   [...] keep the family pet – I heard recently from Ian McAllister (who, by the way, has a great article on women changing names post divorce which will be highlighted soon) that he heard of a couple who spent months and over £2k for [...]

2. Brad Says:
   May 21st, 2009 at 11:46 am

   Thank you so much for posting this. I am researching this topic and this is very helpful and informative.

3. Carmine Vowles Says:
   May 16th, 2010 at 5:14 am

   Good concept. I like it. Thanks for posting

4. Dalab Nay Says:
   June 10th, 2010 at 5:16 pm

   Great information, thank you so much!

5. Kipu Mo Says:
   June 12th, 2010 at 10:57 am

   Very interesting, thanks for the information.