How To Include a Name Change on Your Resume

What should you do with your resume when your name has changed? People change their names for all sorts of reasons, from the mundane to the off-beat. Whether you've recently got married, divorced, or have another reason for a name change, you'll want to advise prospective employers that you have been employed under another name so they can get the full picture of your work history.

Regardless of why you've changed your name, a name change mid-career comes with a whole new set of complications beyond updating driver's licenses and credit cards. For example, you will need to plan on how you'll list it on your resume and job applications.

Here's how to handle a name change on your resume, with options for what to list, and examples.

Do You Have to Include Both Names on Your Resume?

Why not just slap your new name on your CV and go about your merry way? Well, for one thing, personal branding is important in this day and age, and even if you've decided to tweak yours by altering your legal name, you want your accomplishments to follow you.

Beyond that, it's important that your resume matches your employment history so that hiring managers and the people who conduct your background check can easily track you from Point A to Point B and know that you are who you say you are.

So how should you list a name change on your resume? Here are a few options, which work for resumes, cover letters, and job applications, plus an example of a resume including both a current and a former name.

Options for Mentioning a Name Change on a Resume

When your name has changed, due to marriage, divorce, or another reason, there are several options for including the change on your resume.

You can list both names on your resume. Either put your former name in parentheses or list both names, with your previous name in a smaller font:

Nancy (Smith) Simmonds
First (Maiden) Last

or

Nancy Simmonds
_{formerly Nancy Smith}

In the resume example below, the job seeker has put her former last name in parentheses.

Resume Example With a Name Change

This is an example of a resume with a name change. Download the resume template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online).

Mention It to the Employer

Don't worry about an employer having difficulty checking your references or your work history because of an announcement of a name change. You can let the prospective employer know that there are employment records in your former name.

Be Consistent

Consistency is key when presenting any materials for a job application. It's not uncommon now for married women to have a number of different names, depending on the situation and the circumstances. Take, for example, a married writer with a byline, a legal name, and a birth name.

Although she should be prepared to provide a list of all three variations to her prospective employer to assist in verifying her identity and background, her application materials should reflect a single, consistent name—to go with the single, consistent message she's hoping to convey as part of her personal branding strategy.

Otherwise, you run the risk of looking like you've changed your name in order to hide from creditors or the law, instead of getting married, ditching a hated surname, or even just adopting a chosen name that sounds more like the person you feel yourself to be.