Gender Neutral Names on Résumés
Dear Debra,
Q. My wife seems to think that I should distinguish myself as a man (the name Tracy can be either male or female) on my résumé. She thinks that I would be in a better position if the interviewer knew I was male instead of female. I don't believe there is this prejudice going on today, but wanted to know your take on this.
T.F., Dallas, TX
A. This is a very good question because there are men named Dana, Leslie, and Lynn, so you are definitely not alone in your concerns. According to the website nameplayground.com, the name Tracy is predominantly used for females, however, 19% of the time men are named Tracy. Sadly, there is some evidence that in certain industries and geographies, discrimination based on gender still exists.
One way to combat confusion on your résumé regarding your gender is to use your middle name in addition to your first name. Of course this begs a question: What happens if you have no middle name? Well, I am glad you asked. I generally don’t recommend that people put the word “Mr.” on the résumé to distinguish gender, but this is one option. Another solution would be to use a nickname of some kind. So in the instance where Tracy is the name, you might write Trey, for Jan you might use Jay.
Ultimately, if your résumé is well positioned and you differentiate yourself as an expertly qualified candidate in your field, it shouldn’t matter too much; but if you feel you will be at a disadvantage, these creative ways will help alleviate any confusion.
If you have a question for Deb, please email debra@careersdonewrite.com. The Ask Deb column appears every Friday on the Careers Done Write website blog at http://careersdonewrite.com/blog.