Will Your Name Flummox Employers?

If your name is hard to pronounce or it fails to clarify your gender, you may want to address the issue in your resume. Even if you’re well qualified, an employer may hesitate to phone you for an interview if he or she can’t pronounce your name or even doesn’t know whether to expect a male or female. For the difficult-to-pronounce name, include a phonetic pronunciation of your name in small type in the “letterhead” portion of your resume. Example: “Sally Hsieh (pronounced ‘Shay’)”For a unisex name, such as Lee or Dale, consider adding a courtesy title to your letterhead, as in “Ms. Lee Anderson” or “Mr. Dale Burns.” Especially consider adding a courtesy title if your name is almost always thought of as belonging to the opposite gender or if it is a non-English name, and English-speakers would not know whether to expect a man or a woman: “Ms. Michael Crane” “Mr. Jocelyn Smith.” You could also include a middle name that reveals your gender. Of course, you may consider your ambiguously gendered name an advantage and prefer not to reveal your gender (even though your gender will become obvious if you’re called for an interview). Read more in our Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.