Political and Religious Affiliations on a Resume
Kent R.
The most effective resume is one that is targeted toward a specific role and that appeals to broad range of readers. Given that objective, it is important to be very mindful when considering whether or not to include political or religious affiliations on your resume.
By including religious or political affiliations on your resume, you are providing readers with information that – often despite their better judgment – will be used to disqualify you. Of course, there is always the chance that some readers will share your religious or political beliefs and be biased in your favor, but there are a lot of people who play a role in the candidate selection process; they are not all likely to share your beliefs.
The resume review and candidate selection process is a reductive one. Readers are looking for reasons to remove candidates from what is often an overwhelming pool of qualified applicants. Don’t make it easy for them to eliminate you based on superfluous information (to the hiring process) by providing information about your political or religious beliefs.