JUST SAY NO!: Address on your resume, that is...

I just finished a familiar conversation with a new resume client that went something like: 

CLIENT:  My address is missing from my resume!  I have never seen a resume without a street address.

CAREER COACH:  Resumes are so public these days...  I am advising my clients not to include their street address unless it is required and provided to a specific employer.  Unless you want your home address posted all over the internet? 

CLIENT:  That makes sense; I don't want my home address posted on the internet.  I haven't really seen that many resumes anyway....Thanks!

Your home address may not be all that difficult to find anyway (I suggest you look), but do you really want to spoonfeed additional information to would-be identity thieves?  Rapists? Stalkers? Old loves? (ok, possibly one or two, but...).

The bottom line is you don't need to include a street address unless it is requested.  If you are applying for a government position or an academic program, you may want or be required to include it.  Otherwise, City and State are probably enough. 

With our global economy shrinking the way it is - it may not even be necessary to list a location, especially if your field IS global or internet-based.  Like anything else you include in your resume, you should ask if the information:

1. Adds value to the resume
2. Is meaningful to the reader
3. Adds to the message you want to send

Save your valuable resume real estate and make your name and/or other contact information stand out more, if nothing else.  Above all, be mindful and safe about what you share on the internet; it could mean your money or your life (literally)!