Currently, I have my preferred name on the top, big and bold, and underneath:
(Legal Name: blah)
Because I heard somewhere you have to stick to, or at least have, legal name and such on your resume. Is this a good idea or have I been listening to some pretty sucky advice? This was probably posted somewhere, someplace else, but...it's a quick question.
I was just reading some stuff on this. I was told by someone trying to help me find a job that I can't put my preferred name on a resume. But I looked some stuff up online tonight and got some info saying resume's aren't a legal document so you can put your preferred name on it. Some people say to initial your real name or have your real name on there somewhere and then put your preferred name under it.
Aaaah, you guys beat me to it. When I was a kid, my mother and I had the same initials. We registered my horse as owned by A. B. Lastname so that either one of us could be considered his owner. I don't see why you can't do that on a resume. If you get an interview, you can clarify that your legal name is A but you go by Z. Or whatever.
Otherwise, I suppose you could put an aka line on there.
Pre name change I never put anything but my initials or if I was feeling ballsy, I put my preferred name. I never put my legal name. To do that would seem like sabotage, cause I doubt that most people looking at resumes would continue looking at it if they saw such a thing on a resume as MALE NAME and underneath legal name: whatever. It's sad, but that's how the world is mostly. Then if I actually got an interview and had to show ID I'd just quickly mention that this is my legal name, but I go by ____. So glad I don't have to deal with that anymore