Should Vaccination Status Be Included on the Resume?
When you are looking for a new job, any small advantage over other candidates helps you. But is your vaccination status an advantage that you should report during the screening or interview process? On the one hand, vaccination is not a professional skill; but on the other hand, not vaccinating is a public health responsibility that employers cannot ignore.
The unvaccinated are already at a disadvantage
The Biden administration’s vaccination ban for businesses with 100 or more employees is expected to fall in the next few weeks, but many larger companies, such as Google, Walmart and United Airlines, introduced workplace vaccination requirements for their employees this summer. …
There has been some rebuff from employers to Biden’s mandate, but at the moment it doesn’t look like a legal challenge will stop that from happening. Given that this mandate affects about two-thirds of the private sector workforce, job seekers severely limit their job prospects by not getting vaccinated.
Rationale for including vaccination in the resume
From a legal standpoint, it is not easy for companies to ask you directly if you are vaccinated during the hiring process. The reason is that some candidates may be tax exempt for religious or medical reasons. The question of what is a religious or medical reason for not being vaccinated is hotly debated (for example, allergic reactions to the original vaccine may be a legitimate reason for being exempted from a medical indication), but employers can still dismiss these claims and have a solid legal basis.
Instead of doing all of this, employers are more likely to hire someone who has been vaccinated. This is supported by a recent survey of 1,250 hiring managers by ResumeBuilder.com , in which nearly 70% said they were more likely to hire someone to list their vaccination status on their resume.
For this reason, many recruiters and career coaches say it’s a good idea to include vaccine information in your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile. After all, if you’re vaccinated and it gives you an edge over other candidates, why not?
Arguments against being included in a vaccination summary
Some experts believe that waiting for your vaccination status to be announced makes it easier for employers to discriminate against people who may have a legitimate religious or medical reason not to get the vaccine. Magali Rene, CEO of Workplace Catalyst, a workplace coaching company, explains to CNBC Make It : “Interest in inclusiveness when it comes to recruiting and hiring has renewed itself, but if we start telling job seekers,“ Please state your vaccination status “. on your resume ”, which potentially excludes people who have not yet taken the vaccine but might consider doing so if this is a job requirement. It just creates another barrier to entry to work, and now we need to focus on how to promote engagement, not polarize. ”
Bottom line
If employers say they will hire candidates based on their vaccination status, it is probably unreasonable to expect people not to include this information on their resume or cover letter when applying for a job.
However, it may be better for more employers to introduce and declare mandatory vaccination policies rather than placing the burden of vaccine disclosure on the applicant. With this mandate, employers will also have a lot of legal flexibility to disclose their potential hiring policies during the application process and then consider any religious or medical benefits if required.