HOW TO PUT CITIZENSHIP ON RESUME- STEP BY STEP GUIDE

A very frequent question that is asked by everyone is,

Should you include your citizenship on your resume?

The response is, no, generally speaking, you should exclude your citizenship on your resume. It's anything but a legal prerequisite nor is it something that the recruiter is looking for on accepting your CV or resume.

At this beginning phase of the hiring process, employers assume that you have the permit to work in the country except if there is any other uncommon reason.

In some circumstances including your citizenship can be useful to your application, for instance, if you are a foreign national or looking for government jobs with special allegiance to the country.

You might be thinking what is citizenship actually, so let's clear it out.

What is Citizenship?

Citizenship is a legal status that connects an individual and a state and that involves specific legal rights and duties.

In a few public laws, citizenship has a more specific significance and refers to rights and obligations that must be exercised after the age of majority (like democratic rights) or to rights and obligations that must be exercised within the state.

When should you include your citizenship on your resume?

Following are some good reasons to include your citizenship information on your resume:

• To avoid illegal discrimination
• When applying for a job that legally requires U.S. citizenship ( like U.S. government jobs)
• When you belong to a country with strict work permits and a competitive hiring process that favors residents (and you're a national).

This discrimination is an issue if you're just an entry-level employee, Organizations can't manage the cost of work sponsorship since the expense of supporting a visa may be a major per cent of that entry-level recruit's compensation.

If you're at the executive level then you don't have to stress over this, Organizations are significantly more able to retain any work sponsorship costs, so do exclude your citizenship on a resume.

Now, you must be clear if you need to add citizenship to your resume or not, if your answer is YES, then here your step-by-step guide on how to include citizenship on your resume.

Step-by-Step Guide (How to Include)

The best way is to add a short footnote at the bottom of your resume.

As you all know, it's not necessary to include citizenship on your resume, however, if you choose to include it, make sure "it doesn't look unnatural" 

Ensure that the citizenship on your resume doesn't take up more than one line.

Some examples of how it should be included on your resume are:

• "US Citizen"
• "No work approval required" 
• " No work authorization required"
• "No sponsorship required"
• "Eligible to work for any US company"

Choosing the Right Way

If you decide to add your citizenship to your resume, including it the right way is significant. For instance, if you're from the U.S., you are American and not British as nationality is related to the country of citizenship and not to race, caste or language.

For Ireland: While in Ireland, it's not an independent state. Therefore, your identity would be Irish, concerning the Republic of Ireland or Extraordinary Ireland. (Ireland-Irish)

For South Africa: While in South Africa, it's not an autonomous state. Hence, your identity would be South African, regarding the Republic of South Africa or Extraordinary South Africa. (South Africa-South African)

In such cases, you should include your nationality on your resume and check if there are extra necessities that you want to meet.

For Example, whether you should have spent X persistent years in a specific country, so criminal record or other security checks can be carried out.

However, there are many other additional ways that you can use to put your citizenship on your resume if it is short and clear for the employers.

Clarity is important: 

Clarity is Important

If you decide to put your nationality, ensure it is not difficult to peruse and comprehend. Try not to overdo it with definite clarifications or other stories about your experience. A simple line like "Resident of [country]" or "Dual resident of [country] and [country]" is sufficient.

Honesty Matters: Your resume is an impression of what your personality is, and honesty is essential. Be honest about your citizenship and don't represent it wrong.

Job Relevancy: Your nationality may or may not be relevant to a job. For instance, if you are applying for a government job or any other position that requires a trusted status, your citizenship status might be important here. Otherwise, it's not necessary.

Conclusion

While putting citizenship on your resume has its advantages.

For example, it could help your possibilities of landing the position if you are seen as having intercultural ability and language skills, it can likewise give you a competitive edge over other candidates.

However, on the disadvantage, it could decrease your possibility of getting hired for the job because of discrimination.