Should You Put Your Vaccination Status on Your Resume or LinkedIn?

Many workplaces are changing hiring policies in order to comply with new state and federal regulations about the COVID-19 vaccine. According to job search site indeed.com, data shows that job postings requiring vaccinations increased by 242% from August to September 2021. The outcome of other recent surveys point into a similar direction: one third of hiring managers in one survey said they would eliminate candidates that are not fully vaccinated against COVID. With that in mind, could being fully vaccinated – and advertising that fact on your resume – give you a leg up over other candidates?

a simple question with a complex answer

So, should you be upfront about your vaccinations status and include it on your resume and/or LinkedIn profile? As with so many issues in the job search orbit – it depends. It will depend on your industry, on your role, and on your location. Some industries have stricter vaccination rules, such as healthcare and education. Jobs that work closely with many people, e.g. nurse, physician, or teacher might be more inclined towards vaccine mandates. And some states and municipalities have stricter vaccine mandates and rules than others.

Because conditions differ so much across the country and between industries, our number one recommendation is: do careful research into your potential employer.

Putting your “fully vaccinated” status on your resume would be advantageous if:

  • You know that your potential employer requires it and/or the job add specifies that vaccine status needs to be included on the application
  • The city or parish/county the employer is located in has a vaccine mandate
  • Through careful research (by talking to current employees, following local media and social media) you have gleaned that the potential employer is generally pro vaccine
  • The potential job involves a lot of travel (as being vaccinated makes travel easier)
  • You want to work for an employer that has mostly vaccinated employees

Not putting your vaccine status on your resume would be advantageous if:

  • You are unsure of the potential employer’s stance on the COVID 19 vaccine
  • Through careful research (by talking to current employees, following local media and social media) you have gleaned that the potential employer tends to lean against vaccine requirements
  • You are not planning to apply at companies that would require or favor vaccinations anyway

What about Linkedin?

Putting your vaccination status on LinkedIn differs from putting it on the resume in so far that you can tailor the resume for each employer. But if you add #fullyvaccinated on your LinkedIn profile it is out there for any employer to see, regardless how they lean on the issue.

Advertising vaccine status on resume or LinkedIn profile can be advantageous and give you an edge in recruiting, or it can achieve the opposite. This is a tricky topic that warrants careful research and consideration of your own as well as your potential employer’s attitudes toward the COVID 19 vaccine.

Written by Anne Nowak