How To Write A Confidential Resume In 6 Steps (With Example)

When you submit your application documents for a job, it is a common practice to provide basic identifying information such as your name. In some cases, though, you may wish to write a confidential resume, which excludes such details and shifts the hiring manager's focus to your qualifications. If you are interested in submitting one for your next application, you may benefit from understanding what exactly it entails and how it differs from a standard resume.

In this article, we define the function of a confidential resume, describe the steps you can take to write one of your own and provide an example to guide you.

What Is A Confidential Resume?

It is an outline of your qualifications and experience that excludes identifying information such as names and locations. Such omissions relate not only to you, the candidate, but also to your previous employers and the schools you have attended. Submitting a confidential resume allows you to maintain anonymity during the initial stages of the hiring process while allowing prospective employers to consider your qualifications.

There are several reasons why a candidate may which to remain anonymous when they apply for a position. A common circumstance among those who submit confidential resumes is they are currently employed but have not expressed to their employer their plan to move on to new employment. In this case, they may wish to keep their job search discreet to prevent unwanted contact with their current manager or supervisor, preferring instead to notify them personally when the time is right. In other instances, the candidate's professional community is small and they wish to prevent unwarranted discussion about their job-search efforts.

Related: How To Write Resume Headers: A Step-By-Step Guide

How To Write A Confidential Resume?

Once you have determined that you would like to submit a confidential resume, familiarise yourself with the job description and follow these steps to ensure you write an effective document that appeals to potential employers:

1. Format your document

Though a confidential resume is a special type of application document, it still adheres to the same formatting as ordinary resumes. To format your resume, adjust the margins, typefaces and font sizes to maximise page real estate and optimise visual appeal. In general, the main headlining portions are more visually prominent than the detail-oriented areas. For example, you might set the work history subheading in bold 14-point font but each employment entry in plain 11- or 12-point font.

The specific sizes you choose matter less than readability and consistency. Make sure that your subheadings all take the same font and that the formatting does not cause the elements on the page to appear out of place.

Related: Resume Format Guide (With Examples)

2. Consider including a disclaimer

In this context, a disclaimer is a short message that states you are submitting a confidential resume, explains why you are doing so and requests that the recipient honour the request for confidentiality. You can include this disclaimer anywhere on the document that you deem appropriate, but a higher placement can help to prevent any confusion concerning your intent. When you write your disclaimer, remember to mention that you are amenable to disclosing your identifying information later on in the hiring process.

3. Anonymise your contact information

The most visually distinctive section of a resume is the header, which normally contains the candidate's name, email address, phone number and location. Confidential resumes also have headers but display general instead of specific details. In place of a name, for example, write the designation Confidential Candidate or something similar. Rather than your regular email address, use a handle that you have created expressly for your job applications. As for your phone number, you can include a secondary number if you have one, but it is also appropriate just to use your regular number.

Related: What Is The Correct Format Of An Email Address? (With Examples)

4. Include a professional summary

A professional summary, also known as a resume summary, is a brief section towards the top of your resume. In it, you introduce yourself and detail relevant qualifications such as your education, experience, professional credentials and skills. You can write this section as you normally would, but remember to omit identifying information relating to your past employers and the schools you have attended. For example, you can mention the title of a degree, but do not include the name of the university from which you earned it.

Related: How To Write A Resume Summary (With 30 Examples)

5. Generalise your employment history

The employment history section lists your relevant work experience in reverse-chronological order. In an ordinary resume, each resume would mention your professional title, your dates of employment, the employer's name and location and a bulleted list of the duties you performed there. In a confidential resume, you would generalise particular details — namely those concerning the employer's identity.

A common way to do this is to replace the employer's name with a descriptive term. If you currently work for a midsize technology company, for example, you could simply use the term Midsize Technology Company in place of the name. You can consider omitting the name altogether, but a descriptive term provides useful context for the duties you have performed.

6. Include a skills section

A dedicated skills section is a common inclusion on a resume. The skills section on a confidential resume typically requires no special considerations. List your skills as you normally would, concentrating on competencies that are directly relevant to the role, particularly those that the employer mentions in the job description.

7. Mention credentials, not institutions

The final section or sections to include are those for your academic and professional credentials. List each of your degrees or certificates in reverse-chronological order. If you have both a master's degree and a bachelor's degree, the former would be first and the latter would go underneath. You would then do the same for your certificates, either in the same section or in a separate one.

What you would omit in each case would be the names of the institutions from which you earned your credentials. Here, it would be appropriate to remove the name of the university or certifying body altogether, as the title of the credential itself typically provides enough context. In the case of professional credentials, the name of the certificate can sometimes be an identifying detail, so try to generalise the title as much as you can.

Confidential Resume Template

You can use this template to help you create your confidential resume:

Confidential Candidate

[Your phone number] I [Email address specifically for job applications]

Disclaimer: [State that you are submitting your resume confidentially and explain why. Request that the recipient honour the confidentiality of the document. Offer to provide identifying information as you advance in the hiring process.]

Professional Summary

[In two or three sentences, introduce yourself to the hiring manager. Mention qualifications such as your academic degrees, professional credentials, professional experience and skills.]

Work Experience

[Job Title] I [Start date–End date]
[Description of the employer rather than their name]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

[Job Title] I [Start date–End date]
[Description of the employer rather than their name]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

[Job Title] I [Start date–End date]
[Description of the employer rather than their name]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

• [Strong verb] + [duty or achievement]

Skills

[Relevant skill] I [Relevant skill] I [Relevant skill] I [Relevant skill] I [Relevant skill] I [Relevant skill] I [Relevant skill] I [Relevant skill]

Education

[Title of degree, minus the name of the institution]

[Title of degree, minus the name of the institution]

Confidential Resume Example

Consider the following example to help you better understand how to write a confidential resume:

Confidential Candidate

11-2222-5555 I c_candidate@email.com

Disclaimer: I am submitting this resume anonymously to preserve discretion in my current place of work. Please handle with confidentiality. Identifying information can be made available upon expression of interest in my candidacy.

Professional Summary

Regional Visual Manager with five years of experience in the fashion retail industry. Proven talent for selling merchandise through strategic planning, innovative displays and product placement. Specialises in monitoring competitor activities and expanding market shares. Strong ability to manage multiple projects, teams and stores and implement cost-effective merchandising strategies.

Work Experience

Regional Visual Manager I January 2019–Current
Popular Fashion Retail Chain

• Travel to key markets with the regional director to ensure timely and cost-effective floor set execution

• Manage the display budgets for 12 stores

• Maintain awareness of market conditions in the region and implement strategies to gain a greater market share

• Work closely with buyers and merchandisers to plan seasonal product ranges

• Negotiate quantities and delivery timescales

Merchandise Planner I August 2017–December 2018
Local Fashion Outlet

• Analysed and revised the merchandise planning strategy based on current trends and performance reports on a monthly basis

• Monitored customer warehouse inventory levels and submitted weekly comprehensive inventory reports

• Exceeded regional sales goals by 52%

Sales Associate I February 2016– August 2017 Confidential Company

• Exceeded sales-per-hour goal of $175 per hour

• Contributed to a profitable environment by maintaining a visually appealing sales floor, including unique seasonal displays

• Assisted with all daily operations for closing/opening procedures, including counting drawers and bank deposits

Skills

Written and verbal communication I Administrative and organisational skills I Collaboration I Budgeting I Inventory management I Market research I Product knowledge I Customer service

Education

Master of Business Administration in fashion merchandising

Bachelor of Science in merchandising

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.