Should you put your vaccination status on your resume?

With more businesses adopting vaccination requirements, a growing number of New Jersey job seekers are listing their vaccination status on their resumes and social media sites like LinkedIn.

Michele Siekerka, the president and CEO of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, said putting a vaccine status on a resume is not a good idea because healthcare information should remain private.

“That’s why we have laws like HIPAA, where we’re not allowed to share medical information with regard to employees. That’s why employers keep health records separate from employment records,” she said.

Casey Hasten, a hiring expert and director of recruiting with VIP, an executive search firm, said there is no official guidance on whether to list vaccine status on a resume.

“This is a very slippery slope because if we start listing our vaccine status, what are we going to start listing regarding our health next? Am I going to start listing if I’m a pregnant woman applying for a job?”

She said some companies have started inquiring about vaccine status in their application process but if someone has not been vaccinated, “maybe it’s a medical reason, maybe it’s a religious reason that they can’t get the vaccine. Should they be discriminated against? That’s the question.”

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Siekerka said the topic of vaccination should be discussed if and when a company is going to make a job offer to an individual, and a specific or recommended policy is in place.

She pointed out if people start putting their vaccine status on their resumes there could be an unintended consequence and even an unconscious bias when it comes to who might be considered for jobs, given that traditionally there are certain populations that are less apt to get vaccinations.