prolly been asked before -- but what about job history

[Jessica_Grl]

this has prolly been asked before, but with my name change on monday, I have been thinking bout filling out applications, and the fact my job history is all covered under "MIKE" and not "JESSICA"

just sorta curious how some over-came this, if there was some samples of resume's or other ideas so that i really dont kill all of my work experiance

thanks in advance

[Rianna Humble]

The advice I gave was to contact the companies you thought people might check to let them know about the name change. Other than that, the biggest change I have made to my resume is in the Personal Details section

[Diane Elizabeth]

I have heard some tansitioned with their current job and others have quit- transitioned- new job. I am planning to transition at my current job and thenlook for something else. This will allow me to establish a work history for the last 6 years there. Prior to that I was my own boss for a few years. So I have at 1boout 10 years covered. You supposedly can go to previous employers as ask for them to update their records with your new name. Not sure I will do that. I know a few girls that are out of work due to transitioning and no perspectives around. I am sure I will be posting how my transition went at work in the next couple of months.

[Jessica_Grl]

The advice I gave was to contact the companies you thought people might check to let them know about the name change. Other than that, the biggest change I have made to my resume is in the Personal Details section

being truck driver, that is allot of past employee's from small towns, and the last employer i had actually fired me and i am getting un-enemployment now --- so please example your personal details section --- are you just talking like this?

example
Jane (jack) Doe
?

thanks

I am sure my CDL (commerical Drivers Licence) will match both names eventually

[jillleanne]

Don't worry about it at this point. If necessary at a future date, you can enlighten the employer if necessary. They are interested in Jessica, not Mike, so keep Mike out of the picture for now.

[Traci Elizabeth]

Personally, I don't think there is an easy answer here. Even if you sent a letter asking that your employment records be changed to your new name and sex changed to Female, there is no guarantee that the employer or whoever answers the phone will not say "we never had a Jessica working here.

[Stephenie S]

I understand that you are worried about this issue, but it is such a small part of transition that I think you should disregard it for now.

Do you imagine saying, "Oh, I can't transition because of my resume?"

No, Of course that's silly. Post transition all you have to say is that you were known by a different name. Women do this all the time as we normally change our names when married. It should not affect your resume at all.

Concentrate on the big stuff and the details will follow. After the first job it won't matter anyway.

Stephie

[Julia_in_Pa]

Jessica,

Once your name change is finalized, make copies of the certified copy of the name change decree you will receive from the court.
Call and or e-mail your previous employers HR departments and tell them of the name change.
They will ask you to fax and or mail a copy of the court decree.
Once done you can now list your previous employers on your resume.
YOU MUST DO THIS!! Potential employers will do background checks and if they receive a name mismatch they will bring it to the attention of your potential employer.

If that happens you have to out yourself to the potential employer or else they will detect deception.

I changed my previous employers records going back the previous 10 years almost immediately after changing my name.
Do it as soon as possible to avoid problems later.

That is your answer.

I highly suggest heeding this advice.


Julia

[DebbieL]

Some excellent advice here. The one thing that can be an issue is credit reports. I recently had a situation where my client did a full credit report check, as well as checking for aliases. I had applied as Rex, and they wanted to know "Who is Debbie Lawrence?". At that point I told them that I was transgendered and that Debbie was my feminine name. I also had to give my other aliases, including the other Debbie names I had used over the years. I had the skills they were looking for, and the experience, so they didn't even blink. They engaged me.

Trying to hide the past from employers is often more risky than telling the truth. Most employers will not only accept it, they might even like it, because it shows you are willing to be that honest, and it helps them to be sensitive to some of the issues that come up over time.

If you are not up front about it, there is a risk that they will find out later, OR they will think that you falsified your credentials.

Keep in mind that if you are going for a job that involves security clearance, banking, or finance, you MUST report ALL of your aliases, including your male and female name(s). This is true even if all you did is set up an e-mail account or order a product using either name. Failing to report is a red flag that indicates that you could be blackmailed into giving up critical information. Ironically, the fact that you kept your true gender a secret for all those years is a positive. It shows that you can keep a secret when you really have to.

[Jessica_Grl]

ok, -- so on tuesday i gotta do this (because seeing a judge and the name change is not till 4:30pm monday everything will be closed)

1) go to DMV -- get my new licence
2) go to SS office and get my new card
3) get my property and vehicle titles xfered to new name
4 call all my past boss's and tell them to update there history

i guess it makes sence -- i mean whats the worse that can happen? -- maybe they stop inviting me to the annual "past employee's christmas party" ?

j/k --- thanks everybody for the valuable input -- i like calling old boss's allot better than having to use the word "MIKE" anywhere on my resume -- i am sure if security demands it they will find out no matter what, but i am only a simple truck driver that just happens to love driving and viewing the open road -- its all good -- thanks again

Jessica Annette

[Rianna Humble]

The advice I gave was to contact the companies you thought people might check to let them know about the name change. Other than that, the biggest change I have made to my resume is in the Personal Details section

being truck driver, that is allot of past employee's from small towns, and the last employer i had actually fired me and i am getting un-enemployment now --- so please example your personal details section --- are you just talking like this?

example
Jane (jack) Doe
?

thanks

I am sure my CDL (commerical Drivers Licence) will match both names eventually

Hi, firstly an apology for the typo. The phrase "The advice I gave" should have been "The advice I was given" - I blame my blonde highlights :heehee:

My CV now reads "Rianna Humble" where it used to read "Robert Hull" and the email addres is @rianna.me.uk instead of @robert-hull.me.uk (a domain that I no longer own).

I do tell people who might need to know that I have changed my name and I did inform my last two employers. In my country, employers no longer respond directly to telephone requests for references, so the person giving the reference will see it cross-referring to my old name.

[Shapeshiffter]

When I changed my name I had to go to SS office first as DMV would do nothig without the new name on SS card. Then had to wait 24 hours for the SS computers to reboot. That was in Calif. tho.

[Raquel June]

being truck driver, that is allot of past employee's from small towns, and the last employer i had actually fired me and i am getting un-enemployment now

A good resume doesn't list many employers. Three or four is typical. Three is fine if that employment history spans 5+ years.

If you were at a job much less than a year it doesn't look good to put on your resume anyway. Places aren't going to want to go through the whole hiring process for someone who's going to leave after a couple months.

And you certainly shouldn't put down a place that just fired you and you're currently collecting unemployment from! Unless of course you were laid off and they would give you a good reference. Most places you can't get unemployment if you were fired for disciplinary reasons. But you did say "fired," and it just doesn't sound like a good thing to put on your resume.

So get together a resume. Get the name change taken care of. Then call the places that you did put on your resume and tell them that you've legally changed your name, that you're having gender reassignment and will be applying for employment under your new name, and that you've listed them as a previous employer so they may get a call to verify employment.

[darla_g]

Don't worry about it at this point. If necessary at a future date, you can enlighten the employer if necessary. They are interested in Jessica, not Mike, so keep Mike out of the picture for now.i kind of agree with Jill Anne on this. As a related fact, no one can call you flighty. It takes real dedication and perseverance to transition.

[Nicki S]

When I changed my name I had to go to SS office first as DMV would do nothig without the new name on SS card. Then had to wait 24 hours for the SS computers to reboot. That was in Calif. tho.Florida is the same way. The computers in DMV will not allow them to do anything until the SS is updated.

[Ms Deidre]

I was very fortunate that when I transitioned I had taken a buy out from my employer of over 25 years. The company had been sold to a major competitor and I had caused them much consternation over the years, I was in sales, that they were happy to be rid of me. I spent a few months getting things sorted out and once that was done I was looking for a basically "easy" job. I went to breakfast at a local restaurant and they had a help wanted sign up so I asked about it. I explained I was coming out of a divorce after a 25 year plus marriage and was looking for something. Hey, I didn't lie that much after all you could call my dismissal from my previous employer a divorce of sorts! Well even though I had no experience at being a waitress, I did fib and told them I had done it in college many years ago, they hired me. That was 8 years ago and I still work mornings from 5 to 12.

Granted I had all my ducks in a row with my social security number, name change, and my drivers license reading Deidre. It still had the "M" but no one noticed. On a lighter note my new driver's license has an "F" now as the last time I renewed it the lady behind the counter pointed it out to me and told me it had to just be a mistake so she changed it!

[jillleanne]

After thinking about this more, Julia is quite correct in the long run if you want to eliminate any possible issues. I suppose also it depends on what type of employment you are seeking. In my case, I worked in high level finance( I owned the firm) but if I was to apply for a position somewhere, a check would be a given, if for no other reason than a criminal check. If you are looking for work in a department store as a s/a, a check may not be done, it just depends. I do know a person that did transition and she now works at Walmart in a Florida town and she simply informed them she transitioned and they were good with it.

[Deanna Jeanine]

Jessica,
As a former trucking company owner/driver and a transportation manager for a trucking company, you may have to be "honest and up front" with any and all potential employers about your "changes" since you are required by FMCSA to provide your driving employment history for the past 10 years and any and all states you were licensed in. Former states that you were licensed in will not in all likelihood make any changes in your license and driving history. But if you've been driving for anytime at all you probably already know this, so I am just restating the obvious.

Most major carriers do not and have a DADT policy. But you know your DOT physical card will be for a male until you fully transition, so good luck. PM me if i can be of any assistance or if you have any more questions. I have 28 years experience in this field. Good luck.
Dee