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Hello,
I am helping my niece, who just graduated from college with job hunting by mentoring, proofreading cover letters, giving her tips, etc.
She usually uses all three of her names and her middle name is a last name (it is very common in my extended family to use a parents or grandparents last name as a middle name). It would be something like this Mary Smith Johnson (not her really name).
With the job market so tight is there any problem, one way or the other, with her using all three names? I know that employers aren't supposed to ask but she has had a few odd questions in the past which made her think that they were hinting around to see if she was married or divorced and if she had children. But, that may have happened even is she only used her middle initial.
So what is better, Mary S. Johnson, Mary Smith Johnson or it really doesn't matter at all?
Thank you for your input.
Last edited by germaine2626; 06-25-2014 at 11:28 AM..
If they are hell-bent on discriminating and are fishing to find out if she is married, they are not going to be stopped by the lack of a middle name or initial. It is rather conventional to assume that a name like hers includes a first, maiden and married name. So while most people who notice will likely make that assumption, it doesn't mean that they will do so with the intent to hold it against her.
With that said, unless she goes by "Mary Smith" instead of "Mary" in the company of friends and family, I'd list it as Mary S. Johnson. Mainly because most people only use a middle initial in such cases.
I just realized that she only uses her middle initial on her business cards. So it is probably best to use the same name every place.
Except you indicated there were some questions about whether or not she's married, right?
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