When a former company moves their location, do I need to update it on my resume?

Question

Worked for two former companies, each moved cities.

Updating my resume right now and noticed that the companies are no longer in the original cities I have listed.

Do I need to update the cities? It feels weird because during the duration of employment with each former employer they were located in the cities I have listed.

Thoughts? I just don’t want to make a silly mistake here.

I feel like the cities don’t need to be updated on the resume but I do need to update them when filling an application out and indicate that they moved.

Answer 1

In a resume I never include the city. Most of the time it doesn't make a difference.

When you move to the background checking then the location becomes more important. I have been asked for the exact address where I worked. I have also been asked the address of my supervisor. Plus they need the toll free number to call to verify dates of employment.

In cases where I know one or both of the physical address is now irrelevant I let them know with a comment. Most of the time I don't have a new address to use.

Once you have left a company your ability track the work locations of former employees becomes harder, unless you have an external way to contact them.

Answer 2

Categorically, no.

It's not your responsibility to keep tabs on what has happened to offices you used to work in. You worked in that city, so just put that down and don't worry about it; A prospective employer won't care what city you used to work in - all they'll care about is where you want to work now (which includes "my home office" as a viable location for a lot of jobs).

Answer 3

Agree with other answers that updating the locations of prior employers isn't needed, and I'll add that in some cases it could be actively misleading. I'm imagining a scenario where a company moves its offices to another country entirely - listing the new location under your employment history indicates that you worked in the other country, and could carry implications about your familiarity with the local culture and language, as well as your visa or immigration status. There could also be confusion in a scenario where your old company has moved to the same location as the new one you're applying to, which could carry implications about your need or desire to relocate. It's best just to state where you actually worked, rather listing locations that are not directly relevant to your actual employment history.

Answer 4

To expand on the previous answers, no you don't need to updated it, in most cases you don't need to have the city you worked in at all on your resume.

It's a good idea to keep the dates you worked their and contact information from your former supervisor. But if you are filling out a job application, you can simply google the current location / phone number of your previous companies if that information is required.