Should I include my legal name on my CV if my preferred name is not reflected on my diplomas? -- Humanities

I'm trying to decide whether to include my legal name on my CV for academic job applications.

My preferred name is a phonetic spelling of my first initial. For the sake of argument, say my legal name is Kimberly R. Fortworth, but my preferred name is Kay R. Forthworth. So, my preferred name is not an intuitive or popular variation of my legal name. I have published under and am known by my preferred name. But, all of my diplomas are under my legal name.

On my CV, I'd prefer to just say "Kay R. Fortworth." It's clean, what folks know me by, is my "brand" so to speak. Kimberly "Kay" R. Fortworth seems crowded to me. Will putting only my preferred name on the CV raise confusion/alarm bells since my degrees are under my legal name?

A CV isn't a legal document, though it needs to avoid fraud. You can write it as you like.

At some point (early) in the hiring process you need to reveal your legal name to employers. Moreover, those in an application process will need a way to connect your LN and PN since your transcripts will be needed. But that need not necessarily be done in the CV.

You could even have two versions of your CV, one for employment purposes that has a line connecting your names, and another using only the popular name.

The employment version might say "Kimberly R. Fortworth aka Kay" or similar somewhere. Or maybe "Kimberly R. Fortworth professionally known as 'Kay'"

Will putting only my preferred name on the CV raise confusion/alarm bells since my degrees are under my legal name?

No, by the time anyone is requesting a degree verification - if they even do - this is something that is easily understood by a natural person.

That said, I changed my name at one point (which is unusual for a man), and have a small "AKA (old name)" line on my CV.

Kimberly "Kay" R. Fortworth seems crowded to me

It seems fine to me. You could drop the "R." in the CV header to reduce crowding.