The primary purpose of your resume is to spark enough interest in your recruiter so that they invite you to a job interview. Most job openings are fiercely contested, so you'll want your resume to make a lasting impression. Better yet, you'll want your recruiter to be so impressed they'll immediately pick up the phone to contact you. To do this, though, they'll need to be able to find the relevant contact information at a glance. That's why you'll want to carefully consider which personal contact information to put in your resume and how to present it.
Where to Put Your Contact Information on Your Resume
Your contact information should always appear at the top of your resume so recruiters can easily find it. To make it even more noticeable, you can highlight this section through design elements such as differently colored backgrounds. Don't overdo it with the visual design, though, as this may make the information harder to read. Ensure your name is large enough so that it stands out compared to everything else on your resume. This draws attention to it and ensures that recruiters are always aware of whose resume they're reading.
It’s generally recommended to have your contact information aligned to the left of the page, as this is the current professional standard. You can still sometimes find resumes with the contact information centered at the top, though this can appear outdated. One even more modern approach is to have your contact information in a separate box at the top of the page or running down the left side, with the rest of your resume (work history, skills and abilities etc.) organized to the right.
Regardless of which approach you choose, the primary goal is to ensure that a recruiter can find your contact info quickly and easily.
Imagine you're the recruiter reading your resume, and you spontaneously decide, "that's the perfect employee for us!" Would you be able to pick up the phone and call the applicant immediately? If you're having trouble finding the relevant contact information, you should reconsider how you present it. Here's an example of how to list your contact details in a way that's clear and easy to understand:
Jane Doe, PhD
Assistant Editor
Seattle, WA | +1 (123)-456-7890 | example@email.com
If you're sending out a PDF application via e-mail, consider adding hyperlinks. They'll allow the recruiter to contact you quickly simply by clicking on your phone number or e-mail address.
What Should You Include in Your Contact Information?
When deciding which details to include in the contact information section of your resume, you should always consider whether a specific piece of information is relevant to the job you're applying for. However, there are some pieces of information which should always be included:
Your Name
You should always provide your full name to ensure recruiters know who they're dealing with and what to call you in conversation. You may also want to include relevant professional titles you possess (such as "PhD"). The usual format for names is "first name(s) followed by last name(s)". If your last name looks like a first name, you can use typographic elements to highlight your surname and avoid any confusion, like this: Henry PAUL.
Make sure the name you provide on your resume is the same name you use in other places. If you provide a link to your Indeed, Glassdoor or LinkedIn account, for example, your recruiter may be confused if that account goes by a drastically different name.
Optional: Professional Titles and Descriptors
In highly professional work environments, it has become a standard practice to add a professional title such as "Assistant Editor", "Cyber Security Expert" or "Aeronautical Engineer" underneath your name, if applicable. These can be protected titles you've acquired through training and certification processes (such as "Certified Public Accountant"), or they can be unprotected titles that succinctly describe your work experience. For example, if you have a lot of experience as a project or team manager, you can call yourself a "Team Manager" or "Project Manager".
The purpose of these professional titles and descriptors is to give your recruiter an idea of what you spent most of your professional career doing. This is also why you shouldn't add a title or descriptor when you don't have relevant expertise or experience in the role you're applying for. After all, calling yourself a "Cyber Security Expert" may not help you much if you're applying for a job outside of IT.
Your City and State of Residence
Your employer may want to know your location, to make sure you'll be able to get to work on time. In some cases, they may also be legally obliged to hire people from specific areas only, or they may not want to do the necessary paperwork associated with hiring out-of-state.
Since most communication between you and your recruiter will likely be via phone or e-mail, you don't need to put your full address on your resume. In fact, listing your full address adds unnecessary bulk to your contact information section. Provide your current city and state of residence only. If you're about to move, you can mention your future place of residence instead. Here's an example:
"Relocating to Washington, D.C. in spring 2026."
Add Your Phone Number to Your Resume
This one is straightforward: Provide your recruiter with your phone number in your resume so they can contact you easily. If you have multiple phones, you should provide the number of the one you are most likely to answer quickly.
Note that modern mobile phones allow you to block callers who hide their caller ID. If you've previously enabled this feature to block scam calls, you might want to deactivate it while you're hunting for a job, to make sure your phone doesn't prevent your recruiter from getting through to you. Likewise, you might want to activate voicemail to make sure your recruiter can leave you a message whenever you're unable to answer your phone.
Your E-mail Address
Always provide your e-mail address. Make sure that you're using an e-mail address that looks professional, though. Your best bet is to create one using your full name, such as: JaneDoe@example.com. Don't provide your prospective employer with e-mail addresses based on pop culture references or silly nicknames, as this will come off as unprofessional.
If you're applying for a new job while currently employed, make sure you don't provide a company e-mail address or phone number from your current place of employment.
If you've added a number to your e-mail address because your chosen name already exists ("JaneDoe11@example.com"), ensure that number isn't used as code within political (14, 88), religious (666) or social (420) contexts. Recruiters who are aware of these codes may believe you're associated with certain ideologies or movements after receiving your e-mail, which may impact your chances of securing the job.
Optional: Social Media and Personal Websites
While it's not required, you can provide links to your social media accounts. Make sure, though, that these are accounts which you actively use, and that they're relevant to the position.
While LinkedIn or other job related accounts are always appropriate, your private social media presence is only relevant if you're applying for a social media manager role. In that case, demonstrating that you're managing a successful account with millions of followers or subscribers could be beneficial for your application. The same applies if you have a well-designed personal website and you're applying to be a web designer, for example.
Some Examples of Details Your Employer Doesn’t Need
The contact information section of your resume should be clean, concise, and limited; never cluttered with unnecessary information. Overloading it with additional information makes it harder for recruiters to find the information they need. Here are some examples of what you should leave out of the contact information section of your resume:
- your date of birth
- your ethnicity, gender or sex
- your religion
- professional details that are available elsewhere in your resume
As always, use your own discretion when determining whether to include any of this information, based on the requirements of the job. For example, if you're applying to be a barkeeper, your employer may be legally required to check if you're of legal age in their state. In that case, you can add your year of birth so they can quickly see that you fulfill the legal requirements.
Your Resume: Contact Information for Your Future Employer
The contact information section of your resume has one singular purpose: to help your recruiter contact you quickly without having to sift through lots of unrelated information. That's why it should only include the most important pieces of information (your name, phone number, e-mail) required to contact you. Its format should be designed in such a way that it's easy to read. Make sure you design your resume with these important points in mind to increase your chances of securing the job of your dreams.