Resume Contact Information: What to Include and Skip
No contact information on your resume? Well we got ourselves a problem then. It doesn’t matter how jaw-droppingly well your resume is written is if there’s no way for employers to reach you. While simply putting down your email address and phone number may seem like by-far the easiest thing to do for your resume, things can get trickier than you may think
Just as important as your skill set and employment history, your contact information should be written clearly on your resume and easy for hiring managers to locate.
Without properly written contact information or details that are outdated or otherwise inaccurate, you can risk missing out on a great job opportunity. After all, recruiters and hiring managers are almost always swamped with applications to review – so you’ll want to be sure you’re doing everything you can to both lighten their workload and make your resume a breeze to read.
Writing your contact information on a resume is a crucial step in helping you land interviews. Make sure you’re listing your information in the best way possible with the following tips.
Contact Information Must-Haves for Your Resume
Before you begin piecing together your contact information section on your resume, it’s important to define exactly which details you should include, which ones you can leave out, and how you can modify them to your preferences.
In general, your resume should always list your full name, address, phone number, and email address. Other extra details you might consider including are any relevant links to other professional information such as your LinkedIn profile or even a personal website.
Let’s break each of these down further.
Name
First and foremost, your full name should be prominently listed on your resume. If you go by a nickname or a shortened version of your legal name, feel free to use that name on your resume instead.
As an alternative to listing either your legal name or your nickname, you can also list both so long as you format your name correctly.
For example, if your legal name is Jennifer Smith and you prefer to be called Jenny, you could write your name as: Jennifer (Jenny) Smith.
Whichever way you’d like to format your name, make sure you’re consistent across all of your professional resources including your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, website, and more if applicable.
Address
When listing your address on your resume, make sure you’re using your current, permanent mailing address. Keep in mind to list your complete address including your apartment number as well.
For college students living on campus, you might consider listing your campus address in addition to your mailing address back home if you consider your home address more permanent than your student one.
Typically, your address should include all the details of a complete address – your house number, apartment number, street name, city, state, and zip code. However, if you’re concerned with keeping that information private, listing your current city and state is also acceptable.
If you’d rather list a more private version of your mailing address, you could simply write your address in the following format: San Diego, CA.
Phone Number
Provide your personal phone number including the area code on your resume. If you’re currently employed, do not list your work phone number on your resume unless you’re applying for another role within the same company.
In addition to listing your phone number, you’ll need to make sure your voicemail is configured and the inbox isn’t full before you begin applying for jobs.
To help recruiters know they’ve reached the correct person if they call you, consider setting up your voicemail greeting to include a brief, professional message and your full name. If you receive any voicemail messages from potential employers, be sure to return their call as soon as possible.
Email Address
Include your personal email address on your resume and be sure it’s suitable to list on a resume.
If your current email address is something inappropriate or otherwise unprofessional, create a new email address that is both appropriate and includes your name if possible.
For example, if your current email address is something similar to, “[email protected],” a recommended alternative email address could be, “[email protected].”
Once you begin submitting your application to open positions, check your inbox regularly so you don’t miss an important email about a job opportunity.
Formatting Contact Information on Your Resume
Once you’ve determined what details to include on your resume, you’ll need to make sure the information is formatted correctly.
Along with being organized, your contact information section should also be the first thing a recruiter sees on your resume. Your name and subsequent contact details should be typed in a legible font and stand out from the other information on your resume in bold or larger print.
Depending on the overall design of your resume, you may consider centering your contact information or using the alignment tool to justify the text to the left or right side of the page or simply use a resume builder like Enhancv. Once it’s formatted, insert a couple of lines of blank space before the rest of your resume content.
A basic contact section on a resume would contain the following:
Michael Green
123 Main Street
Chicago, IL 60007
123-456-7890
Linkedin.com/in/michaelgreensample
Editing Contact Information on Your Resume
Before you submit your resume to potential employers, make sure you’ve looked your resume over more than once to catch any typos, grammar mistakes, or other formatting issues.
Proofreading the contact information on your resume is crucial to your job search and a silly mistake such as an outdated email address or miswritten phone number can keep you from landing the job if hiring managers don’t have the right contact details.
Once you’ve looked over your resume, consider asking a friend or family member to review it as well so you can be certain it’s in tip-top shape.
Consult Other Resume Writing Resources
Nailing your contact information is a basic requirement for writing a great resume, but there’s lots of other content that needs to be spot-on as well to help you land your next gig.
As you navigate the job-hunting process, consider referencing other resume writing tips to help make sure you’re putting your best foot forward. If you really can’t find a way to get your resume in the shape it needs to be, consider using our resume writing services to take your resume up a notch. With a knockout resume in hand, you’ll be one step closer to the job of your dreams!
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