What Data to Enter

Your personal information section is the very first thing recruiters and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) will see. It is crucial to get this exactly right. You must include your full legal name or the professional name you use in the industry. Your job title or designation should closely match the role you are applying for to immediately establish relevance.

For contact details, provide a professional email address (ideally a variation of your first and last name, avoiding nicknames or numbers that look unprofessional). Your phone number should include the country code if you are applying internationally. Location is another critical factor; however, you no longer need to provide your full physical street address. Simply listing your City and State (or City and Country) is enough and protects your privacy.

Finally, modern resumes require digital footprints. Always include a link to your LinkedIn profile. If you are a developer, a link to your GitHub profile is essential. For designers or other creative professionals, a link to your personal portfolio website is highly recommended. Make sure these URLs are clean and customized (e.g., linkedin.com/in/yourname instead of a random string of numbers). Once your details are in, you can choose a beautiful layout from our Resume Templates collection.

Benefits of a Well-Crafted Header

The primary benefit of a well-structured personal information section is immediate accessibility. Recruiters spend an average of 6 to 7 seconds on an initial resume scan. If they cannot immediately find your contact information or if it looks cluttered, they may move on to the next candidate.

Furthermore, ATS software relies heavily on the header to parse your profile into their database. By providing clear, standard fields, you ensure that the ATS correctly categorizes your location and contact details. This increases the likelihood of your resume passing the initial automated screening and reaching a human reader. Providing links to your LinkedIn and GitHub also allows recruiters to instantly verify your professional network and review your actual code or projects, significantly boosting your credibility before the interview even begins.

Pro Tips & Uses

• Professionalism is Key: Ensure your email provider is standard (like Gmail or Outlook). Avoid using outdated domains or work emails from your current employer.
• Hyperlink Everything: In the digital age, resumes are mostly read on screens. Make sure your email, LinkedIn, and portfolio URLs are clickable links. This reduces friction for the recruiter.
• ATS Optimization: Do not put your contact information inside the document "Header" or "Footer" sections if you are using Microsoft Word to create your resume before uploading, as older ATS cannot read those sections. Fortunately, our builder ensures your details are parsed perfectly in the main body.
• Location Strategy: If you are looking to relocate, either leave your location off entirely or list the target city, perhaps noting "(Relocating to [City])" in your summary. Many ATS systems automatically filter out candidates who are not local to the job posting.
• Consistency: Ensure the job title you write here matches the headline on your LinkedIn profile. Discrepancies between your resume and LinkedIn can cause confusion and raise red flags for potential employers.