How to Start Your Resume with Contact Information

In a previous blog, I tried to give a solid picture of what didn’t belong on your resume.

Now, let’s step away from traffic and walk in a more positive direction.

Certainly, there are many views, opinions and suggestions about how to put a resume together. This is just one staffing/career services person’s opinion.

Back in the late 90s, a candidate provided us with a resume that included no contact information. He had faxed it to us—with no email, phone or other mode of contact. Just his name and a post office box. Since we all make mistakes, I figured it may have just been an oversight on his part. However, there was no way for me to contact him to tell him such. Amazingly, when he did call in, and I pointed out the absence of even a phone number, his response was “It’s a private number!”

Conversation over!

It’s crucial that your resume includes current, accurate contact information. Employers are happy to call or email viable candidates. But, if the phone doesn’t work or the email bounces back, that is a potential opportunity lost.

Let’s go through each step: 1. Name; 2. Address; 3. Contact Number; 4. Email; 5. Format.

1. Name

It’s not just that you have your name on your resume. It needs to be spelled accurately, too. If you go by a nickname, it’s OK to include it as part of the name, like this:

Jane “Doc” O’Brien

However, if your nickname is something that might be offensive or objectionable, simply use your real name. Middle initials are not required. 

2. Address

If you are comfortable providing a full mailing address, please do so. If you aren’t, you can use something like the following:

Temple Terrace, FL 33637

Potential employers need to have some idea as to where you are, as commuting distances may come into play. City, state and ZIP code provide a starting point. 

3. Contact Number

Here’s an example if you have more than one phone number:

813-555-1212 (home)

863-555-1212 (mobile)

It’s important here to do two things: Include the area code and indicate what kind of phone it is. We’ve got numerous area codes around this area, and it’s not uncommon for folks who move here from elsewhere to keep their original mobile number to stay in touch with friends and family.

If you have just one number, I would suggest just putting that under your name.  You don’t need to identify it as “home” or “mobile” since it is the one phone you have.

However, if you have multiple phones in your life, please keep in mind that you want to provide an employer with the easiest way to reach you. If you have a mobile phone with you at all times, that may be better to list than also putting a home number. Making things simple for you, and the employer, is always a good thing!

I’ve been asked before about including your work phone number. Including it in your contact information is acceptable, provided it’s a phone you can answer freely and have any kind of discussion in privacy. That normally means that you’d have an office. Those in the “cubicle world” would be better to use a mobile phone number—one can always find someplace with a better degree of privacy to continue a conversation. 

4. Email

While it’s crucial to have your email address in your resume, it’s also important that you have a “professional” looking email.

These are two examples of emails that don’t give a good first professional impression:

• Iamacrazybucsfan_since89_gopewter@gmail.com
• wildncrazy453535@gmail.com

While I’m not asking you to give up the email you use with friends and family, I’d suggest that you create a new Gmail address with a more “neutral” look for your job search:

• Ronald5McCoy@gmail.com
• Sharon_4_Bryant@gmail.com

Using your name is more professional. By putting a number either between first and last names or before your first name, you are likely to find one not already being used. Stick to a single digit, too. If you have a “45” or “358” in there, an employer might pause and consider what that number might mean. That’s not what you want. Ideally, you want them to see your email address and simply use it.

Plus, whenever you check your “new” email address, anything you find is likely related to your job search. Good news may await! 

5. Format

Now, let’s put it all together.

Ideally, you could center your contact information at the top of the first page. Use a 10-14 point font for this:

Sarah Gatewood
1234 East West Drive
Temple Terrace, FL 33637
813-555-1212
Sarah_2_gatewood@gmail.com

If your resume is more than one page, please put some contact information on EVERY page. For all the discussion of the “paperless” world, and the fact that one can email a resume for almost every job opening, the employer is still very likely to print yours out. A second page without information could easily be lost.

If your resume is to be faxed, it’s likely just going to be printed out.

Here’s a way to best make certain your resume pages don’t get lost. In the upper right hand corner of additional pages, please put something like this:

Sarah Gatewood
813-555-1212
Sarah_2_gatewood@gmail.com
Page 2 of 2

This way, if pages get scattered, they can find your additional pages without any difficulty!

While this may be the simplest and most basic part of putting a resume together, certainly it is a very crucial one. If your resume is a good fit for an opportunity, giving the employer the easiest way to reach you is always a good thing!

Greg Lachs is a Temple Terrace resident who works in career services and staffing. He is an expert in resume writing, job search skills, interview skills, cover letters and other job search-related topics.