How to Write a Resume Header With Contact Information (+ 5 Examples)

The header is the first thing on page one: your name, then how an employer reaches you. Contact information sits at the top of the standard resume order, ahead of optional sections such as a professional summary (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). Include your full name, address or location, phone number and email address; if you have no permanent address, use somewhere you can reliably receive mail, such as a rented P.O. box (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated).

Type it into the document body. Text parked in Word's header or footer layer can be invisible to some applicant tracking systems (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). Keep the whole block to roughly 1 to 1.5 inches so your first qualifications start high on the page.

Two choices get confused here: where the contact block lives, and what goes directly under it.

The header itself is never optional. What follows it is a judgement call: objectives suit limited experience or a change of direction, summaries suit experienced professionals (Jobscan, undated).

Use the five-line stack:

1. Name + credentials — your full name in bold, 14–16 pt, with licences or letters that matter in your field (RN, CPA, PE, PMP).
2. Target title or specialty — optional, 10–12 pt, matching the wording of the posting.
3. Phone | email — one phone number, one professional email address.
4. City, State — spelled out rather than abbreviated (Indeed, undated), plus a short relocation note if it applies.
5. One link — a customized LinkedIn URL, portfolio, or GitHub.

That order mirrors the standard resume sequence, which opens with contact information (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). Full name in bold at the top, phone after the name, email under the phone, then city and state (Indeed, undated).

Weak

RESUME OF JONATHAN P. WHITFIELD 1428 Maple Grove Terrace, Apartment 4B, Dayton, OH 45402 Home: (937) 555-0112 • Cell: (937) 555-0187 • Fax: (937) 555-0190 jwhitfield_dayton1987@email.com Marital status: Married | Date of birth: 04/12/1987 www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-p-whitfield-8a74b2219?trk=profile

Strong

Jonathan Whitfield, PMP Construction Project Manager (937) 555-0187 | j.whitfield.pmp@email.com Dayton, Ohio | Open to relocation across the Midwest linkedin.com/in/jonathanwhitfieldpmp

The strong version takes four fewer lines, leads with the credential the job asks for, and gives one route to each channel instead of three — so a reader scanning for 15–20 seconds to find your qualifications near the top (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated) spends that time on your experience, not your fax line.

1. Gather the four basics. Full name, address or location, phone number and email address (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). If you have no permanent address, use a place where you can receive mail or a rented P.O. box (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). Many applicants now list city and state only; that is fine for private employers, but check what the posting asks for.
2. Read the job ad for keywords. Note the exact job title, the licences named, and the terms the employer uses for required or desired skills and experience, then mirror that language (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). If the posting says "Medical Assistant, Certified (CMA)" and you hold it, your header line should say CMA, not "certified medical asst." For federal roles, study the Job Vacancy Announcement to determine important keywords before you start (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated).
3. Clean up your email and your link. Use an address built from your name. To tidy your LinkedIn link, go to View Profile, click Edit next to Public profile & URL, change the address under Edit your custom URL, and click Save (LinkedIn, undated). A custom URL can run 3 to 100 characters and should avoid spaces, symbols, special characters and the word LinkedIn (Social Media for Learning, 2024-11-22). You can change it up to five times in a six-month period, after which you wait six months (Careerflow.ai, undated) — so pick one you will keep.
4. Type it into the body of the page. Do not use the header or footer area of your word processor; some applicant tracking systems cannot read text placed inside it (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). Avoid text boxes, tables and columns for the same reason.
5. Format it with real numbers. Name at 14–16 pt bold; everything else at the same 10–12 pt as your body text. Margins of 0.5 to 1 inch. One blank line between the header and the next section. Separate items on a line with a pipe or a bullet character, not a tab stop. Keep the whole block under 1.5 inches.
6. Test it before you send. Save as PDF and as .docx, open both, and confirm the phone and email appear as plain selectable text. Call your own number, check the voicemail greeting states your name, and email yourself from another address to confirm the inbox is not full and the display name is correct.

Each block is the complete top of page one. Names, numbers and addresses are invented.

Nursing — experienced ICU nurse

Eight years, med-surg to critical care

Maria Delgado, BSN, RN, CCRN Critical Care Registered Nurse | Illinois RN license, active (312) 555-0164 | m.delgado.rn@email.com Chicago, Illinois linkedin.com/in/mariadelgadorn

Nursing — new graduate

Licensed this year, applying to residencies

Trevor Ames, BSN, RN New Graduate Nurse Residency Applicant | BLS and ACLS certified (614) 555-0128 | trevor.ames.rn@email.com Columbus, Ohio | Open to night shift

Software engineering — senior backend

Ten years, distributed systems

Priya Raghunathan Senior Backend Engineer | Go, Python, Kubernetes, AWS (206) 555-0193 | priya.raghunathan@email.com Seattle, Washington | Remote or hybrid github.com/praghunathan | linkedin.com/in/priyaraghunathan

Software engineering — bootcamp graduate

Career switcher with a public portfolio

Devon Clark Junior Full-Stack Developer | JavaScript, React, Node.js, PostgreSQL (512) 555-0147 | devon.clark.dev@email.com Austin, Texas devonclark.dev | github.com/devonclark

Skilled trades — journeyman electrician

Commercial and industrial work

Ray Okonkwo Journeyman Electrician | Texas Journeyman license, active | OSHA 30 (713) 555-0176 | ray.okonkwo.elec@email.com Houston, Texas | Willing to travel for shutdowns

Skilled trades — HVAC technician

Residential service and install

Brandi Nolan HVAC Service Technician | EPA Section 608 Universal | NATE certified (602) 555-0135 | b.nolan.hvac@email.com Mesa, Arizona

Trucking and logistics — OTR driver

Class A, clean MVR

Curtis Boyd OTR Driver | CDL-A, Tanker and Doubles/Triples endorsements | TWIC card (816) 555-0109 | curtis.boyd.cdl@email.com Independence, Missouri

Trucking and logistics — warehouse supervisor

Three shifts, 40-person floor

Alicia Mendez Warehouse Operations Supervisor | SAP EWM, Manhattan WMS | Forklift trainer (909) 555-0122 | alicia.mendez.ops@email.com Ontario, California linkedin.com/in/aliciamendezops

Teaching — elementary classroom

Fourth grade, same district for six years

Hannah Pierce, M.Ed. Elementary Teacher, Grades 3–5 | Georgia Professional Teaching Certificate | ESOL endorsement (404) 555-0188 | hannah.pierce.edu@email.com Decatur, Georgia

Teaching — high school science

Chemistry and physics, seeking department lead

Martin Osei High School Science Teacher | Massachusetts Initial License, Chemistry 8–12 | AP Chemistry reader (617) 555-0151 | martin.osei.teach@email.com Worcester, Massachusetts linkedin.com/in/martinoseiscience

Accounting and finance — CPA

Public accounting into industry

Grace Lindqvist, CPA Senior Accountant | GAAP close, NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA (651) 555-0173 | g.lindqvist.cpa@email.com Saint Paul, Minnesota linkedin.com/in/gracelindqvistcpa

Accounting and finance — accounts payable clerk

Two years, high-volume invoicing

Omar Haddad Accounts Payable Specialist | QuickBooks, Bill.com, Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP) (313) 555-0160 | omar.haddad.ap@email.com Dearborn, Michigan

Administrative and office support — executive assistant

Supporting two C-level executives

Janelle Whitaker Executive Assistant | Microsoft 365, Concur, Navan, Salesforce (919) 555-0144 | janelle.whitaker.ea@email.com Raleigh, North Carolina linkedin.com/in/janellewhitakerea

Administrative and office support — medical front office

Scheduling and insurance verification

Sofia Barrera, CMAA Medical Office Administrator | Epic, Athenahealth | HIPAA trained (480) 555-0119 | sofia.barrera.admin@email.com Tempe, Arizona

Retail and customer service — store manager

Big-box, 60-person store

Keith Donnelly Retail Store Manager | P&L ownership, Workday scheduling, loss prevention (503) 555-0197 | keith.donnelly.retail@email.com Beaverton, Oregon

Retail and customer service — call center agent

Inbound support, bilingual

Yanet Ortiz Customer Service Representative | Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud | Bilingual English/Spanish (210) 555-0186 | yanet.ortiz.cs@email.com San Antonio, Texas

Marketing and communications — digital marketing manager

Paid and lifecycle channels

Noah Feldman Digital Marketing Manager | Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, HubSpot, GA4 (646) 555-0138 | noah.feldman.mkt@email.com Brooklyn, New York linkedin.com/in/noahfeldmanmarketing

Marketing and communications — graphic designer

Brand and packaging work

Isabel Roche Graphic Designer | Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Figma (305) 555-0155 | isabel.roche.design@email.com Miami, Florida isabelroche.design

Construction and project management — superintendent

Ground-up commercial

Dale Fitzgerald Construction Superintendent | OSHA 30, First Aid/CPR | Procore, Bluebeam Revu (720) 555-0170 | dale.fitzgerald.cm@email.com Aurora, Colorado | Travel up to 75 percent

Construction and project management — PMP project manager

Capital projects, manufacturing clients

Rachel Amoako, PMP Project Manager | MS Project, Primavera P6, Procore (414) 555-0129 | rachel.amoako.pmp@email.com Milwaukee, Wisconsin linkedin.com/in/rachelamoakopmp

Human resources — HR generalist

Multi-site manufacturer

Tomas Lind, SHRM-CP HR Generalist | Workday, ADP Workforce Now | FMLA and benefits administration (317) 555-0141 | tomas.lind.hr@email.com Indianapolis, Indiana

Human resources — recruiter

Full-cycle technical recruiting

Dominique Price Technical Recruiter | Greenhouse, Lever, LinkedIn Recruiter (678) 555-0162 | dominique.price.ta@email.com Atlanta, Georgia linkedin.com/in/dominiquepricerecruiting

Federal government — applying to a GS posting

Announcement-specific header

Angela Ruiz Announcement number 25-ABC-12345678 | Position: Management Analyst (703) 555-0113 | angela.ruiz.fed@email.com 1820 Carlisle Street, Apartment 2, Alexandria, Virginia 22301 U.S. Citizen | Veterans' preference claimed, documentation attached

Federal government — contractor moving to civil service

Cleared, with announcement keywords mirrored

Byron Castellanos Announcement number 25-DEF-87654321 | Position: IT Specialist (INFOSEC) (240) 555-0104 | byron.castellanos.gov@email.com 905 Rolling Meadow Court, Silver Spring, Maryland 20901 U.S. Citizen | Active security clearance | CompTIA Security+ CE

Federal headers run longer because the announcement asks for more. Read the Job Vacancy Announcement first and pull your keywords from it (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated).

• No experience yet. Your header does the same job it always does, but the line under your name carries more weight. Use your program, school or credential in progress: "Business Administration Student, graduating May 2026" or "EMT-Basic, National Registry certified." A short objective under the header is optional and is mainly useful for entry-level workers or people changing careers (Jobscan, undated). Add a link only if there is something to see.
• Career changer. Put the target title in your header, not the one you are leaving — "Data Analyst" rather than "Restaurant General Manager" — and take the wording from the posting (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated). Keep credentials that transfer and drop the ones that confuse, and let a one- or two-line objective explain the direction (Jobscan, undated).
• Senior and executive candidates. Trim, do not expand. Name, one title line, phone, email, city and state, one link. Drop the graduation year from the header, drop any landline, and resist adding a board list or three certifications in a row; those belong in their own sections further down. If you hold a licence the role legally requires, keep it on the name line.
• No fixed address. Use a location where you can reliably receive mail, or a rented P.O. box (CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor), undated).
• Relocating. Add a short line such as "Relocating to Denver, Colorado in June" so a local-sounding requirement does not read as a mismatch.
• Common name or shared inbox. Set up an email address used only for your job search, and check the display name on outgoing mail — it shows up in the recruiter's inbox before your resume does.
• Returning after a gap. Nothing in the header needs to mention it. Keep the block to the five lines and address the gap in your summary or cover letter instead.