Resume Header

Almost every resume opens with a header that is read first and used again later, when someone decides to get in touch. Those few lines hold the name, phone number and email that make the hiring manager's next step quick and free of guesswork.

Small as it is, the header is where a wrong digit or an old email address can cost you a phone call you had already earned. Check it every time.

What to include

Keep the header to the details an employer needs to identify you and reach you. That means five items.

• Your name, as you want to be addressed, in the largest type on the page
• City and state, such as Tacoma, WA; a full street address is no longer expected
• One phone number, with a voicemail greeting that says your name
• One professional email address that you check every day
• One or two links, such as a LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio, if they are up to date

Choosing an email address

Your email is a first impression. A plain version of your name looks more professional than a nickname you picked in high school, and a recruiter is more likely to type it correctly. If your name is taken, add an initial or a word from your field instead of a string of numbers.

Optional lines that can help

A headline under your name tells the reader at a glance what job you are after. Keep it to the title you want, plus one detail that sets you apart, such as a second language or a specialty. Leave it off if nothing fits.

Licensed professionals often add their credential after their name, as in Dana Whitfield, RN, when the job requires it. If you are moving, a line such as "Relocating to Denver, CO, in June 2027" deals with the question up front, before a recruiter wonders why a candidate from another state has applied.

Links worth adding

A link earns its place only when the page behind it helps your case. A professional profile that matches your resume, a portfolio of designs or writing samples, or a page of code you have written can all do that, as long as they are current.

Shorten each link so it reads cleanly: drop the https:// and the www, and set the profile address to your name if the site allows it. In a PDF, make sure every link is clickable, then test each one before you send the file. Broken links look careless.

What to leave off

US resumes leave out personal details that some other countries still expect. Employers here generally prefer not to see them, since they have nothing to do with the job and can open the door to unfair treatment.

• A photo
• Date of birth, age, marital status or number of children
• Social Security number, driver's license number or any other ID number
• Your current employer's email address or phone number
• A second phone number or email that you rarely check
• The word Resume as a title, since your name already does that job

Formatting the header

Center the header or align it left. Match that choice in the rest of the page. Put your contact details on one or two lines under your name, separated by vertical bars or small dots.

Type it into the page itself. Some application software skips the separate header area of a word processor, which would leave a recruiter with a resume and no way to call you.

Make your name a few sizes larger than the body text and leave everything else at normal size. A header that fills a quarter of the page pushes your best work down.

Resume header examples

Each layout below suits a different situation. Copy the one closest to yours and swap in your own details.