How to Write a Resume Header

Recruiters don't read headers — they confirm them. In the first pass, they're checking: Is this the right person? Can I reach them? Are they in the right lane for this role?

Jamal's header almost cost him a callback. His name was clear, but his phone number lived only in a Word footer. Greenhouse parsed his email and LinkedIn and left the phone field blank. The recruiter moved on to candidates she could dial without digging.

Your header is the first block an ATS extracts. Keep it complete, conventional, and in the document body — not floating in margins the parser ignores.

Required elements

• Full legal name (or professional name you use on LinkedIn)
• Phone number with country code if applying internationally (+1 for US)
• Professional email — firstname.lastname@domain.com preferred
• City and state (or country) — full street address optional and often omitted
• LinkedIn URL — linkedin.com/in/your-custom-url

Optional elements

• Portfolio or GitHub for technical roles
• Professional certification numbers (CPA, PMP) — or list in Certifications
• Visa status only when legally required or explicitly requested

What to omit

• Date of birth, marital status, religion, nationality (unless required in your country)
• Multiple phone numbers or personal social media
• Unprofessional email addresses
• "References available upon request" — outdated and wastes space

Formatting tips

• Name: largest text on the page (18–24pt equivalent)
• Contact line: one or two lines, separated by middle dots (·) or pipes (|)
• Never put contact info only in a PDF/Word header — keep it in the body