Contact Information
Read this article to learn how to grab the attention of busy recruiters and employers. In the business world, as in many professional areas, time is money! For example, many recruiters only scan the top half of the first page of your resume, "above the fold". They do not spend time reading your entire resume. So, it is vital to provide clear and minimal contact information. Since contact will probably be by phone, text, or email, list the phone you use most often. Consider creating a separate email account for your job search: use a professional username with your last name.
Above-the-Fold: Contact Information
I have heard it from almost every recruiter I talk to, "I only read the top half of the first page … if I am not impressed by it, I will toss the resume and go to the next one." Or, more recently, "I need just a quick glance … if the resume is ugly, I do not even read it; if it is not ugly, it has 10 seconds to impress me."
Brutal! Cold! But that is how it is with many recruiters who have to shuffle through hundreds of resumes to find the three or four people they want to interview for a single position.
What do you need to have on your resume above the fold on the first page to keep it from being tossed? I will highlight each of the four key sections (contact, objective, summary, and current job) in separate posts. Let's start with contact information:
Across the top of the page are the obligatory contact information details. The specific way these items are placed on the page does not seem to affect recruiters much. I prefer this info to be centered, but left or right justified both look fine – just make it clear, attractive, and easy to read. I like to make the font of these items a point or two larger than the text of the resume (14 is good) with your name using a larger, bolded font (16 or 18 is good).
- Name: First and Last name only – save your full, formal name for job applications. If you have a common nickname that you go by, such as Bill or Liz (not Dog or Meatball), then you may use it on the resume. In fact, if you have a rather challenging first name, this might be preferred – like a man I know with the Irish name Donagh; it is a lot simpler for him to just go by Don.
- Address: In these days of identity theft, some people are choosing not to put their street address on a resume. That is probably OK since most recruiters prefer to contact you by phone or email. Just make sure to list your city and state so they know if you are a local or not.
- Email: Get an email address specifically for your job hunt (from Yahoo, Google, or other places) and check it daily. Pick a professional username with your last name embedded in it, such as Smith_B@gmail.com.
- Phone: List your cell phone. You are most likely to answer this phone. Make sure you have a professional message on your voicemail. Always answer the phone politely for all caller IDs you do not recognize!
That is it. Keep it clean. If you have a really sharp, dynamic website, then you can add a URL to your contact info if you want to … but I personally think this should go on a cover letter.
Quick note. If you have a multi-page resume, make sure your name and phone number are at the top or bottom of each additional page, just in case the pages get separated.
Bottom Line
Above the fold you have contact info, objective line, summary, and probably your current job info. The contact details need to be clear and minimal with at least two ways you can be reached. We will get to the other above-the-fold items in a later post.
Source: C.J. Trayser
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