Missing Contact Info on Resume: How It Causes ATS Rejection
Your contact information is the most critical section of your resume—without it, even a perfect score is useless because the recruiter can't reach you. Missing, incomplete, or incorrectly formatted contact info is a surprisingly common issue that leads to silent rejection.
Essential Contact Information
Every resume must include: full name, professional email address, phone number, city and state (or city and country), and LinkedIn URL. These are the data points the ATS extracts to create your candidate profile.
Missing any of these elements creates an incomplete profile. A resume without an email address means the recruiter has no way to contact you via the ATS's automated communication tools. Missing location can exclude you from location-based filters.
Some candidates omit contact details for privacy reasons, but this approach backfires with ATS. The system needs this data to function. If privacy is a concern, use a professional email address and include at least your city and state rather than a full street address.
Contact Formatting for ATS
The format of your contact information matters for parsing accuracy. Email addresses should be in standard format (name@domain.com) and placed as a separate line or clearly delimited from other content. Phone numbers should include the country code for international applications.
Your name should be the first line of text in the document body (not in a header). Use a slightly larger font (14-16pt) to help the parser identify it as your name.
LinkedIn URLs should be the customized version (linkedin.com/in/yourname) rather than the default with random numbers. Some parsers specifically look for LinkedIn URL patterns to extract your profile link.
| Contact Element | Correct Format | Common Error |
|---|---|---|
| Name | John Smith (14-16pt, body text) | Name in header, name as image |
| john.smith@gmail.com | No email, unprofessional email | |
| Phone | +1 (555) 123-4567 | No phone, phone in footer |
| Location | San Francisco, CA | Full street address, no location |
| linkedin.com/in/johnsmith | No LinkedIn, unedited default URL |
Common Contact Information Mistakes
Using an unprofessional email address (coolguy99@hotmail.com) doesn't cause ATS failure but creates a poor impression during human review. Create a professional email using your name (firstname.lastname@gmail.com).
Including too much personal information (date of birth, marital status, photo in US applications) is unnecessary and can trigger bias. Stick to the essential contact elements.
Some candidates include multiple phone numbers or email addresses, which can confuse the parser about which to use as the primary contact. Include one phone number and one email address for clarity.
Pro Tips
Include all five essential elements: name, email, phone, location, LinkedIn URL
Place contact info at the top of the document body, never in a header or footer
Use a professional email address based on your name
Include city and state/country but skip the full street address for privacy
Use a customized LinkedIn URL (linkedin.com/in/yourname)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Placing contact information in the document header where parsers skip it
Omitting phone number or email address for privacy reasons
Using an unprofessional email address
Not including any location, causing exclusion from location-based recruiter searches
Including multiple phone numbers or emails that confuse the parser