Resume Contact Section Format: Optimal Layout for ATS Extraction
The contact section is the first thing the ATS parser extracts and the first thing the recruiter sees. Getting it right ensures the ATS creates a complete candidate profile and the recruiter can reach you. A poorly formatted contact section can result in a profile with no name, email, or phone number.
Essential Contact Elements
Include five essential elements: Full Name, Professional Email, Phone Number, City + State/Country, and LinkedIn URL. These provide all the data the ATS needs for your candidate profile and all the information a recruiter needs to contact you.
Your name should be the first and most prominent element—14-18pt, bold. This helps the parser identify it as the document subject. Include your professional name (how you want to be addressed), not necessarily your legal name.
Email should be a professional address based on your name: firstname.lastname@gmail.com. Avoid unprofessional handles (partyanimal99@hotmail.com) and current employer email addresses.
Contact Layout Options
The most ATS-compatible contact layout places each element on its own line or uses a pipe (|) separator for a single-line format.
Multi-line format (safest): John Smith john.smith@gmail.com (555) 123-4567 San Francisco, CA linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
Single-line format (space-efficient): John Smith john.smith@gmail.com | (555) 123-4567 | San Francisco, CA | linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
Both formats parse well. The multi-line format is slightly safer because each element is clearly separated.
| Element | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | 14-18pt, bold, body text | First line of document, not in header |
| Standard format (name@domain.com) | One email address only | |
| Phone | +1 (555) 123-4567 or (555) 123-4567 | Include country code for international |
| Location | City, State or City, Country | No full street address needed |
| linkedin.com/in/username | Use customized URL, not default | |
| Portfolio/Website | yourwebsite.com (optional) | Include if relevant to role |
Contact Section Placement
Always place your contact section in the main document body, never in a header or footer. This is the most common contact formatting error and results in the ATS missing your contact information entirely.
Center-align the contact section at the top of the document for a clean, professional appearance. Left-alignment also works well. Avoid right-alignment for the contact section as it's unconventional.
After the contact section, add a horizontal line or extra spacing to visually separate it from the Professional Summary that follows. This helps the parser identify the transition between contact info and resume content.
Pro Tips
Include all five essential elements: name, email, phone, location, LinkedIn
Place the contact section in the document body, never in a header or footer
Use your name as the first line at 14-18pt bold for clear parser identification
Use a professional email address based on your name
Include a customized LinkedIn URL, not the default with random numbers
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Placing contact info in the document header where most ATS parsers skip it
Using unprofessional email addresses
Omitting location, causing exclusion from location-based searches
Including full street address instead of just city and state
Not including a LinkedIn URL