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Resume Rejection3 min read

Resume Header and Footer ATS Issue: Why Your Contact Info Gets Lost

Placing your name and contact information in the document header is one of the most common resume mistakes—and one of the most damaging. Most ATS parsers skip header and footer content entirely, meaning your name, email, and phone number become invisible to the system. This guide explains why and how to fix it.

Why ATS Skips Headers and Footers

Headers and footers in document formats (DOCX, PDF) are stored separately from the main document body. They're designed for repeating content like page numbers, document titles, and dates—not for primary content.

ATS parsers focus on the main document body because that's where resume content is expected to be. When extracting text, many parsers either skip headers/footers entirely or extract them separately without linking them to the candidate profile.

The result: your name might not appear in the ATS candidate record, your email and phone number are missing, and the recruiter sees an unnamed, uncontactable candidate profile. Even if your resume scores well on keywords, the recruiter can't reach you.

How to Fix Header/Footer Issues

The fix is straightforward: move all content from headers and footers into the main document body. Place your name, email, phone number, LinkedIn URL, and location at the very top of the document body.

Format your contact block as regular text at the top of your resume. You can center-align it for a clean look, use a slightly larger font for your name, and separate items with pipes (|) or line breaks.

If you want a visual separator between your contact info and the rest of your resume, use a simple horizontal line (created with borders, not a graphic) rather than a header.

Content	Wrong Placement	Correct Placement
Name	Document header	First line of body text (14-16pt, bold)
Email	Document header	Contact block in body (10-12pt)
Phone	Document header	Contact block in body (10-12pt)
LinkedIn URL	Document header	Contact block in body (10-12pt)
Page numbers	Document footer	Remove entirely or keep in footer (low risk)

Testing for Header/Footer Issues

To check if your contact info is in a header: try clicking on the main body of your document in Word, then select all (Ctrl+A). If your name and contact info are NOT highlighted, they're in the header, not the body.

Alternatively, double-click on the header area in Word. If your contact information appears in the header editing mode, it needs to be moved. Copy it, paste it at the top of the main body, and delete it from the header.

The copy-paste test also reveals this issue. If you paste your resume into Notepad and your name/contact info is missing from the pasted text, it was in a header that the parser would skip.

Pro Tips

Place all contact information in the main document body, never in headers or footers

Test by clicking the body and pressing Ctrl+A—if your name isn't selected, it's in a header

Use a contact block at the top of your resume: Name (large, bold) then contact details below

Remove page numbers from footers if concerned, though page numbers are low-risk since they're not critical content

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Placing name and contact info in the document header because it 'looks cleaner'

Using a Word template that puts contact info in the header by default

Not testing whether content is in the body or header before submitting

Having page numbers in the footer that include your name (name won't be extracted)

Frequently Asked Questions

Are page numbers in footers okay?

Page numbers in footers are generally fine because they don't contain critical information. The ATS doesn't need your page numbers to parse your resume. However, avoid putting your name or contact info alongside page numbers in the footer.

How do I know if my resume template uses headers?

In Microsoft Word, double-click at the very top of the page. If a header editing area appears with your content in it, your info is in the header. In Google Docs, go to Insert > Headers & Footers to check if content exists there.

What if I want a visual separator at the top of my resume?

Use a bottom border on your contact block paragraph rather than a header. This creates a visual line that's part of the main body. The parser can still read everything above it because it's body content, not header content.

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