Contact details, headers and footers

No, it is safer to put your name and contact details in the main body of the page, at the very top. Word headers and footers are stored separately from the main text, and some applicant tracking systems and older parsers do not read them reliably. If the software skips the header, your profile may arrive without a name, email or phone number, and a recruiter has no easy way to reach you.

You rarely know which system an employer uses, so plan for the most cautious one:

• Type your name as the first line of the document body, not inside the header area.
• Put your email, phone, city and LinkedIn link on the next line or two, also in the body.
• Keep the header and footer empty, or use them only for things that do not matter if lost, such as page numbers.

Visually, a top-of-page block in the body looks exactly like a header, so you lose nothing in design. After saving, open the file and copy all the text into a plain text editor. If your name and contact details appear at the top of the pasted text, you are in good shape.

Usually because the details sit somewhere the software does not read well, such as a Word header or footer, a text box, a table cell, an image or a side column. You see a neat resume; the parser sees a stream of text and may lose or misplace whatever is outside the main flow.

Common causes:

• Contact details typed in the document header area.
• An email address or phone number stored as part of an image or icon graphic.
• Contact details in a sidebar that gets read after the work history.
• Unusual characters, such as letters spaced out with extra spaces ("J o h n").
• A phone number split across two lines.

The fix is simple: put your name on the first line of the body, then your email, phone, city and one or two links in plain text directly below it. Then check the auto-filled fields when you apply through an online portal.

Put your full name on the very first line of the document body, on its own line, in plain text. Many parsers expect the name near the top and treat the first prominent line as the candidate's name, so anything above it (a logo, the word "Resume", a slogan) can confuse the result.

Good practice:

• First line: your name only. Example: "Aisha Rahman".
• Second line (optional): a short professional title. Example: "Procurement Officer".
• Next line: email, phone, city and country, LinkedIn link.

Make the name larger or bold if you like, but keep it real text, not a picture, a logo or decorative lettering. Avoid putting your name inside a coloured banner built from a shape or text box, because the text inside may not be read.

You need your full name, one email address, one phone number with country code, and your location (city and country). One or two relevant links, such as LinkedIn or a portfolio, are useful but optional.

Example contact block:
"Rohan Mehta
Senior Accountant
rohan.mehta@email.com | +971 50 123 4567 | Dubai, UAE | linkedin.com/in/rohanmehta"

You do not need a full street address, a second email or several social media profiles. Extra details add clutter and can give a parser more chances to put something in the wrong field. Personal details such as nationality or visa status are expected by some employers in the Gulf, but they are separate from contact details and are often asked for directly in application forms.

Write it in international format: a plus sign, the country code, then the number without the leading zero, with spaces between groups. This works for local recruiters and for employers abroad, and it is easy for software and people to read.

Examples:

• UAE mobile: "+971 50 123 4567" (not "050 123 4567").
• India: "+91 98765 43210".
• UK: "+44 7700 900123".

Tips:

• Use spaces rather than brackets or dots, and keep the whole number on one line.
• Drop the trunk zero that you dial locally; the country code replaces it.
• Use one main number. If you add a second, label both clearly ("UAE" and "India").
• Make sure the number can receive calls and messages from abroad if you are applying internationally.

Online application forms sometimes have a separate country-code box. In that case, select the code from the list and type the rest of the number in the next box, following the form's example.

Labels are optional. Most systems recognise an email address by its "@" and a phone number by its digits, so a clean line without labels usually works well and saves space.

Example without labels:
"layla.hassan@email.com | +974 5512 3456 | Doha, Qatar"

Labels can help when:

• You list two phone numbers and need to say which is which ("Mobile (Qatar)", "Mobile (Jordan)").
• You include several links and want to show what each one is ("Portfolio:", "GitHub:").

Whatever you choose, use words rather than small icons alone. An icon is a picture, and a parser cannot read a phone symbol as the word "Phone".

No. Use the name you use professionally, which is usually your first name and family name, but make sure it matches your passport closely enough to be recognised. Long full names are common in the Gulf, South Asia and many other places, and recruiters understand this.

Options:

• First name plus family name: "Abdullah Al Mansoori".
• First name, father's name and family name if that is how you are known at work: "Abdullah Saeed Al Mansoori".

Application forms often ask for your full legal name separately, so give it there exactly as in your passport. On the resume, keep the name readable on one line, and use the same version on every application and on LinkedIn.

It is a nice touch for printed copies, but not required. If you add it, put your name and a page number in the footer or a small line at the top of page two, and keep your full contact details on page one in the main body.

Example footer on page two: "Neha Kapoor | Page 2 of 2"

Why it is only a small extra:

• When you apply online, the whole file stays together, so pages do not get lost.
• If a system ignores footers, nothing important is missing, because page one already has everything.

Do not repeat the whole contact block on page two. It wastes space and can create duplicate entries in a parsed profile.

Yes, if the qualification is fully earned and well known in your field. Professional designations after a name are common for accountants, nurses, engineers and project managers. Keep it short and genuine.

Examples:

• "Sara Ali, ACCA"
• "James Kariuki, PMP"

Points to watch:

• Do not add a qualification you are still studying for. Write it in your Certifications or Education section instead, with "in progress" or an expected date.
• Also list the qualification in a Certifications section with the awarding body and year. A recruiter search for "ACCA" is more likely to match a full entry than a few letters beside your name.
• Some forms have a separate name field, so type only your name there, without letters after it.

It is better to put them at the top. Recruiters expect to find your name and contact details first, and many parsers look near the top of the document for them. Contact details at the bottom, especially in a footer, are easy to miss.

If you like a clean, minimal design:

• Keep your name and one line of contact details at the top in a small font.
• Do not repeat them at the bottom unless your design really needs it.

The one exception is a short footer on page two with your name and a page number. That is just an extra for printed copies, and nothing important depends on it being read.

The easiest way is to look at what an online application form fills in for you after you upload your resume. If the name, email and phone fields are empty or wrong, the system had trouble reading your contact block.

Other checks you can do yourself:

• Copy all the text from your PDF into a plain text editor. Your name and contact details should appear at the top, complete and in the right order.
• Search the pasted text for "@" to find your email, and make sure it is not broken.
• Check that the phone number is on one line with no odd characters.

If anything is missing, move the details into the main body, remove icons and text boxes, and try again. Always correct any wrong auto-filled fields by hand before you submit.

Show the address itself, for example "linkedin.com/in/kavya-iyer". You can make it clickable as well, but the visible text should be the actual link.

Why:

• A parser typically keeps the visible text and may drop the hidden link, so "LinkedIn" alone becomes a word with nowhere to go.
• Printed copies have no clickable links.
• A recruiter copying your details into another system copies what they see.

If space is tight, the short form without the "https" and "www" part is enough. It is short and still readable.

Include it if it shows professional work that supports your application, such as a portfolio, case studies, publications or a professional blog. Leave it off if it is mainly personal, out of date or unfinished.

Good reasons to include one:

• You are a designer, writer, photographer, developer or marketer, and samples help.
• It has a clear "about" page, contact details and recent work.

Add it to the contact line as plain text, for example "nadiaconsults.com". Check it on a phone, fix broken pages, and remove anything you would not want an employer to read, such as personal opinions unrelated to your work.

Yes, they should match exactly: same name spelling, same email, same phone number and same location. A recruiter may read the documents separately, and mismatched details make you look careless or cause messages to go to the wrong place.

Simple ways to keep them consistent:

• Copy the contact block from your resume into your cover letter instead of retyping it.
• Use the same layout for both documents so they look like a set.
• After updating your phone or email, update every document and your LinkedIn profile at once.

If you write a cover letter in a resume builder alongside your resume, it is easier to keep both in step.

Update every place a recruiter might use to reach you, and do it the same day. Old details in an employer's system can mean a missed call about an interview.

Checklist:

• Update the number on your resume and cover letter, and save new PDF copies.
• Log in to job portals and employer career accounts where you applied, and edit your profile if they allow it.
• Update LinkedIn and job board profiles.
• If you have an active application with a recruiter, send a short email: "Please note my new mobile number: +966 55 123 4567."

If you can, keep the old number active for a few weeks, or set up a voicemail that tells callers how to reach you.

Your name, one email address, one phone number and your city and country are enough. That gives an employer what they need to contact you and understand where you are, without sharing your home address or other private details.

Ways to protect yourself:

• Leave off your street address, date of birth, ID or passport numbers and family details unless an employer formally requests them.
• Use a separate email address for job searching.
• Be cautious with anyone asking for bank details, passport copies or payments before a genuine interview and offer.
• Only upload your resume to sites you trust.

Official forms later in the hiring process may need more personal details. That is normal, but it should come from a verified employer.

Not if the name becomes an image or graphic. A parser cannot read text inside a picture, so your profile might arrive without a name. Keep your name as real, typed text.

You can still make it stand out:

• Use a larger size and bold weight.
• Use a single accent colour that prints well.
• Add generous space below it.

Avoid WordArt, letters placed in separate shapes, or a name written as part of a banner image. To test, try to select your name with the mouse in the final PDF. If you can highlight and copy it letter by letter, it is text. If the whole name highlights as one block or not at all, it is probably an image.

Yes, it is fine, but expand the initials where you can, especially for jobs abroad. Overseas recruiters and some forms expect a first name and a family name, and initials can be confused or split oddly into fields.

Options:

• "Ramesh Krishnan" if K stands for your father's name or family name and that is how your passport shows it.
• "K. Ramesh" only if that is exactly how your passport and official documents show your name.

The key rule is consistency with your passport or main ID. Employers in the Gulf and elsewhere check your documents during hiring, so the name on your resume should be easy to match to them.

For applications in English, many people write the given name first and family name second, because that is what most forms and recruiters expect. You can also keep your own order but make the family name clear.

Options:

• "Minh Anh Nguyen" (given names first).
• "NGUYEN Minh Anh" with the family name in capitals, a convention some people use internationally.

Whichever you pick, use it the same way on your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn and application forms. When a form has separate "First name" and "Last name" boxes, put your given name and family name in the correct boxes even if your resume shows a different order.

It may not. Google Docs, like Word, keeps the header separate from the main text. When you download a PDF the header looks fine, but some parsers handle header text differently or skip it. To be safe, move your contact details into the body.

How to fix it in Google Docs:

• Click into the header, cut the name and contact lines, and paste them at the top of the main page.
• Delete the empty header or leave just a page number there.
• Download the PDF again and copy all its text into a plain text editor to check the contact details appear first.

The visual result should look almost identical, so you keep your design while making the details easier to read.

Yes, in a way. In a Word file, header text is stored in a separate part of the document, and a parser has to look for it on purpose. When you save as PDF, the header becomes text drawn on the page like everything else. Depending on the export settings it may be marked as a page decoration, and either way it can come out in an odd position, or be left out, when the text is extracted.

What this means for you:

• In either format, the safest place for contact details is the top of the main body.
• If you send a Word file, avoid the header area for anything important.
• If you send a PDF, test the result by copying all text into a plain text editor and checking the order.

Because you rarely know how a particular employer's system reads files, avoiding the header removes the question entirely.

A free address from a mainstream provider is completely fine. Recruiters care that the address is professional and works, not where it is hosted.

Good: "chen.wei.jobs@gmail.com"
Also good: "contact@chenwei.design" if you already run a portfolio site.

A custom domain can look polished for freelancers and designers, but it is not needed. If you do use one, make sure email delivery is reliable and that you check the inbox daily; a misconfigured domain can silently lose messages. Avoid old addresses from internet providers that may close if you change provider.

Check every contact line by hand before you export, and use any automated checklist your tool provides. Placeholder text in the contact block is one of the most damaging mistakes, because the recruiter literally cannot contact you.

In ResumeBuilder.ae, a checklist before payment flags missing contact details, leftover sample text and [bracketed] prompts. It warns rather than blocks, so read each warning and fix it.

Your own final check:

• Send a test email to the address on your resume.
• Read the phone number aloud digit by digit.
• Click every link in the final PDF.
• Search the document for "[" and "example" to catch leftover prompts.

It can be very costly, because a single wrong character means recruiters cannot reach you, and you cannot count on them looking for another way. A typo in a job title is embarrassing; a typo in your contact details can cost the interview.

Prevent it:

• Copy your email from your email account instead of typing it.
• Send a test message to the address shown on the resume.
• Ask a friend to call or message the number exactly as written.
• Check the same details in every online form, since many forms auto-fill from your resume and copy any mistakes.

Do this check every time you create a new version or change templates, as details are sometimes lost when you move content around.

It can be. In a two-column layout, the parser may read the sidebar before, after or mixed in with your main content. Contact details may still be found, but they are less predictable than a block at the top of a single-column page.

Lower-risk options:

• Move your name and contact details to the top of the page, across the full width, and keep the sidebar for skills only.
• Or switch to a single-column template for online applications and keep the designed version for networking or email.

After making a PDF, copy all the text into a plain text editor. If your name and email are not near the top of the pasted text, the layout is working against you.