How to present contact details on your CV

No contact details on your CV - no job offer!

Putting your contact details on your CV should be the easiest part of the job, but many get it wrong. The golden rule here is that less is more.

What contact details are needed on a CV?

Every CV needs these contact details at a minimum:

Name

First name and surname is enough, unless you're particularly attached to your middle name. If you prefer to go by a nickname, you can either add it in brackets or use it in place of your given name. Titles such as Mr or Ms aren't required, although can be included if you want to be clear on your gender and it's not clear from your name. Professional titles, such as Dr, can add impact.

Phone number

Landline numbers are no longer expected. Give your personal (not work) mobile number, with the correct spacing. If you're currently working in a different country or are conducting an international job search, the country code should be added too - it's not needed otherwise.

Email address

Use a personal email address, not your work address. Ensure it's hyperlinked to make the recruiter's life easier, and of course ensure it's accurate.

Location

Your full address is no longer required, but a general location is. It's recommended that you add your town and the first part of your postcode. For international job searches, replace your postcode with your country. You can add "Willing to relocate for the right position" or " Relocating to Australia in 2027" or similar, for clarity.

Additional contact details for your CV

Name, phone number, email address and location are the basic contact details for your CV but, depending on your situation, you may like to add more in this section. Consider:

LinkedIn URL

Make it easy for a recruiter to find out more about you by adding a link to your LinkedIn profile. Make sure it's fully complete and up to date before you send your CV out!

Portfolio

If you're in the sort of role where you have a portfolio of work, give recruiters a taste of what you can do for them by adding a link to your online portfolio. This is most popular with creatives, such as designers and writers, but even non-creatives can use this option - for example, software developers can link to their GitHub and project managers can link to case studies.

Websites

Particularly appropriate for freelancers, linking to a website is a great opportunity to give the recruiter more information about you and show off your expertise.

What not to include in contact details on a CV

Some information simply doesn't belong on a CV. These elements should all be deleted immediately:

• Date of birth or age
• Full address
• Identifying information such as passport or national identity numbers

Where to put contact details on a CV

Contact details should always be positioned at the top of the first page of your CV. That's where recruiters and hiring managers will expect to see them, so by placing them there you're making their job easier and showing professionalism and an understanding of workplace norms.

Top tip: Send your finished CV for evaluation by a professional to make sure you're not missing anything obvious and the CV positions you well for the job you're aiming for!

Examples of contact details on a CV

Here are some best practice examples of different ways to present contact details on a CV

• Fred Fredson | 07777 777777 | fred@fredson.co.uk | London, SW19 | LinkedIn

• Dr Krish Sanders | docsanders@gmail.co.uk | Manchester, UK | +44 (0)7777 789789

• Emily Jane Bell | theheights@thornton.com | 07777 123456 | Yorkshire, UK (relocating to Belgium)

• Matthew (Matt) Plante | 07777 987654 | matt123@email.co.uk | Tonbridge, TN22 | GitHub

• Julia Robertson | Croydon, CR0 | julesrob@mail.com | 07777 654321 | Portfolio

CV contact details summary

Check out this simple infographic to understand CV contact detail requirements at a glance:

The ultimate CV writing guide for UK professionals has more advice to make sure your key job search document is up to scratch.

Help with every section of your CV

If just writing the contact details on your CV has left you feeling fed up, why not outsource the whole project? Word Dragon has a range of services - just choose the right one for you and drop me a message!