personal info for resume

10 Resume Profile Examples (And How to Write Yours)

Imagine you've got everything covered in your resume : You listed your past experiences, included keywords from the job description, and pared it down to design elements an applicant tracking system (ATS) can parse. Now it’s an accurate representation of your professional qualifications—but you still can’t shake the feeling that who you are as a person is getting a bit lost. That’s where a resume profile comes in.

Adding this section to your resume is a good way to show more of your personality while still being professional. Curious? Read on to find out exactly what a resume profile is, and how to write yours—including examples.

What is a resume profile?

A resume profile is a few concise sentences or bullet points that can be placed at the top of your resume (below the header). It “describes who you are as a professional,” says Muse career coach Yolanda Owens , founder of CareerSensei and who also worked as a college corporate recruiter for more than 20 years.

Once you perfect your resume, check out open jobs on The Muse to maximize your chances »

Career professionals don’t all agree on the exact contents of a resume profile, or even on whether it’s different from a resume summary . So you have a bit of flexibility in how you think about yours and what you include in it.

For example, you might think of a resume profile as a way to “tell the reader who you are, what you do, and what you’re looking for,” so that you can grab their attention and “quickly showcase your accomplishments,” says Muse career coach and former recruiter Jennifer Smith , founder of Flourish Careers .

Or you might approach your resume profile like Owens does, as the equivalent to “a dating profile that describes how you see yourself at work, and the type of work environment that makes you feel productive and purposeful.”

What’s the difference between a resume summary and a profile?

While some career coaches may use the terms resume summary and resume profile interchangeably, others treat them differently.

The first is a quick synopsis of the relevant experiences and skills you bring to a role. The latter can do the same, but it can also focus on your traits and achievements, your story as a professional, and your desires for your next role.

At this point, you might be wondering: If a resume profile includes what you’re looking for in your next role , how is it different from a resume objective ? Some people say that resume objectives are outdated at best and a waste of space at worst. If that’s true, why is a resume profile acceptable?

The difference lies in “the additional context that’s included in the profile,” says Smith. A traditional objective merely states what you’re looking for and maybe a vague reason why. But “the profile goes deeper into who you are and what you do” in addition to what you’re looking for next, connecting your past and present to your future.

Is a resume profile necessary? Who should use it?

Resume profiles can be advantageous for all job seekers, Smith says, especially for those “who are changing either their role or industry.” If you’re a career changer , a strong, explicit resume profile will give you space to tell the reader right up front that, no, you didn’t apply to this job by mistake—this is the next step in your career and here’s why.

Resume profiles are also particularly useful for entry-level job seekers who may need to tie their education and other experiences together more explicitly. If a candidate is writing an entry-level resume , Owens suggests that they “use the profile section to explain what they’re looking for in terms of challenges and learning, and the skills they possess that could potentially add value.”

What to include in a resume profile

Think about what you’d want the person reading your resume to know first. Is it something about your qualifications or your biggest accomplishment? Is it how well you work with others or what your personality adds to a team? This is what should go into your resume profile. You have a few sentences (or bullets) to work with, so don’t restrict yourself to highlighting just one thing.

Here are a few types of information that you can include in a resume profile, according to our coaches:

Relevant skills and experiences
Relevant achievements and accomplishments
Years of experience
Strengths as a professional (both soft and hard skills )
Signature traits related to the job
Personal traits that contribute to your work
Qualities you’re looking for in your next role, team, or company
Willingness to relocate (if you’re applying to a job not near the location listed on your resume)

What are recruiters looking for in a resume profile?

Don’t underestimate the power of a good first impression to get someone to keep reading the rest of your resume with interest. “The resume profile has an ability to quickly convince a recruiter that the person is a strong, qualified candidate,” says recruiter and Muse career coach Steven Davis , founder and CEO of Renaissance Solutions .

But recruiting isn’t just about making sure candidates have the right skills, Owens says. Recruiters also need to get a feel for whether the team and work environment will be a good match for the candidate long term.

Candidates’ skills and experiences should be well represented throughout their resumes, so as a recruiter, Owens most often “looked at the profile as a way to get a sense of their work persona and gauge environment fit for the role.”

How to write a profile for a resume : 5 steps

Once you know what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for in your resume profile and what you’d like to portray, you can follow these tips as you write your own:

1. Keep it concise

Your resume profile should be no more than four sentences or bullet points, and should not have more than 500 characters. Remember recruiters read dozens of resumes daily, so you don't want yours to be unnecessarily long and tiring.

2. Find the format the suits you best

Decide if you want to use either bullet points or paragraph form. Your resume profile can be written as bullet points, but keep in mind that bullet points often take up more space than a paragraph. “To preserve real estate on the resume and attempt to keep it to one to two pages , I always recommend using paragraph format,” Owens says.

3. Consider the position you're applying for

Tailor your profile to the job, but not so much that it’s not true to who you are. If your resume profile is closer to a summary that highlights your key qualifications and accomplishments as they relate to a given job, you should be tailoring it very carefully for each application and incorporating keywords from the job description.

Read more: What it Really Means to "Tailor Your Resume"

However, if your resume profile is more of a personal (but still professionally appropriate) description of yourself, Owens recommends against tailoring it to match each job: “What you don’t want to do is try to tell employers what you think they want to hear,” she says, if it doesn’t reflect who you are. “That’s how you end up in positions where you’re ultimately unhappy.”

4. Quantify your experiences and accomplishments

Whenever possible, quantify your experiences and accomplishments by adding numbers, percentages, and other metrics to your resume profile. Keep in mind that recruiters nowadays not only want to know what you did, but also what you achieved and the exact results of your work.

5. Show some personality

While the rest of your resume won’t let much of your personality shine through, your profile gives you an opportunity for creativity. If you’re applying to a casual company, you can add a splash of personality, but if you’re applying to a more formal organization, it’s best to keep things more buttoned up.

Resume profile: Examples

Want to know what all this advice looks like in action? Check out these 10 resume profile examples for different types of job seekers and professions.

Career changer

Quality-control team lead with 10+ years experience who specializes in making thorough business decisions and leading others through day-to-day operations to achieve excellence. Decided to transition to the outdoor recreation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic after realizing that people, especially children, spend too much time indoors behind computer screens. Excited to bring experience in quality assurance and operations to a management position at an outdoor recreation facility to help people of all ages get outside and enjoy themselves safely.

Recent college graduate or entry-level candidate

Recent magna cum laude animal sciences graduate with a focus on small animal care excited to bring passion and knowledge to a position with an animal shelter or animal-focused nonprofit and learn more about programs that protect animals from euthanasia. As president of the University of Georgia chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, planned, organized, advertised, and managed a fundraiser that brought in over $20,000 in donations to a local shelter while also placing 43 cats and dogs with adoptive families. Proud dog mom of two former shelter pets, Dakota and Miley (pictures available upon request).

Account Executive (Sales)

Account executive who has been making deals since my first lemonade stand at age four for a total of $20+ million in sales. I love the rush of being on a sales team working toward goals—both in exceeding my own targets and in cheering on my teammates and celebrating their wins. In my current role, I’ve discovered that the most satisfying feeling of all was teaching a few of our SDRs to close deals. Seeing how proud they were of themselves as they got better motivated me to seek out a sales training role at a highly collaborative company.

Find account executives jobs on The Muse

A detail-oriented accountant with experience preparing tax and financial reports for charities to be posted publicly online. Evaluated budget (including payroll) for inefficiencies and suggested cost-cutting and time-saving measures that ultimately allowed the nonprofit to put an additional 5% of yearly donations directly into charitable programs. Excited to bring accounting skills to a nonprofit in the public health sector after spending over five years volunteering for public health charities such as the Red Cross and Project N95.

Find accountant jobs on The Muse

Customer Service Representative

An empathetic customer service representative who loves getting to talk to new people every day and help them solve problems. Crafted service approach of finding out what customers’ goals are and what their level of expertise in the product was rather than automatically giving boilerplate advice, leading to a 92% customer satisfaction rating. Avid video game player and designer looking to bring this passion to a customer service role for a gaming company.

Find customer service representative jobs on The Muse

Human Resources Manager

Human resources generalist who oversaw the transition of a 100+ employee company to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adept at dealing with the issues facing fully remote or hybrid workforces, including in hiring, professional development, and conflict resolution. Conceived of and instituted DEI programs for employees working from home. Looking for a position with a company that has a fully distributed or hybrid workforce and is committed to increasing diversity in its hiring pool.

Find human resources manager jobs on The Muse

Marketing Manager

Email marketer with 6+ years of experience gathering data-driven insights to make decisions about marketing campaigns. Conceived, proposed, and executed a campaign for a new headphone line across all marketing channels including email, social, content marketing, and print ads, with a total reach of 30 million impressions leading to over $1 million in sales. A team player who has taken the time to learn what each teammate in 10-person marketing department does and even filled in for them when needed. Excited to find a position in a collaborative work environment that oversees marketing campaigns across multiple channels.

Find marketing manager jobs on The Muse

Office Administrator

Friendly, organized, and proactive administrative assistant with four years of experience looking to move into an office administrator role
Saved office over $3,000 per quarter in supplies by creating new inventory tracking document on Google Sheets, showing other employees how to check supply levels and request orders, and comparing the supply sheet to inventory every two weeks to stop duplicate supply orders
Spent four months filling in for office manager during maternity leave

Find office administrator jobs on The Muse

Project Manager

Looking for a project manager who can save at-risk initiatives and projects and make sure they come in on time and under budget and are fully functional at launch? I’ve held positions in customer care, engineering, product, and communications, so I know how to work with employees in all departments and see a project from multiple angles, ensuring each piece is on track and communicating with stakeholders along the way. I work best in environments where innovation is encouraged and no one expects to wear just one hat.

Find project manager jobs on The Muse

Web Developer

Back-end web developer with experience using Java, Python, and SQL to develop features for online databases
Go-to debugger on team of seven engineers
Developed a site (link) that uses television shows you’ve watched to suggest new shows based on the ratings and recommendations of users with similar watch histories, bringing in an average of 10,000 visitors monthly

Find web developer jobs on The Muse

Resume Templates

Resume samples

Create and edit your resume online

Generate compelling resumes with our AI resume builder and secure employment quickly.

Write a cover letter

Take a look at our cover letter guides and examples, to help you write a cover letter that complement your resume and enhace your applications.

Cover Letter Examples

Cover Letter Samples

Create and edit your cover letter

Use our user-friendly tool to create the perfect cover letter.

Personal Details You Should Include on Your Resume

Personal details are often seen as the boring, plain or simple part of a resume. However, you need to get them right in order to receive the call or email for the interview. There’s no use in perfecting your resume by impressing recruiters with your hefty work history or detailing your skills as if the recruiter can’t see, locate or understand your contact details, you’re out.

So, how do you list your personal details on a resume and what type of personal information should you avoid when writing a resume? Read on to learn more about the personal details section on a resume.

Personal Information to Include on Your Resume

Listing your contact details is a simple matter of deciding how you are most reachable and listing the appropriate information without disclosing too many personal details. The personal data on your resume should be straightforward and not involve complex information. The following list explains which elements of your personal information candidates should include and how to go about it:

Full name: This should be the header or title of your resume, so there is no need to rewrite your name in the contact information section.
Phone number: If you have more than one, choose the one on which you are most contactable.
Email address: Make sure it’s professional and not [email protected]
Address (optional): This is included less and less on resumes. Although, if the job description specifies that someone local is needed, you may wish to list your address to indicate that you tick the box.

Professional online platforms and websites are also wise to include as nowadays it’s common to apply for a job via LinkedIn or other online platforms. Consider the following extras:

LinkedIn URL
Professional website
Blog (journalists, copywriters, etc.)
Online portfolio (designers, artists, etc.)

How to Format Personal Information on Your Resume

Resume format is one of the most important aspects of designing and writing a resume. Why? Because your personal details and resume info needs to stand out, look good, and be clear. If the hiring manager can’t work their way around your resume easily, it’s already off to a rocky start.

Here are some important formatting facts to taking into account when writing your personal details on a resume:

Use the same font, font size, and formatting as the rest of your resume.
Keep each piece of contact information on separate lines.
Always list your email address in lowercase letters as many recruiters copy and paste your email.
Double-check spelling of important contact details such as your cell phone number.
Don’t list your details at the very bottom of your resume. Try listing them in a column to the side, under your name, or near the top half of your resume.

If you need more formatting tips such as a list of acceptable fonts for resume use , check out the rest of our website and blog for resume-writing tips .

What to Avoid Including in Your Personal Data

There are certain things that should not be disclosed when sending a resume. This can be for many reasons, such as prevention against discrimination. Double-check that you haven’t included the following personal information in your resume before sending it:

Marital status
Nationality
Sexual orientation
Applicant photo

The aforementioned information is not considered necessary when applying for a job. Including any of this kind of information can actually dissuade hiring managers from accepting your application due to discriminatory reasons.

All resumes should be judged fairly on the important information at hand , such as work experience relevant to the job, skills, and education or training. However, if you plan on applying for a job outside of the States, look up the standard job application procedures for other countries , as some resumes include other information such as a photo or birthdate .

Struggling with Resume Writing?

Ease the process with our templates

A man is taking a picture of a woman in a mirror.

Pricing Job Posting Plans Talent Search Plans Resume Builder Plans
Build your Network My Network Access your personal network connections and manage your contacts. Cake Meet Expand your professional network by meeting and connecting with other users.

Mastering Personal Details in a Resume: What to Include and Exclude

Personal details are arguably one of the most important elements in the resume . The basic information about you gives the recruiter a quick overview of you as a candidate and provides the essential contact details should the recruiter wants to invite you to further discuss your application. The necessary personal information to be put in a resume includes your name, job title, contact details and so on.

It would help to create a dedicated personal information section in your resume at the very top of your resume so the recruiter can easily spot it. But what personal information should be on a resume? And, equally importantly what personal information should be put in your resume?

In this article, we'll provide answers to those questions and walk you through on how to write the most informative personal info in a resume.

Table of Contents:

Should I Put Personal Details in a Resume/CV?

What to write in personal details in a resume.

What Not to Include in Personal Info in a Resume
How to Format Personal Detail on a Resume

Personal Information in a Resume Samples

The short answer is yes. Personal details are necessary in a resume or CV. They provide the recruiter with essential information about you. Including your personal information in the resume/CV gives the recruiter an easy access to your contact details and makes their job easier. It shows that you are a thoughtful person and can think from their perspective.

Another benefit of putting your personal details in the resume/CV is that it helps the hiring company to great a talent pool. With identifying information available on the resume, the recruiter can easily organize and maintain their qualified candidate database. This would in turn increases your chances to be considered for other opening at the company in the future.

In short, having personal information in your resume makes the recruiter's job easier and highlights your professionalism and ability to think from others' perspectives. The real question you should be asking is what to include in personal information in a resume/CV.

Personal details that are suitable for a resume or CV can sometimes be hard to determine. On one hand, you want to include personal information in your resume that will help you stand out; on the other hand, sometimes too much detail can backfire.

Your resume personal details must include the primary information about who you are. This part is crucial in your resume and plays a significant role in the job application process.

Here we've provided lists of essentials and optional personal details for your resume/CV.

5 Essential Personal Details to be Included in a Resume:

Full name Your name is arguably the most important personal information to be included in the resume. This is how the recruiter identify you and know whose resume they are reviewing. Without the name in the personal information section, the recruiter wouldn't know who to contact even if the resume is perfect.
Professional title A professional job title on your resume indicates who you are at a professional level and how experienced you are. The recruiter can quickly decide if your experience matches the position with this personal detail on your resume.
Email address Your email address is the most crucial contact detail you will present in your resume. It is the most common contact method and the easiest way for your potential employer to reach you.
Phone number You must include your phone number in your resume's personal information section as well. Sometimes employers prefer to make phone calls. Make sure you list your phone number in the personal info section in your resume.
Location Whether or not to put your address in the resume is open for debate but including your location is always a good idea. Include the city, the zip code and the country would suffice.

These are the essential items you must include in personal details in a resume. They help the recruiter to identify you and provide them with means to contact you, which is the basic function of personal information in a resume/CV.

Besides the essential resume personal information, there are also five optional personal details that you can include in a resume to make your resume a stronger one.

5 Optional Personal Details to be Included in a Resume:

LinkedIn URL A LinkedIn profile in the personal information section in the resume can help elaborate your experience. It also shows that you're a professional and spends time developing your personal brand.
Personal website Some people make a personal website to display their work achievements or portfolio. Including the link to your website or portfolio in your personal info section on the resume strengthens your application as they provide visual evidence of your achievements.
Social media By listing your social media accounts in your resume's personal details section, you showcase your personal traits, which is crucial for certain roles. Make sure the socials you put in the resume as part of personal information are semi-professional and don't hurt your professional image.
Complete address Include your full address in the personal information section in your resume if it's specifically required. If not, you can decide whether you want put it there.
Relevant personal info Relevant personal information for the job you are applying for can be included in your resume's personal details section to tailor your resume for the role. Find out what is the core ability they are looking for and write it as part of your personal details, for instance, the language or certificate that is specifically required in the job posting.

These optional details act in support of your personal introduction on the resume. Pick the ones that will help you highlight your skills and qualifications to your potential future employer. But do not overdo it and write irrelevant personal information in your resume. Make sure the items you pick speak to your advantage in your resume.

What Not to Include in Personal Info on a Resume

Personal information in a resume is important but you should be careful with it too. It's a common mistake to include personal details that would do your application a disservice. Learning what not to write in personal details is therefore of great importance.

Do not forget that at the end of day, the resume is a professional document . You need to take that into consideration when you write personal information for your resume/CV.

Below is a list of personal details that don't belong in your resume:

Current salary Your employer does not need this information. There will be time for this negotiation at your interview , and leaving this in your resume's personal details section may be seen as unprofessional and lower your chances of getting a satisfactory salary.
National Insurance Number/Social Security Number You will need to supply your National Insurance Number or Social Security to your employer after you are hired. But putting this in your resume personal details can expose yourself to identity fraud. Never divulge your National Insurance Number or Social Security Number. This piece of information is usually needed after you're hired. However, note that some government jobs may insist on providing it for vetting purposes.
Sexual orientation While workplace diversity is taken more seriously by many organizations, disclosing this particular information about yourself in the resume can result in hiring discrimination. You are also likely to come across unprofessional.
Race/ethnicity Likewise, specifying your race or ethnicity may open yourself to discrimination.
Marital status and dependency This is another piece of information that may also result in discrimination by your potential employer. Whether you are married and/or with children should not be a factor to your employment criteria.
Photograph Do not give a prospective employer any excuse to disregard your skills and expertise just because of your appearance. Only provide a photo of yourself in the resume as part of personal info when it is specified in the job posting or when you are applying to companies in country it is customary to do so.
Date of birth The age of the applicant should not reflect on their professional skill. Some employers may be partial to older or younger applicants.
Nationality The job advertisement may specify that you must be living in a particular state for work purposes, or have a right to work in a specific country. Still, your nationality is in most cases irrelevant.
Gender In most countries, it is illegal for an employer to ask your gender, even if they may infer it by your name.
Religion Your religion or religious beliefs are not relevant to your employment and thus don't belong in the personal info part of your resume. There are laws in many countries that stipulate that an employer is not allowed to discriminate against individuals based on their beliefs and religion.

You should avoid these 10 personal details when you write your resume; however, the job search culture is different in different countries. Make sure you do proper research and include the required and necessary personal details in the resume/CV when you are apply for roles in particular countries.

Cultural differences in job hunting

Job seekers should note that cultural differences also exist when it comes to resume writing and job hunting. For example, most countries in the EU require applicants to send their CVs using the Europass format. This generic formatting, however, requires you to include gender, nationality, and date of birth on your resume's personal information section.

In Asian countries, photos are encouraged to be included in resume personal details. Personal information such as marital status, ethnicity, gender, and date of birth are more common but not a requirement in Europe and Asia.

How to Format Personal Details on a Resume

To make sure the recruiter sees your personal information in the resume, you have to format it properly. Depending on what you want to emphasize in the personal detail section on your resume, you might want to arrange each piece of personal information in different ways.

For instance, an experienced front-end developer might want to highlight their professional title “Sr. Front-End Developer” by capitalizing the first letter of every word and putting the title next to their name. A fresher graphic designer writing their resume might, on the other hand, make space for the link to their portfolio in the personal detail section. To write your personal details in a resume format, you must know the key information about how to write it.

However, to write personal information in a resume that catches the eye, you need to consider your strengths and carefully format your personal details. Below is a list of factors that you should take into consideration while putting personal information in your resume.

Of all the personal details for your resume, your name is the most important one. It’s the key identifying information. With an eye to the overall design of your resume, write your first name and surname in bold and large size the top of your resume.

💡 Pro tip: It is not recommended to put "Resume", "CV", or "Curriculum Vitae" on the top of your personal details. When you place your name on the top of the CV, it becomes the focus. This will help catch the recruiter's attention.

2. Professional Title

Your professional title should reflect these two different things: what you do and the level of experience you have in that role.

3. Phone Number

The next important personal detail that belongs in your resume is your phone number. Make sure it is your personal mobile number that you can pick up anytime the recruiters call. If you are applying for jobs internationally, do not forget to include your country's dialing code and highlight that your number can be reached on Whatsapp, or include a Skype ID.

4. Email Address

It is essential to include an email address in your personal details in your resume as it is the preferred mode of communication. Writing your email address as part of personal information for your resume sounds simply enough but there are some mistakes you should avoid:

Don’t use your current work email address.
Don’t use email addresses that look unprofessional.

Ideally, a good personal email address is one made up of your full name or your first name and one letter of your last name. If both options are not available, you can add one or two numbers in your email address.

5. LinkedIn and social media accounts

LinkedIn accounts are generally safe to include in the personal information section of your resume, but it is a good idea to log in and check the information is up to date and matching your resume. If there are significant differences, your potential employer may lose confidence in your trustworthiness.

Social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest, depending on the role you are applying for, can be included in the personal information section on your resume. For instance, if you are looking for a job as a social media marketer, they should be included to showcase your expertise.

💡 Pro tip: Make sure you do not have a series of posts that give the wrong impression about your values and personality, if you've decided to include social media accounts in resume.

Remember to include your account as a link – see the examples at the end of this article as reference.

Personal details in resumes for freshers

As a fresher , you may have little work experience. The personal information section for your resume can include your personal website or portfolio so that you can showcase your skills and experience.

Personal details in resumes for experienced job seekers

For experienced workers, personal information in a resume may differ slightly from that of a fresher. As the space for personal information in the resume is limited, you can only pick one or two most impressive aspects of your career to write in it. For instance, you can write the number of years of experience you have along with your professional title.

Writing a resume or CV might be slightly hard for fresh graduates. Even experienced people sometimes find it hard to adjust their resume to suit the recruiter's needs. It is only natural if you want to check out some personal details in resume samples.

Having good personal information in resume examples will help you to write a better resume, so here are a few personal details examples for various positions, from personal details in resume for freshers to the most experienced job seekers.

Graphic Designer

Video Editor

General Manager

Software Engineer

Administrative Assistant

Fashion Designer

Your process of looking for a job starts with creating a resume, and personal information is at the top of it. See how important it is?

These are the basic necessities you need to include in your personal information in a resume. Space on your resume is precious. Pen your very own personal details and impress the recruiters.

Cake provides you with the best free resume builder that helps you create resume with ease. With numerous free resume templates and job resume examples , you can simply drag-drop resume elements without worrying about layout or design. Cake also allows you to download your resume and share it for free.

Create Resume

--- Originally written by Jonathan ---

More Career and Recruitment Resources

3 benefits of subscribing to cake's newsletter.

Bi-weekly newsletter updates
Industry trends and skills recommendation
Latest job openings and job search information

Explore a range of job search tools and resources to achieve your dream career goals. Join the fastest-growing talent platform in the APAC region and expand your professional network.