TL;DR
- This blog is for job seekers, freshers, professionals, and anyone wanting to format personal details on a CV correctly.
- Mandatory personal details include name, phone number, professional email, location, and optionally LinkedIn or a portfolio.
- Avoid outdated or sensitive information like full address, religion, caste, DOB (unless required), gender, marital status, and ID numbers.
- CVs require minimal personal information due to GDPR—only include essential, non-discriminatory details.
- Format personal details cleanly at the top of the CV, keep them short, ATS-friendly, and avoid icons or clutter.
Introduction: Why Personal Information in a Resume Matters More Than Ever
The current competitive and highly automated recruitment world is full of surprises, and your resume can bring you down or make you jump high into the sky depending on the minutest details included in it. Personal information is one of those important parts that many applicants misunderstand. Although the majority of applicants are drawn to the experience and skills section, hiring managers review personal information first in the resume, making it the initial point of contact in your job application.
Personal information in your resume will make you recognizable to recruiters, so they can easily contact you when they want to know more about you or when there are particular job location or eligibility criteria. Be it an experienced worker or a novice job applicant, it is vital to understand what you should include in personal details in your resume.
However, regrettably, many job applicants still fill their resumes with irrelevant or even dangerous details. Having excessive personal details or incorrect ones may work against you. Conversely, having clear, concise, and relevant CV personal information will automatically present your resume as more professional, credible, and ATS-friendly.
This guide provides all details about resume personal information including:
- What personal information in CV is mandatory
- What personal details you should avoid
- How to write personal details in resume professionally
- Examples of personal info for resume for freshers and experienced candidates
- How to format personal details for ATS
- How to write DOB in resume when required
- Real personal details example sections for different job types
If you want your resume format to stand out for the right reasons, let's dive into this comprehensive, modern guide to CV personal information.
What Are Personal Details in a CV?
Personal details in a CV are the indispensable bits of information needed to help recruiters recognize you and make contact with you in the shortest possible time. This section will be the head of your resume and will give a clear picture of who you are, where you are located, and your methods of communication. Technically speaking, the personal details of the CV refer to the fundamental, objective, and professional recognition that any employer is supposed to encounter at the introductory stage of a resume or CV.
The basic contact and identification information on a CV is the personal information that would be included at the top of the resume, which consists of your name, your phone number, your email address, and where you live.
Personal details in the CV section is factual information that defines who you are and how an employer can get in touch with you. It is placed on the very first page of the resume and entails the basic information that includes:
- Full name
- Contact number
- Location / City
- LinkedIn or portfolio (optional)
These details may seem simple, but they set the tone of your resume. Professional, accurate information shows seriousness and credibility, whereas outdated or poorly formatted personal details create a negative impression.
What Personal Details Not to Add to Resume?
Candidates often confuse personal details with personal background or demographic details. This is incorrect. Personal details do not include:
- Family information
- Religious beliefs
- Caste
- Gender (unless required)
- ID numbers
- Full home address
We will discuss these mistakes in detail shortly.
Correct Format Example:
Why Personal Information in a Resume Is Important?
Recruiters Prioritize Accessibility
Your resume personal information ensures the recruiter can reach you quickly for interviews. Many candidates lose opportunities simply due to missing or incorrect contact information.
ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) Depend on It
Modern hiring relies heavily on ATS, and the system requires correctly formatted personal info for resume to categorize your application. If your details are misplaced or stylized too creatively, the software may fail to read them.
Builds Initial Professional Impression
Professional resumes begin with clean, minimal, and well-formatted CV personal information. Untidy or excessive details make your CV look old-fashioned.
How to Properly Add Your Personal Information on Your CV?
You should easily add your personal information to your CV in a clean and professional manner. Follow these best practices:
It might be easy to add personal information in your CV, but doing it in the wrong manner would make your job application look amateurish, too old-fashioned, or even not selected by ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). In order to create the greatest effect during the initial contact, you should make your personal information as concise, relevant, and precise as possible and in a contemporary form.
Place It at the Top
Your personal details should appear in the header section for immediate visibility.
Keep It Short & Simple
Use a one-line or two-line format.
Example:
Include Only Essential Details
Avoid unnecessary information.
Use Professional Contact Information
Ensure your email and phone number are correct, active, and formal.
Mandatory Personal Details for Resume (What to Include)
Personal information on resume should not contain all details but only the necessary ones. They are a requirement for every job application irrespective of the level of experience.
In making your CV or resume, the personal information presented in the resume section must be concise, clear, and purely professional. Such information assists recruiters to know you at a glance, get in touch with you with the simplest of tasks, and confirm to them that you are capable of working in the job location or communicating effectively. The following are the obligatory personal data in the resume components that every applicant—either a fresher or well-profiled worker—should include.
Full Name (Primary Identity)
Your name should be the largest text on your resume. Avoid nicknames or short forms.
Correct Examples:
- Rahul Sharma
- Priya Nair
Incorrect Examples:
- Mr. Rahul Sharma
- Priya123 (unprofessional)
Phone Number (With Country Code)
Always include a reachable mobile number. Ideally:
- One number only
- Use country code if applying internationally
Correct: +91 0000000000
Incorrect: Multiple numbers, landlines, inactive numbers
Professional Email Address
Your email reflects your professionalism. Avoid casual IDs.
Correct: name.sharma@gmail.com
Incorrect: coolboy123@gmail.com, princess_awesome@xyz.com
Location (City & State Only)
Avoid full home address. For privacy and ATS clarity, only add city & state.
Correct:
- Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Bangalore, Karnataka
Incorrect: Full postal address or house number
LinkedIn Profile (Highly Recommended)
A must-have for professionals, especially in tech, marketing, finance, and HR. Use a clean custom URL.
Correct: linkedin.com/in/rahulsharma
Portfolio / Website (Role-Specific)
Essential for designers, developers, writers, marketers, and freelancers.
Optional Personal Details (Add Only If Necessary)
Although the required personal information in the resume can make employers recognize you and get in touch, any additional information can be of secondary importance unless they are pertinent to the job, the place, industry, or role. Clogging your resume with irrelevant details might make it look old-fashioned and less efficient, particularly in the ATS system.
Below are the optional personal information in resume elements you may include only when they enhance your application.
Sometimes adding optional personal details in resume helps strengthen your application. Include these only when relevant.
Languages Known
Useful in international companies or customer-facing roles.
Nationality
Required for jobs abroad or visa-related roles.
Marital Status
Required in some countries (e.g., UAE, Qatar), otherwise optional.
Gender
Optional unless employers specifically ask (government or overseas jobs).
Passport Details
Useful for travel-dependent jobs: aviation, shipping, hospitality.
Personal Information in Resume for Freshers
Freshers often worry about not having enough content in their resumes, leading them to overstuff personal details. Avoid that mistake.
For fresh graduates, interns, or entry-level job seekers, crafting the right set of personal details in resume is extremely important. Because freshers often lack extensive work experience, recruiters rely more heavily on the personal information in resume for freshers to verify identity, contact details, location suitability, and professional readiness.
However, many freshers make the mistake of adding too much unnecessary or outdated information—often because they follow old templates or advice from traditional sources. A modern resume must include only relevant, professional, and ATS-friendly personal details.
For Freshers, Mandatory Personal Details Include:
- Full Name
- Mobile Number
- City & State
- LinkedIn (optional but good)
Optional for Freshers:
- Languages
- Nationality
- Portfolio / GitHub (very useful for developers)
Never Add:
- Parent details
- Caste
- School addresses
- Hobbies unrelated to job
- Irrelevant certificates
Recruiters understand freshers don't have experience. Keep your CV personal details clean and modern.
CV Personal Details Template
Use this universal, ATS-friendly template:
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Details Resume
- ❌ Using old-style resume formats
- ❌ Adding too many personal details
- ❌ Writing unprofessional emails
- ❌ Giving complete postal address
- ❌ Adding unnecessary demographic info
- ❌ Incorrect spelling or formatting
- ❌ Using text boxes (ATS cannot read them)
Final Thoughts: Keep Personal Details Professional, Minimal, and ATS-Friendly
Your personal information in your resume may seem simple, but it significantly influences your first impression. Whether you are a fresher or an experienced professional, the key is to:
- Include only mandatory personal details
- Skip outdated or sensitive information
- Use clean, modern formatting
- Keep everything accurate, short, and professional
An optimized CV format section ensures that your resume is ATS-friendly, recruiter-friendly, and interview-ready.
By following this guide, you can confidently structure your resume personal information and make your application far more impactful.