The Resume Phone Number

To list or not to list your business telephone number, this is a tricky question. It can be a dilemma for confidential job seekers. If you don’t include some sort of daytime contact number, the delay the employer experiences in contacting you might just cost you your dream job. The following suggestions might help you decide whether to list your present work number:

  • Definitely include your work telephone number on the resume if your search is not confidential and your employer has no policy forbidding the acceptance of personal telephone calls.
  • Do include your work number if you have a private voice-mail system that guarantees that your messages won’t be accessed by others.
  • Don’t include your work number if your search is confidential and calls will be screened before they get to you.
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resume phone number

These suggestions seem like simple advice. However, I’ve run into many people who didn’t think through the consequences of going public with their job search, only to find that a non confidential call to the office tipped off a coworker or boss about their search and caused work relationships to be strained.

The work phone number on resume

If you want employers or recruiters to contact you at work and you don’t have confidential voice mail, consider providing your work telephone number in the text of the cover letter but not on the resume. You can include it in the closing or next-to-last paragraph with words to this effect.

If you wish to contact me during business hours, please do so with a measure of discretion (any premature speculation about my departure could be advantageous to the company’s competitors). My work number is 888-8888.

The preceding sentence is effective because it lets the reader see your professionalism and respect for your current employer. It also implies that you will extend this same courtesy and professionalism to your new employer.

An interesting advice: When using multiple phone numbers, make it clear where each number rings. For a cellular phone, use the word “Mobile” or “Cell.” If you’re listing a business and residence number, pair the words business and residence, rather than business and home. In the same manner, pair the words work and home, instead of work and residence. Business and residence correspond in style and length, as do work and home.