How to Start a Resume: The First 6 Lines That Decide Everything

Q: How do I start a resume?

Use a 6-line opening block. Line 1: your name in 16 to 22 point bold. Line 2: your target job title, not your current title. Line 3: one-line contact info (city, email, phone, LinkedIn). Line 4: a Professional Summary heading. Lines 5 and 6: a 2-sentence summary of who you are plus your single strongest quantified proof point.

Q: Should I start my resume with an objective or a summary?

A summary, in almost every case. Objectives describe what you want (seeking a role where I can grow). Summaries describe what you offer (9 years of B2B SaaS product management, shipped $18M of incremental ARR). Recruiters care about the second, not the first. The only exception is students with no experience, where a short objective can work.

Q: What should the first line of a resume say?

Your full name, nothing else. First and last name only, no middle name unless you use one professionally, no credentials like PhD or CPA on this line (put those on line 2 or in a separate section). Font should be 16 to 22 point, bold.

Q: How long should the resume summary be?

Two sentences maximum, roughly 30 to 50 words. Sentence 1: who you are (title plus years plus domain). Sentence 2: your single strongest quantified proof point. Four-sentence summaries get skipped. Skip the adjectives like passionate and results-driven. Use nouns and numbers.

Q: Do I need a contact header with icons and a photo?

No. Icons break ATS parsing. Photos invite bias screening and are against standard US hiring guidance. Street addresses are a 1990s holdover. The correct line 3 is city and state, email, phone, and LinkedIn URL, separated by pipes or bullets, in plain text.

The first 6 lines of your resume decide whether the other 44 lines get read. The Ladders' 2023 eye-tracking study found that recruiters spend roughly 80% of their 6-second first-read time on the top third of page 1: the contact line, the title, the summary, and the first 2 to 3 lines of the first job. Everything below gets a glance only if those top lines earn it. This guide shows exactly what to put in those first 6 lines, in the right order, for any career stage.

The 6 Lines That Start Every Strong Resume

Every strong resume, regardless of industry or level, starts with the same 6-line block. The content changes. The structure does not.

The 6-line opening template

Line 1: FIRST LAST NAME (large, bold)
Line 2: Target job title (matches the role you are applying for)
Line 3: City, ST | email@example.com | phone | linkedin.com/in/name
Line 4: [Professional Summary / Profile heading]
Line 5: Senior [title] with [X] years of [domain]...
Line 6: ...delivering [headline result] across [scale].

Lines 1 through 3 are the header. Lines 4 through 6 are the summary. Together they form the "first screen" of your resume, and they are the only guaranteed-read block you have. Everything below this has to fight for attention.

Line by Line: What Each One Must Contain

Line 1: Your name, nothing else

16 to 22 point font. Bold. First and last name only. No middle name unless you use one professionally. No credentials on this line (put "PhD," "CPA," "PMP" either on line 2 or in a credentials section).

Example: DANIELA RODRIGUEZ

Line 2: Your target job title

The title of the role you are applying for, not your current title. If you are applying to a "Senior Product Manager" role, line 2 should say "Senior Product Manager" even if your current title is "Product Lead." This is the single most effective tailoring move you can make and it takes 5 seconds. See our guide on what is a resume title for the full rules.

Example: Senior Product Manager • SaaS & Fintech

Line 3: Contact info in one line

City and state (no street address), email (professional format), phone, LinkedIn URL (customized), and optionally a portfolio URL. All on one line, separated by pipes or bullets. No icons.

Example: Austin, TX | d.rodriguez@email.com | (512) 555-0147 | linkedin.com/in/danielarod

Line 4: The "Professional Summary" heading

Use "Professional Summary," "Summary," or "Profile." Avoid "Objective" unless you are a student or career-changer. Objectives are about what you want; summaries are about what you offer. Recruiters want the second, not the first. See our dedicated guide on resume summary examples.

Formatting tip: bold, 12 point, underlined or with a thin horizontal rule below.

Lines 5 and 6: The 2-sentence summary

Two sentences maximum. Sentence 1: who you are (title + years + domain). Sentence 2: your biggest proof point (a quantified result that matches the target role). Skip the adjectives. No "passionate," no "results-driven," no "seasoned professional."

Example: Senior product manager with 9 years in B2B SaaS and fintech, leading 3 to 12 person cross-functional teams. Shipped 22 features driving $18M in incremental ARR, including a 2024 pricing redesign that lifted ACV by 34%.

How to Start a Resume by Career Stage

The 6-line structure holds across every career stage. The content on lines 2, 5, and 6 changes to fit your level.

Student / New Grad

Line 2: Your degree plus the target job title. "Mechanical Engineering | Entry-Level Manufacturing Engineer"

Lines 5-6: Recent graduate + 1 or 2 strongest proof points from coursework, internships, or projects. See our resume with no experience guide.

Early Career (1-5 yrs)

Line 2: Target title. Match it to the JD even if you do not yet have the exact title.

Lines 5-6: Years of experience + domain + 1 or 2 biggest wins from your current or most recent role.

Mid-Career (5-15 yrs)

Line 2: Target title, often with a specialization qualifier. "Senior Data Analyst | Healthcare & Claims"

Lines 5-6: Years + domain + the single biggest quantified result of your career.

Executive (15+ yrs)

Line 2: Senior title with 2 or 3 functional specialties. "CFO | SaaS | IPO & M&A | Series B-D"

Lines 5-6: P&L scale, team scale, and one headline outcome (exit value, revenue growth, market expansion).

7 Mistakes That Kill the Opening

Starting with "Objective: seeking a role where I can..." Objectives are about you, not the employer. Cut it.
Using your current title instead of the target title. If you are applying for Senior PM and your title is "Product Lead," line 2 should say Senior PM.
Stuffing line 3 with icons, a photo, or a street address. Icons break ATS parsing. Photos invite bias screening. Street addresses are a 1990s holdover.
Writing a 4 to 6 sentence summary. The first scan reads 2 sentences max. Everything after sentence 2 gets skipped.
Filling the summary with adjectives. "Passionate, results-driven, seasoned, dynamic." None of these carry signal. Use nouns and numbers.
Hiding your years of experience. Recruiters scan for "X years of Y." If it is not in line 5, they move on to find it, which costs you attention.
Burying the headline result. Your best quantified achievement should be in line 6, not in the 4th bullet of job 2.

Why the Opening Matters for ATS Too

The opening is not just about human readers. Most ATS systems (Workday, Greenhouse, iCIMS, Lever) weight the top third of your resume more heavily in keyword scoring. Words in the summary and first job count more than the same word on page 2. This means your target job title and your 5 most important skill keywords should appear in lines 1 through 6, not buried below the fold. For more on keyword placement, see our power of keywords guide.

A Full Worked Example

Before and after, same candidate

Before (weak):

Daniela Rodriguez
123 Main Street, Austin, TX 78704
Phone: (512) 555-0147 | Email: danielar1987@hotmail.com

Objective: Seeking a challenging role where I can
utilize my skills and experience to grow with a
dynamic company that values results-driven leaders.

After (strong):

DANIELA RODRIGUEZ
Senior Product Manager • SaaS & Fintech
Austin, TX | d.rodriguez@email.com | (512) 555-0147 | linkedin.com/in/danielarod

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Senior product manager with 9 years in B2B SaaS and fintech,
leading 3 to 12 person cross-functional teams. Shipped 22
features driving $18M in incremental ARR, including a 2024
pricing redesign that lifted ACV by 34%.

The before version wastes lines 1 through 6 on address, old email, and a generic objective. The after version hits the recruiter's 6-second scan with the target title, years, domain, and the single strongest proof point. Same person, same career, entirely different first impression.

Next Steps

Rewrite the first 6 lines of your current resume using the template above. When you are done, paste it into our free ATS resume checker against the specific job description you are targeting to see how the keyword match score changes. For the rest of the resume, see our full how to write a resume guide, how to create a great resume, and ideal resume length guides.