When applying for roles, it’s important to have an effective CV that stands out from the crowd. You’ll want to create a CV that shows off your personality, skills and experience. However, when not put together in the correct way, CVs can slip into oversharing territory which will get employers’ attention for all the wrong reasons.
Keep your CV professional and relevant by steering clear of including the details below.
If your age has no effect on your ability to perform the role you are applying for, you shouldn’t include it on your CV. Including your age could open you up to age discrimination and it isn’t something the employer/recruiter needs to know.
Including a photograph on your CV is wasting valuable space and could also lead to unconscious bias. Like your age, if the role has nothing to do with the way you look, including a photograph isn’t relevant and rarely looks very professional in the UK.
This is a personal detail that shouldn’t have an impact on how well you can do a job and it’s actually illegal to discuss a candidate’s marital status under the Equality Act in the UK. So whether you’re married with three kids or single with 10 cats, don’t put it on your CV.
Unless your social media profile is used in a professional capacity, you shouldn’t include it on your CV. Recruiters and employers, often conduct background and social checks online, so you should also ensure that your profiles are private if there’s anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see.
As it is a professional platform, you could include your LinkedIn profile on your CV, just ensure it is up-to-date and adds to your application.
If there’s a gap in your CV, it’s important to present it in the right way. If the gap is for personal reasons, you certainly don’t need to go into a lot of detail and if the employer wants any more information, they will mention it in an interview.
While you may be proud of your grades, recruiters do not need to know what you got in every single example you have taken. If you’ve been working for a number of years, your school grades won’t be very relevant anymore. Stick to covering your most recent educational achievements and work your way backwards including less detail as you go.
Have you perfected your CV? Submit it here and we’ll be in touch if we have any relevant roles in your region.
