What To Avoid On Your CV
You might not know that there are a few things that don't belong on your CV. Adding unnecessary information can distract the reader from the important information on your CV.
A concise and relevant CV will help you differentiate yourself from your competition. But creating a strong CV can be hard! Many job seekers struggle to decide what to include and what to avoid on a CV.
What you should not include on your CV:
1. DATE OF BIRTH
Avoid including your date of birth on your CV. It doesn't provide any beneficial information about your ability to do the job. Avoid
possible assumptions or judgments about your age. There are laws that generally protect employees from this, but it's impossible to know how each individual hiring manager would respond to seeing your age.
2. MARITAL STATUS & CHILDREN
Why are these points relevant? Refrain from including any personal information that could enable a hiring manager to make
judgments about you before inviting you to an interview.
3. PHOTOGRAPH
Including a photo on your CV could result in discrimination on the basis of race, age, religion, gender or other factors. Use the space on your CV to sell yourself and your skills, rather than your appearance.
4. IRRELEVANT JOB EXPERIENCE
If it has nothing to do with the job you are applying for, leave it out! You always want to present a complete career journey. However, if it is not relevant, simply list the job, start and end date - no need to expand on the role if it is not relevant.
5. REFERENCES
No need to waste valuable space on your CV for references. References are requested further along in the recruitment process, so there's really no benefit or need to add them to your CV.
6. SOCIAL SECURITY & NATIONAL INSURANCE NUMBER
This information should not be included on a CV - never ever!
It can lead to endless scams. If the wrong person receives this information, you could be in trouble.
7. INAPPROPRIATE EMAIL ADDRESS
If you have an inappropriate email address then don't use it! It can make you seem extremely unprofessional, and no matter
how good your CV is, it overshadows the rest of your application and can instantly fail you.
Your CV is key to securing your next job and your only opportunity to present yourself. It is critical that your CV is focused, relevant and gives a quick overview of what you have to offer. Don't waste space
with information that is not important!
