Recent research from job board CV-Library has found that nearly one in four UK professionals have experienced discrimination in an interview.
This research suggests that, despite laws protecting candidates from discrimination during the recruitment process, over half of UK workers are not familiar with their rights in an interview and have experienced prejudice for a number of reasons. These include age (39.3%), race (10%), gender (8.9%) and disabilities (6.7%).
To ensure that you don’t open yourself up to recruitment discrimination and have a CV that showcases your professional experience, here are five personal details that should not be included on your CV.
1. Your age and date of birth
Your age does not affect your ability to do the job and so there is no need to include it on your CV. While date of birth was once a common inclusion on CVs, it’s no longer required. This is because the Equality Act 2010 makes age discrimination illegal in the recruitment process.
The only date ranges you need to include on your CV are your periods of employment.
2. Your full address
Including your address on your CV can help or hinder your job search.
For one, it can be a massive selling point if you’re close to where the job is based. However, it can also detract from your CV if you’re quite far away.
If you would like to include your location, you don’t need to include your full address. Listing the town and county you reside in will suffice. Simply list this as one of the details with your contact information at the top of your CV.
3. Your marital status and family
Like your age and date of birth, your marital status and dependents shouldn’t affect your ability to do the job. While prospective employers may ask about your family and who you live with, they are forbidden to make a recruitment decision based on these factors, as stated in the Equality Act.
Whether you’re married with two kids or a proud single owner of 17 cats, details regarding your marital status, family or sexual orientation are not required on your CV.
4. Your nationality
Details of your nationality may be required for some jobs, for example, if you’re applying for a government position or are applying abroad via a working visa.
Other than those exceptions, your nationality has no place on your CV. By excluding this personal information, you also prevent discrimination on the ground of race, colour, ethnicity, citizenship, national origin and even religion.
5. Your entire name
You should know that your name must feature boldly at the top of your CV – as opposed to the phrase “curriculum vitae”, for example.
However, you should only include your forename and surname. Middles names are not a requirement.
Your CV is a record of personal information designed to show recruiters why you’re ideal for the job you’re applying to. As a result, tailor your professional experience to the role in question and avoid including anything overly personal, as listed here.
Laura Slingo is Digital Copywriter for the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library. For more expert advice on job searches, careers and the workplace, visit their Career Advice pages.
