What NOT to include on your CV

No need to include any of the following on your CV

In today’s competitive jobs market, your CV needs to be highly effective.  There’s lots of information out there on what to include on your CV however not much on what not to include. I’m still seeing CVs with lots of information that doesn’t need to be included.  It’s taking up valuable space that could be used to highlight your achievements. Ideally, a CV should be two pages and that means space needs to be maximised with the key criteria to get you the interview. A CV is not a record of your entire working history. The purpose of your CV is purely to get you an interview.

The words Curriculum Vitae

CVs have been around for a few decades (just like some of the recruiters, me!). Recruiters know it’s a CV. So don’t take up loads of space writing “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of the document with bigger font than your name.  Also, Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are programming to identify the first two words on a CV as a person’s first name and surname. 

When you are creating CVs and saving on your computer, remember to always save the CV with your first name and surname.  Don’t called the file name something like “David Smith Amazon CV V2”.  Instead, you can create different folders on your computer to ensure you know which CV you sent to each vacancy.  

Referees

There’s no need to include names and addresses of referees anymore. The big corporate companies are likely to outsource background checks to the experts (HireRight®) and they are likely to gather lots of information on their own application forms. If a company wants to take up references they will have their own criteria as to who they would prefer the referee’s to be.  For example, a previous employer or character reference from someone other than a relative, etc. So no need to take up space with “Reference on request”

Over Formatting

Ultimately you want your CV to be really easy to read (scan for key criteria). So, don’t be tempted to add fancy fonts or underlined headings.  Keep the formatting to a minimum.  Stick to traditional fonts like Ariel and using bold on keywords is effective.

Testimonials

I would just like to thank Dawn Moss for her CV review and advice, very in-depth with helpful criticism that’s so up to date. I would recommend any job seekers to explore her help to get the job you desire!  LGS, Essex.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful tips and hep you have given me Dawn. Your professionalism, understanding and real care have given me so much more confidence and motivation.  LB, Suffolk. 

After trying unsuccessfully to get an interview for three months, Dawn tailored my CV with the result of two interviews within the first two weeks. She is very professional with real attention to detail. I am extremely happy with the service and I wouldn’t have any hesitations in recommending it to anyone. Financial Controller, Essex.

Sensitive Personal Information

There is no obligation or requirement to include any personal information.  In fact, it’s unlawful for a recruiter to use such information to make a decision about your capability to do the job.

A candidate does not need to include any of the following characteristics on their CV:

• Age
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Sex
• Marriage or civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Sexual orientation.

During the interview process, you are also not legally obliged to answer any of these questions.  In fact, you should not be asked these questions.  The information above has no relevance to someone’s ability to do the job.

Photo

It’s not usual to add a photo to a CV in the UK.  In some European countries, it’s quite common to include a photo.  However, in the UK it’s not necessary to add your photo.  On social media it’s important you do have a photo and this will definitely increase the number of recruiters that connect with you on LinkedIn.