What Should You Not Include on a CV?

When it comes to the question of what to not include on a CV, there is also a host of content that could compromise or even derail your application.

Some of these 25 things to not include on a CV should be side-stepped at all costs, while others are more about personal taste. All 25 should be avoided if you want to create the best possible impression and leave room on your CV for the good stuff.

25 things to not include

Personal details. Age, marital status, nationality, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.

Postal address. You don’t need to share your place of residence until the offer stage.

Career objective. They know why you are applying. Unless you are changing careers.

Referee details. Don’t include contacts of referees – there are data protection issues.

Previous salaries. You don’t have to disclose your prior salaries (but don’t lie if you do).

Spelling/grammar errors. This is simply unforgivable. Use an online grammar checker.

Charts or images. Complicates the messages and can easily confuse the ATS system.

Headshot photo. Unless you are a model, a headshot is rarely required.

Distracting designs. Your CV should contain details about your career – without distractions.

Pronouns. Avoid personal pronouns such as “I” – lead with the past tense of action verbs.

Multiple mobiles. You should only list your main mobile. Why would you list more?

Buzzwords. Packing your CV with industry buzzwords will impress no one. Stick to the facts.

The passive voice. Use the active voice where possible. You are the architect of your career.

Superlatives. Superlatives sound supremely arrogant if they aren’t backed up with evidence.

Unprofessional email. Create a “boring” personal email for the job search if you need to. 

Irrelevant skills. It is not hard to tailor the CV skills section specifically for each job.

Long paragraphs. Blocks of text make employers fall asleep. Use bullets where appropriate.

Too many previous jobs. If your career is 20 years+, consider omitting any earlier roles.

Especially not this

Lists of job responsibilities. Duties belong on the job description – a CV is for achievements.

Expressive language. A CV is not a place for descriptive words and fancy adjectives.

Hobbies. Only include hobbies if they are directly relevant to success in the role.

Substandard education. Include your education, but only add details if they are impressive.

Reasons for leaving. You do not have to justify on your CV why you left your previous roles.

Fancy fonts. Pretty fonts will feel like you are trying to make up for something lacking.

Lies. Don’t lie on your CV. Ever. If you are found out, you could lose your coveted job.

Your CV could be the most important one or two pages of text that you write over the next couple of years. Making the most of the space and being thoughtful about what you include could make all the difference.

Potential future employers will have a copy of your CV in front of them during an interview. Would you want any of the above 25 issues to cause any negative repercussions? In the wrong circumstances, they all have the potential to harm your chances.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists.

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).