Daily hacks: 5 things you don’t need on your CV

A CV is something that most, if not all, of us will need at some point in life and yet, very few of us are able to compile one properly.

Noticing a gap in the CV market; career educator, social media content creator and podcast host Paddy Jobsman regularly posts short videos explaining all the dos and don’ts of putting together a CV (or resume). 

One of his videos highlights five things you do not necessarily need to include in your CV. His advice is aimed at ensuring the shortest possible CV so as not to inundate recruiters and potential employers with the information they may not need in the initial stages of an application.

With the unemployment rate being what it is in South Africa, these five tips could come in very handy for people on the job market. 

1. Exam results

You don’t really need to include these in your CV and can either add them to the CV or send them separately at a later stage if they are requested. However, if you received an exemplary result, it may be worth including the results to highlight your performance. 

2. Date of birth

Your date of birth also serves no initial purpose for your application.

3. Your full address

You only need to provide your city, province/state and country of residence. 

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4. High school/secondary school 

If you have a degree, where you went to secondary school serves no real purpose in your job application. 

5. A full page of references

Jobsman advises removing the references page and the line “references available upon request” and explains that this is because “it takes up space. It can also be assumed that you have references available”.

In addition to CV format advice, Jobsman also shares a wide range of career tips and tricks for things like making a career change, breaking into new industries, negotiating higher salaries and prepapring for job interviews. 

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