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Finance for Non-Financial Managers: What shouldn't I put on my CV?

by Julie Gray

This could make for a very long list...
Obvious things not to include are personal details, such as age, marital status, sexual orientation, race, etc. as these do not affect your ability to do a job and could be used, consciously or unconsciously, to discriminate against you.

Whether you mention details of any disabilities to an employer is up to you, but this is usually better done in a covering letter. Your name and contact details are all that any employer needs to see at the top of your CV.

Unless specifically asked, you should not include in your work history anything relating to salary or – and this is a real faux pas – your reasons for leaving any previous jobs. If details of your salary are specifically requested then put them in your covering letter. Your CV should remain tightly focused on how well you could do the job in question and what you offer an employer.

Excessive education details aren’t needed either. Primary school details are never relevant, and the longer you’ve worked the less important your education becomes.
A good rule once your work history starts to take up CV space is to include details only of the highest level of education you attained.

This list is by no means comprehensive, nor does it cover every circumstance, but there is a theme running through all of the above. If you are ever unsure whether to include something, go back to this basic question: is it directly relevant to my ability to do the job I am applying for? If it’s not, then it has no place in your CV.


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