Should I Put My Address on My CV?

Understanding the Significance of Your Address on a CV

Before the digital age, most people applied for jobs by post. This meant writing and printing your CV, cover letter or application form and mailing it to your employer using traditional post. As such, it was necessary to add your address for return correspondence. These might include letters inviting you for an interview, or to offer you the job.

As the internet became the main method of recruitment for many industries, the original need for including your address on your CV all-but disappeared. Indeed, some applicants prefer not to include their full address for data security reasons. Some people also believe it may harm your chances if you live a long way from the role you’re applying for, as employers might believe you live too far away to commute.

Many employers still expect to see a full address, however. Some people might say it establishes trust between the applicant and employer. It can also be useful for clearing up confusion if you’ve moved around a lot for previous roles.

Address Format on a CV

If you’re going to include your address on your CV, there are several ways to do it. Your address forms part of the header, so you don’t need to include it in its own section. Add it under your name (and under your job title/profession, if you’re adding that in your header). This also means that your address doesn’t need a heading (i.e. ‘Address’), as it’s part of a larger header section. 

One of the main reasons for leaving your postal address off your CV is that it can take up a lot of space. This is space you could be using for something more interesting. As such, condense your address to two lines at most. This means including your postcode on the same line as your town or city. If you can write your address on a single line, this is even better. You can generally omit your county from your address line. This level of detail isn’t required, even for postal correspondence, as long as you provide a postcode.

Another approach to adding your address to your CV is to include a partial address or an indication of your location. This can be useful if space is at a premium, or if you want to reassure the employer that you live close enough to the job to make the commute practical. You could either include your street and town, or your town, city or even county. To help you with creating a professional CV and formatting, CVwizard has a range of tools and templates. With these easy-to-use resources, you can create a beautiful CV in no time.

The Pros of Including Your Full Address

Despite the original reason for including your full address on a CV being far less relevant today, there are still valid reasons for including it. Here are some good reasons for choosing to include your full address:

To establish trust with the employer

Adding your full address on your CV can help to establish a bond of trust with the employer and show them you’re committed to the application. Leaving off any indication of your location might create more questions than answers for the hiring manager.

To show you live close enough to the opportunity

Adding your address can allay fears about the length of your commute or your ability to travel to the employer’s location. If you live very close to the organisation or opportunity, it could also work in your favour over applicants for whom the location is less accessible. Finally, including your address can prove you’re residing in the country the job is located in. This can be particularly useful for overseas jobs.

To clear up confusion about your location

If you’ve moved around a lot for previous jobs, adding your home address can clear up confusion about where you’re based. If you omit your location altogether, the employer may struggle to learn where you’re from.

The Cons of Including Your Full Address

While there are some persuasive reasons for including your address on your CV, there are also strong reasons for excluding it. Some of the most common reasons for not including your address are:

Data security concerns

One valid reason for leaving your address off your CV is data security. Employers have a legal responsibility to handle personal data with care, ensuring they store it securely and discard it when they don’t need it anymore. However, if you’re unsure about handing over your personal information to an employer, it’s reasonable to leave your full address out.

It takes up too much space

A modern CV tends to be no longer than two pages of A4, and it’s best to get it down to a single page if possible. As such, your address can take up valuable space on the document that you could otherwise use to show how and why you’re suitable for the job.

It reveals a long commute

If you live a long way from the job, this could create fears of a long commute. Even if you’re willing to move for the role, it can be too complicated to explain this on your CV, so you might conclude it’s better to omit your address altogether.

It could lead to profiling

With your address, employers could look up the socio-economic profile of your area and adjust their salary offer. They could also access other demographic and economic information about your location that could create bias in the recruitment process.

Alternatives to Including Your Full Address

If you decide not to include your full address on your CV, there are alternatives. You could mention the town or city you live in. You could also be more vague, and only include the county that you live in. This type of information can give employers a reasonable understanding of your location.

Alternatively, you could provide your street name and town or city, but not your full postal address. This could be useful for opportunities where you live very close to the job and want to state how easy it will be for you to travel to work.

Whatever type of address you provide on your CV, remember to include other contact details such as your email address and phone number. These are the two most important contact details, as they’re the methods hiring managers or recruiters are most likely to use.

If you decide not to include your full address on your CV, there are alternatives. You could mention the town or city you live in.

Tips for Addressing Your Address Dilemma

If you want to mention your location or indicate to the employer that you’re based in the right area for the job, consider these tips:

• Add a relocation note: If you’re planning to move to an area closer to the job you’re applying for, you could add a relocation note to your header, instead of your address. For example, ‘Relocating to Aberdeen in early 2024’.

• Reference your location elsewhere on your CV: You could work your location into another section of your CV, such as your CV summary. For example, ‘Derby-based graphic designer with a passion for building innovative social apps’.

• Include your address on your cover letter: If your application includes a cover letter, you can add your address there and not worry about reproducing it on your CV.

If you’re applying for remote positions, it’s not necessary to include any information about your address or even your location, as this will have no bearing on your ability to do the job. However, some employers may need you to show you’re based in the same country as the position. On the other hand, there are some traditional, professional industries where it might still be prudent to include your address. These include the law, government and finance sectors.

Key Takeaways for Including Your Address on Your CV

These days, most employers probably won’t expect you to include your full postal address on your CV. You could include a more vague indication of your location, or a stripped-down version of your address, if you want to show you live close to the workplace. If you’re unsure about leaving it out completely, include it in your cover letter. For help creating a beautiful CV that includes all the necessary information in an attractive, easy-to-read document, take a look at CVwizard’s CV templates. Sign up today and follow the simple steps to create your winning CV.