Personal Information on CV: A Guide with Tips
When you’re applying for jobs, it’s necessary to include some personal information on your CV. These tend to include contact details, as well as some basic information that can help employers understand your suitability. But what personal details should you include, and what should you leave out? In this article, we discuss personal information on your CV, with tips and examples to help you make the best possible impression with employers.
Why is Personal Information on Your CV Important?
The personal details section of your CV is your chance to introduce yourself and share some key information with the reader. They’re the first thing employers will see when they read your CV. As such, it’s essential to include the right information and show you understand the rules and conventions of what to include in your CV.
Your personal information comprises contact details and some other key details about yourself. Your contact information is important for obvious reasons. The other information you choose to share is dependent on the role you’re applying for, and any special criteria stated in the job description. This could include links to a personal website portfolio or LinkedIn profile, or useful information such as languages and driving licences.
Essential Personal Information for Your CV
The following personal information is essential for your CV, and you should aim to include it every time you submit a job application:
Your Name
The first thing to include in your personal details is your name. It’s standard practice to include your first name and last name, but to omit any middle names unless you use them regularly. Most CV templates list the applicant’s name in a larger font, bold or using a different typeface, to stand out as a header for the document.
Phone Number
One of the essential pieces of contact information for your CV is your phone number. This can be your home number or your mobile phone, whichever you use more. It’s not usually necessary to include both. If you’re applying for jobs in a different country, include your international dialling code.
Email Address
The other main piece of contact information to add to your CV is your email address. Email is often the default method of communication for managing the recruitment process. Employers are likely to send out key information via email, such as invitations for interview and updates on the selection process.
Make sure your email address looks as professional as possible and doesn’t include nicknames, slang or anything offensive. If you don’t have a professional-looking email address already, it’s best to set one up before sending out your CV. Try combinations of your first name, initials and last name (for example, Andrew.Holden@mail.com or A.P.Holden@mail.com). If all possible combinations are unavailable, you could add your year of birth or a keyword, such as A.P.Holden.1996@mail.com or Andrew.Holden.Consultant@mail.com.
Professional Title
If you have a professional title, it’s definitely best to include this in your personal information, alongside your name. This could either be a prefix, such as ‘Dr’ or a military rank such as Captain (‘Capt.’).
There are also various honours (OBE, MBE etc.) and degree abbreviations you can add to your personal details. Although most people don’t add their bachelor’s degree to their contact details (for example, BA or BSc), it’s more common to add master’s degrees or doctoral degrees, such as MPhil, MSc or PhD/DPhil.
Location
You could include your full address in your CV, but this isn’t usually needed. It’s unlikely that employers will contact you by mail, and you can add your full address in the header of your cover letter if you like. Your full address is also likely to take up at least three lines in your CV, which is space you could use for something else.
However, it’s a good idea to include some reference to your location, so employers know you live in a location that’s practical for the role. This could simply be a mention of your town, city or county.
Expert Tip:
In the UK, it’s best to be as brief as possible with the personal information on your CV. Add your contact details and any other necessary information, but avoid adding sensitive personal details, as the Equality Act 2010 guards against discrimination on the grounds of nine protected characteristics.
Optional Personal Details to Include in Your CV
Besides the essential items outlined above, there are some optional personal details that can be useful to include. Certain roles may also require these details. Here are some optional details to add if they’re appropriate, and if you have the space available in your CV:
Online Presence
If you have a website or personal portfolio showcasing your previous work, you can add a link to it in your CV header. This is particularly relevant to creative roles or any careers where you make or build things.
You could also add your LinkedIn profile, to provide greater depth on your skills, experience and expertise. If you have any other social media profiles relevant to your career, you might also wish to add these. Research suggests that around 70% of employers check the social media profiles of applicants during the hiring process (1), so it can be useful to share these so employers don’t need to look you up.
Driving Licence
It can be beneficial to share details of your driving licence status, particularly if the job you’re applying for requires travel. This can be essential for jobs that involve driving vans or buses, tracked vehicles or agricultural machinery, or anything that needs a special licence.
Languages
Adding any languages you speak to your CV can help you stand out from other candidates. If you’re applying for roles with international companies, it can be essential. You can add additional languages you speak to your personal information at the top of your CV, or include them in their own section at the end of your CV.
"The personal details section of your CV is your chance to introduce yourself and share some key information with the reader."
Personal Information to Omit from Your CV
There are some details that are unnecessary to include in your CV for UK jobs. If you’re applying for roles in other countries, be sure to check the local customs before adding any of the following information:
Protected Characteristics
The UK's Equality Act 2010 outlines nine protected personal characteristics, making it illegal to discriminate based on any of these. The characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex and sexual orientation.
It’s illegal for UK employers to use any of this personal information to inform their hiring decisions. Many employers prefer applicants to leave this information off their CV altogether.
Other Unnecessary Personal Information
Other personal information that’s not normally needed for your CV includes your nationality/citizenship or your visa/immigration status. If employers need to check your right to work in the UK, they’ll ask you at the appropriate time. Avoid adding your salary expectations or your current salary to your CV, as this will come up at the interview stage or later. Finally, while some people like to add a personal photo to their CV, this is generally discouraged by UK employers, unless the role requires it (for example, for acting or modelling roles).
Formatting Tips for Your Personal Information
The formatting of your CV header can make a big difference to the overall design of the document. Typically, the name at the top of the CV acts as the document heading, so you can use a larger font size, a different font or even bold or a different colour to highlight it.
Add the remaining personal information underneath your name, but be careful to take up as little as space as possible, as you’ll want to make your CV compact and concise so it’s easy to read. You could combine your phone number and email address on a single line, while you could also present other optional personal information such as links, languages and driving licences on a single line.
Key Takeaways for Adding Personal Information to Your CV
It’s essential to include some personal information on your CV, but in the UK, applicants tend to keep details to a minimum, unless the role requires it. Present your personal information in your CV header and use subtle design elements to enhance the look and feel of your document. CVwizard has various tools and resources to help you create an eye-catching CV. Choose from a range of CV templates to build a professional-looking CV with a clean, stylish design that stands out from the crowd. Sign up today and follow the simple steps to get started.
References:
(1) Career Builder, 9 August 2018: More Than Half of Employers Have Found Content on Social Media That Caused Them NOT to Hire a Candidate, According to Recent CareerBuilder Survey
