What Personal Details Should Be on My CV?

Recruiters have to sift through hundreds of CVs every day. The only thing that distinguishes you as an individual is your personal details. They’re the first thing a hiring manager sees on your CV and the key to them contacting you for an interview.

Think about it this way and it’s obvious that what seems like a minor detail is actually essential to writing an effective CV.

This guide will explain which personal information to include in your CV and what you should leave it out. You’ll also learn the best way to present your personal details on your CV for maximum clarity and impact.

First, here’s a CV example made with our builder that happens to have perfectly presented personal details.

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Sample CV made with our builder—See more CV examples here.

And once your CV personal information has been perfected we can help you with everything else on your CV too. Read more:

• How to Write a CV: Professional UK Examples
• What to Include in a CV: Essential CV Sections
• What is a CV and What Does CV Stand For?
• How to Write Your CV Summary [10+ Examples]
• Best CV Structure: How to Set Out a Perfect CV
• Please Find Attached My CV: The Best Way to Say It
• References on a CV: Should You Include Them
• Skills Based CV Writing Guide
• 20+ Job-Winning CV Tips & Advice

The Right Personal Details to Put on Your CV

Your CV should contain information about your work experience, CV skills and education. This is the information that wins you the job, but it’s useless if the hiring manager doesn’t know who you are or how to contact you.

So no doubt, you’re wondering which personal details should you put on my CV and how should I present them? 

Let’s start with an example of a personal details section of a CV and then we’ll break it down and show you how to write your own.

Your CV personal details section should go right at the top of your CV and contain the following pieces of vital information. 

1. Name

Your name should be prominent and eye-catching. Do this by putting it in a font 6–8 points larger than your body text. Bold it for even more emphasis and if you’re feeling creative, put it in a different CV font, too. It’s called font pairing and when done properly it adds a stylish touch to your CV.

Here are a couple of other points to consider too:

• If you have a long name, then only include your first and last name. Take the painter Pablo Picasso for example. His full name was Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísi-ma Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso. A little too long for the average CV header I’m sure you’ll agree.
• Don’t write CV or Curriculum Vitae alongside your name. This is an Americanism, and it’s completely unnecessary. We know it’s a CV, there’s no need to label it.

2. Address

Surprisingly this causes a lot of arguments in recruitment circles. Should you include your address in your CV personal information or not?

Generally, we’d say no. It’s a holdover from when correspondence was done by post, the employer had to know your address to write back to you. So it’s redundant now. And if you’re trying to write a one page CV, that space is better used elsewhere.

Only include if it’s to your advantage. So if you happen to live very close to your prospective employer, try including your address. The fact you won’t have a long commute and are unlikely to be late may work in your favour.

3. Phone Number

This is a must-have. Make sure it’s a personal number, and if you’re applying for jobs abroad, make sure you also include the international dialling code.

Pro Tip: This would be a great time to make sure you have a professional sounding voicemail greeting set up to deal with any missed calls from recruiters.

4. Email Address

You have to include your email address in your CV personal details too. The trick here is to make sure it’s your personal email address, and not the ‘funny’ one you created when you were a teenager.

Just stick to an email address based on a variation of your name. Create a new one if necessary.

5. Optional Personal Details to Include on Your CV

You could also include a link to your LinkedIn profile, making sure your profile is up to date and accurately reflects what you’ve written on your CV.

Or, you could also include a link to relevant social media handles and/or online portfolios. This is particularly important in creative industries.

Making a CV with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a CV ready in minutes.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

What Personal Details Shouldn’t be on Your CV?

The following pieces of personal information should never appear on your CV.

• Nationality
• Date of birth
• Marital status
• Religion
• Photograph

Candidate photographs are actually commonplace in much of the world, but they’re a real no-no in the UK unless specified otherwise. It’s also a waste of time too. 

Recruiters spent 20% of the brief time they took to review a CV looking at the photo (if it’s present). I’m sure you’ll agree that’s time better spent on reading about your skills and experience.

Your personal appearance is irrelevant to how well you can do the job. So unless the employer specifies otherwise, leave the professional headshot for your LinkedIn account.

As for the others on that list, it’s a similar story. They have no bearing on your ability to do the job, and they’re not standard on a CV now. So including these personal details would just make your CV look strange.

You’re also opening yourself up to discrimination by including unnecessary information. Discrimination might be illegal, but as I mentioned earlier it definitely still exists.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

The only personal information on your CV should be the details that identify you, allow the hiring manager to contact you and strengthen your position as a potential employee. Here’s a summary.

• Include your name written in a larger size of font for emphasis.
• Always include your personal phone number and personal email address.
• Your postal address and LinkedIn profile are optional.
• But don’t include your photo, date of birth, marital status, religion and other personal information that could attract discrimination.

So now you’ll know what personal details are and how to include personal information on your CV. If there’s anything else you want to ask about CV personal information then hit me up in the comments section and I’ll get right back to you.

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Sources

• https://arxiv.org/pdf/1811.08015.pdf