Do you put your age / DOB and nationality on your CV?

whiskeyman

Just thought about this one... (am updating my CV)
I watched Panorama on BBC at the start of April, and it was about new Age Discrimination Laws to be brought in around Oct 2006: (In UK, but think its EU too)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/4879398.stm

Panoramo wrote:

Employers will be prohibited from taking age into account in deciding who to offer a job to unless the employer can justify doing so. Employers will need to be careful of giving an impression that age is relevant as they could be forced to prove that they did not discriminate.

For example, a job advertisement which refers to an "energetic, fun and dynamic" candidate could be used to support a claim that the company was after a younger candidate. Similarly, an advertisement for a "mature candidate with boardroom presence" could suggest an older candidate was sought.

It was also mentioned that job seekers shouldn't, therefore, have to state their age / DOB unless required.


I probably could leave nationality out of this thread, but I'm just curious as to how many include one, both or neither.

I had both on mine.

thoughts & comments welcome

leeroybrown

Typically I would include both. I feel that it is advantageous in most cases to do so. While an employer should not discriminate based on either of these factors I think that when my CV is being quickly read by a prospective employer they will see my age (24) as corresponding to the right combination of experience and maturity for the job and my nationality (Irish) as proof of good English and not requiring a work permit. I don't think either will make a difference at the interview stage but they could be a factor before then.

If I felt that either was in any way dis-advantageous for a particular I would remove it.

wes

I tend to put my DOB, but I put that one mostly out of habit.

As for nationality I put that in as my name would lead one to think I wasn't Irish. I don't put it down because I think someone will discriminate based on my name, but to show that I am an Irish citizen (save them asking if I need a work permit etc, not that happens often.) and that my english would be native as well.

mikemac

On a related note, what about a request for a photo?
I remember applying to Lidl or Aldi(can't remember which) and they request a photo with your application
I sent mine in as I thought if a job candidate can't follow simple instructions, they'll be turned down immediately

My friends girlfriend works in HR and said you should never send a photo. You may get turned down instantly if someone takes a dislike to you. I don't mean if you're unattractive, just for instance if you look similar to someone they dislike and you remind the HR person of them.

Would you send in your photo with a job application if you're asked to?

TempestSabre

They can work it out from your education etc.

leeroybrown

micmclo wrote:

Would you send in your photo with a job application if you're asked to?

Only if I was required to do so by the application process. It's extremely unlikely that I would be asked to as I would generally be applying for jobs which are not 'customer facing'.

TempestSabre wrote:

They can work it out from your education etc.

If someone is screening a large number of CV's I'd rather that they didn't have to work anything out.

county

i put my DOB and place of birth

the_syco

Questions about work permit and fluncy of english: both never asked if you have "Irish" as your nationality.

Eoin

I put in my DOB, have no reasons not to as all the dates etc add up correctly on my CV. Also, my age (27) is probably about normal for the jobs I apply for. Don't bother with nationality as "Eoin" is probably a clue.

Haven't thought of the photo thing before, though as I work in IT Development it's probably not an issue. I would if I was asked though; I can see the logic that someone could take a dislike for some subconscious reason, but you may pìss the company off more by not applying with all the details they requested.

Manny7

The photo thing is a European, or maybe just German thing. Any applications we get from Germans will always include a photo. I don't like it at all, seems like a way to weed out ethnicities you don't want without explicitly saying so.

Alun

TBH I don't think anyone is going to be discriminated against for being in their mid-20's do you?

Anyway, the program on the BBC that the OP mentioned highlighted some obscene practices by many recruitment agencies, where, although it is illegal, they were being quite complicit in immediately binning any CV's where the applicant's were "old fogies" ... in some cases this meant over 40! This was at the request of the employers, and one or two were also quite happy to only pass on CV's of "white" applicants. Just reinforces my opinion of recruitment agencies being the scum of the earth, really.

I'm in a position at the moment where I'm currently unemployed and applying for positions at the ripe old age of 49. I now leave my DOB (and nationality) off of my CV, but it doesn't take a genius to work out roughly how old I am from other information like education and work experience. Not entirely unsurprisingly the only real responses I'm getting are from semi-state type employers who appear to take the various non-discrimination legislation more seriously than the private sector does.

Alun

Manny7 wrote:

The photo thing is a European, or maybe just German thing. Any applications we get from Germans will always include a photo. I don't like it at all, seems like a way to weed out ethnicities you don't want without explicitly saying so.

It's a requirement in most German job advertisements for some reason or another.

Litcagral

I would think that an employer is entitled to know a prospective employee's age as the application of various statutory regulations can differ according to one's age. e.g.

The Unfair Dismissals Act 1976
The Payment of Wages Act 1979
The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997
The National Minimum Wage Act 2000

BC

Nope i never include either, it can generally be worked out from education/work experience anyway. I used to but years ago an agency asked me to take my DOB off and i never bothered putting it back. I don't really have too much spare room on it anyway.

smurfbaby

I include a DOB on my cv, but to be honest both can be deduced by looking at my name, years i went to college etc. As others have said, my qualifications and work experience correspond to my age so I feel its important to put it in