Your primary goal with your CV is to ensure that every tiny detail of it is geared with the employer in mind. You haven’t written the CV for you.

Everything from your employment history to your skills profile will be fine tuned to ensure that each and every word should catch the eye of the recruiter.

With so many CVs containing useless information it’s clear that some people struggle to identify what to include in a CV. Here, we list the top five useless pieces of information that we have seen in CVs.

1) Photos

Well, most of us won’t be applying for a modelling job or an acting role. More and more, recruitment processes are geared towards fairer recruitment drives. In mainland Europe, photos on CVs are more common but in the UK employers want your experience to speak volumes; there in black and white.

2) Marital Status

I’m sure you’re proud of your high-powered, good-looking spouse but no one else will be.

3) Religion

Religion is a divisive issue at the best of times. Your God isn’t shortlisting for the post, unfortunately, so leave him off your CV.

4) DOB

Age discrimination in the workplace has always been something that people are aware of but the Equality Act 2010 brought together existing anti-discrimination legislation and extended them significantly.  Because of this strengthened protection against ageism, date of births have dropped off CVs.

5) Interests

Ohhhhh, okay, you like “…socialising, shopping, reading and spending time with your family”? What else do you like doing, staring wistfully out of your window on balmy summer evenings? Employers don’t care.

Alright – sometimes interests may be of interest to employers. If you were going for a job at a railway museum and you have a 9m x 3m model railway in your attic they may want to know about it!