What to Leave Off Your CV in 2026 (UK Guide)

Most CV advice tells you what to add. This is the other half of that conversation. A cluttered CV does not read as thorough — it reads as unedited. Recruiters spend seconds on an initial scan. Every line that is not earning its place is working against you.

Here is what to remove — and the reason behind each one.

1. A photo

UK employers do not expect photos on CVs. This is not the norm in the UK and it is not the norm in most English-speaking countries. In some European countries (Germany, France, parts of Southern Europe) a photo is standard — but applying UK norms in the UK means no photo.

Many HR teams are trained to flag CVs with photos as a potential discrimination risk — they cannot unsee it once they have seen it. Remove it entirely. If you are applying internationally, check the local convention for each country.

2. Your date of birth

Age discrimination is covered under the Equality Act 2010. Reputable UK employers will not ask for your date of birth at application stage, and including it voluntarily hands them information they are not supposed to factor in — but are human enough to notice.

Remove your DOB. Your graduation year and employment dates already give a recruiter a reasonable sense of your career stage.

3. “References available on request”

Every recruiter already knows this. It is understood that references will be requested if you are offered a job. The line takes up space — sometimes two or three lines at the bottom of your second page — without communicating anything. Cut it and use the space for a relevant bullet point.

The same applies to listing reference names and contact details on your CV. Provide them when asked, not before.

4. Your full home address

You do not need to put your full postal address on a CV. City and region is enough — it tells a recruiter whether you are local or would need to relocate. “Manchester” or “South London” does the job.

Your full street address and postcode are not needed until you accept an offer. Sharing them at CV stage is unnecessary and, given how widely CVs get forwarded, a mild privacy risk.

5. Every job you have ever had

A two-page UK CV should cover roughly the last ten to fifteen years of work history. Beyond that, relevance drops and page count grows.

For early-career or unrelated roles from more than fifteen years ago — a Saturday job from school, a summer position during university — a single line (employer, title, years) is enough if you include them at all. The detail should be concentrated on your last two or three roles.

The exception: a much older role that is directly relevant to what you are applying for. In that case, include it with a brief note — “(earlier position, included for direct relevance to this application)” — so the recruiter understands why it is there.

6. Generic skill claims without evidence

“Excellent communicator.” “Strong team player.” “Highly motivated self-starter.”

These phrases appear on almost every CV and score zero with an ATS — they are not the specific keywords adverts use. They also signal nothing to a human reader, because anyone can write them regardless of whether they are true.

If you are an excellent communicator, prove it with a bullet point: what you communicated, to whom, in what context, with what outcome. The claim goes; the evidence stays.

7. An “Objective” statement

The objective statement — “Seeking a challenging role in a dynamic organisation where I can utilise my skills...” — is an American convention that has largely died out in UK recruitment.

Replace it with a professional summary: two to four sentences that describe what you do, at what level, in what sector, with the two or three strongest signals for this specific role. It is focused on what you offer, not what you are looking for.

8. Irrelevant hobbies

“Enjoy reading, socialising, and going to the gym.” This takes up a line and tells a recruiter nothing. It does not differentiate you, it does not demonstrate a skill, and it does not answer a question they are trying to answer.

A hobby earns its place only if it demonstrates something genuinely relevant: running a community sports team (leadership), competitive debating (communication), a significant online presence (content or marketing), a language spoken to near-native level (communication). If the hobby just fills space — cut it.

9. Your nationality or visa status (unless relevant)

You are not required to state your nationality on a UK CV. If you have the right to work in the UK without restriction, it is assumed and does not need to be stated. If you are on a visa that may affect your availability or start date, that is worth mentioning — but do it clearly and briefly rather than listing visa categories that mean nothing to a non-HR reader.

10. Salary expectations

Do not include a target salary on your CV. This is not standard UK practice and it boxes you in before any conversation has happened. If an application form asks for it, give a range. If a CV template has a field for it — delete the field.