Do you put your age on a CV? or 99% of British vacancies, the answer is no. Mentioning your age, or even your date of birth, can be a bad move and may damage your chances more than you think.
What many jobseekers find confusing is that, until roughly 15 years ago, including your date of birth on a CV was common. You might have even learnt to do this in school. However, modern best practices have completely switched this up, making it something of a faux pas.
So, why shouldn’t you put your age on a CV? And, what should you do instead? In the following guide, we’ll explain why this is not such a good idea and how to age-proof your CV.
Key takeaways
- Don't include your age or date of birth on your CV as it's not standard practice and can lead to unconscious bias.
- Remove graduation dates if you finished university more than 15 years ago.
- Only include the last 10-15 years of work experience to avoid revealing your age.
- List current, relevant technology in your skills section. Mentioning outdated software can date your skillset instantly.
- While specific age declarations are required for acting and modelling, C-suite, academic, and board profiles differ by showcasing extensive career longevity rather than biological age.
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Let’s get started by dealing with the elephant in the room.
Should you include your age on a CV?
The short answer is no. In most cases, you should not put your age as part of your personal information. That’s because it counts as a “protected characteristic” under the UK Equality Act 2010. That means that employers can’t discriminate against workers or candidates based on their age.
But wait, why is the onus on you to remove your age? The answer lies in unconscious bias. While most employers will adhere to the law, some may be swayed by your age without even realising it. Getting rid of any reference to how old you are solves this problem.
Should I put my age on a CV to prove I’m experienced, or young enough?
If you’re going for a specific job where age or experience matters, you might think including it on your CV is the way to go. However, that’s not the case.
Let your work experience and skills do the talking instead. Focus on proving your value through the content of your CV, rather than how old you are.
Recruiters evaluate people on the basis of merit (i.e. whether they are a good fit for the role). Leaving your age off your CV—and getting rid of any clues—is the best way to help them do just this.
Top 3 reasons to remove your age from your CV
Here are three of the reasons you should avoid putting your age on your next CV.
1. Unconscious bias
This is the number one reason—and we’ve already covered it briefly. Unconscious bias means any biases we hold that are outside of our immediate awareness. In simple terms, it describes the concept of accidentally having favouritism towards some candidates over others.
For example, a recruiter may have the unconscious assumption that someone is “too young to lead” or “too expensive to hire” based purely on their age. While they’re not aware that these factors are playing into the decision, it can damage candidates’ chances of landing an interview.
For that reason, removing your age from your CV is a wise move. It helps recruiters avoid this common pitfall while also meaning you get a fair shot when applying for jobs.
2. Wasted space
The space on your CV is extremely valuable. Think of this document as a marketing material (rather than a full-on biography!). Everything you include has to entice the reader and prove that you’re the perfect fit for the vacancy. Since your age does none of that, it doesn’t belong on your CV.
Leaving it off opens up more space for the things that matter. That could be your LinkedIn URL or a portfolio link, for example. These inclusions directly increase your chances of catching the recruiter’s attention. Be selective when deciding what to add to your CV to make you stand out.
3. Identity theft
Let’s talk about a lesser-known problem: identity theft. If your CV has your full name, address, and birth date on it, that creates a security risk. You should only include your general location on a CV (not your address) and omit your date of birth to avoid this issue.
Many candidates upload their CVs to online platforms or send them out to recruiters. Should these end up in the wrong hands—and contain all of the above information—it’s a real danger. A stranger would have everything they need to impersonate you online and effectively steal your identity.
Luckily, you can side-step all of these issues by simply not including your age on your CV. Once you’ve done that, you can move into other ways to keep your actual age a secret.
How to "age-proof" your CV: tips and examples
Let’s say you’ve taken your age off your CV. That’s a good starting point. However, recruiters may still be able to discern roughly how old you are by looking at your CV. Follow the advice we’ve shared below to avoid accidentally letting slip how old you are.
Consider removing your graduation year
Spoiler: degrees don’t expire. So, if you graduated more than 10-15 years ago, you might want to remove your graduation year from your CV. That way, the hiring manager can’t quickly figure out how old you are by looking at your education section.
If you choose to do this, include the rest of the vital details: the degree, your grade, and your university. You should also add extra details, such as whether you graduated with honours and any modules or coursework you completed that are relevant to the job.
Let’s take a look at an education section that reveals your age:
Education section
Bachelor of Arts in English Literature
University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK | 1992 - 1996
- Graduated with 2:1 Honours
- Member of the Student Newspaper Editorial Board
A-Levels
Sheffield Sixth Form College, Sheffield, UK | 1990 - 1992
- English Literature (A), History (A), Psychology (B)
GCSEs
Bradmoore High, Sheffield, UK | 1985 - 1990
- 9 GCSEs including English (A*), Maths (B), Science (B)
And here’s how you can share the same section without doing that. Yes, it’s perfectly acceptable.
Education section
Bachelor of Arts in English Literature
University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Graduated with 2:1 Honours
- Member of the Student Newspaper Editorial Board
Use the “15-year rule” for experience
If you have 20 years' worth of experience, a hiring manager can guess that you’re at least in your late thirties or early forties. To avoid giving the game away, use the 15-year rule. That means only including work experience from the past 15 years. This works two-fold when applying for jobs.
First of all, it doesn’t let on how old you are, which means no unconscious bias or age discrimination. Secondly, any experience that’s more than 15 years old is likely not highly relevant now. Recruiters care far more about what you’ve been doing in the last decade and a half than anything before that. Bonus: Sticking to this rule helps you keep your CV length in check, too.
This works two-fold when applying for jobs. First, it masks your specific age, reducing the risk of unconscious bias. Second, it ensures your CV remains sharp and concise. However, the most critical principle you must follow is relevance. Recruiters care far more about your recent achievements than what you did two decades ago.
How to shape your experience when you have a long career history
- Audit for relevance: Before adding an older role, ask yourself: "Does this experience prove I can do the job I am applying for today?" If the technology, methodology, or market has changed significantly since then (e.g., using software that is now obsolete), cut it.
- The 15-year cut-off: Provide full details—achievements, and metrics—only for roles held within the last 10 to 15 years. This is your "prime" evidence.
- Early-career summary: For relevant experience older than 15 years, create a separate section at the bottom called Early Career History or Previous Experience.
- Remove dates from old roles: In your Early Career section, list the job title and company name, but remove the dates. This shows you have the background without highlighting exactly how long ago it was.
- Group or summarise: If you had multiple similar roles early on (e.g., three different junior copywriter roles between 2000 and 2005), group them into a single line to save space.
Get rid of references to outdated tech
Saying you’re a pro at using Windows 95 or Lotus Notes is a quick way to give away your age. When including tech in your hard skills, make sure it’s still relevant in the workplace.
Here’s an example of what not to do:
Skills section
- Lotus Notes Adobe Flash
- Windows 95
- Installation and troubleshooting
- Dial-up modem configuration
- Floppy disk data recovery
- Netscape Navigator
- Internet Explorer 6 optimisation
Instead, include only the technology that is still used in the modern workplace. And remember, it’s better not to mention any tech at all than to fill up the space with things that are well out of date.
Let’s take a look at a better skills section example:
Skills section on a CV
- Content Management & Publishing (WordPress, Contentful, HubSpot CMS, Google Docs, Notion)
- SEO & Analytics Semrush (Ahrefs, Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Clearscope)
- Writing & Editing Tools (Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, AP Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style)
- Project Management (Asana, Trello, Monday.com, Slack)
- Research & Fact-Checking (Academic databases (PubMed, JSTOR), expert interview coordination, source verification)
Create a modern-looking CV
If your CV looks old-fashioned, that’s a dead giveaway of your age. Many of us learnt how to write CVs when we were back in school. However, much of the advice your teacher gave you back then is now out of date. Knowing the difference can stop you looking out of touch.
As a recap, let’s take a look at the differences between a modern CV and an outdated one:
Modern CV standards vs. old-fashioned standards
| Modern standards | Outdated standards |
|---|---|
|
|
Refining decades of experience into a modern CV doesn’t have to be a struggle, and you certainly don’t need to start from scratch. Enhancv is the preferred choice for seasoned professionals thanks to our AI-powered CV Builder, designed to streamline complex career histories into sleek, high-impact narratives.
Not sure how to modernise your presentation? Enhancv makes it effortless to transition from a dense, outdated document to a sophisticated application. Choose from our selection of recruiter-approved CV templates, engineered to highlight senior-level expertise, and let the platform optimise your background for you.
Are there any exceptions to the age rule?
Yes—but not many. In certain professions, your age is either a strict job requirement or acts as a seal of credibility and authority. In those specific instances, disclosing your age helps position you correctly for the role.
Let’s take a quick look at some examples:
C-suite or board positions
If you’re at the top of your career, and you’re going for a C-suite or board position, the decision maker will expect you to have a couple of decades of experience. It may even say this in the job advert.
While you may not want to put your age on your CV, you can include the entirety of your experience. Proving that you have decades of experience in the field shows you have what it takes for this role.
Take a look at an example below:
Executive profile
Strategic Non-Executive Director and Chair with over 25 years of executive leadership experience driving governance and growth across the FTSE 250 and private equity sectors. Expert in steering complex digital transformations and ESG strategies for high-growth global organisations. A trusted advisor to C-suite teams, bringing a deep history of navigating regulatory landscapes, managing risk, and delivering sustainable shareholder value during volatile market cycles.
Academic positions
When you work in academia, the rules of engagement are different.
Let’s say you’re going for a professorship, the decision maker will want to see your academic experience first. That may include a full publication history, decades of research experience, and lecturing experience, too.
Often enough, the CV length will reflect the demands of this type of role, surpassing three or even more pages. While you may not need to put your exact age on your CV, your wealth of experience will tell the reader about how old you are.
Actors and models
If you’re working in acting or modelling, your age and how you look are both important. For that reason, you may include your exact age on your CV alongside a headshot of yourself. This is vital when casting directors are deciding whether to invite you for an audition.
Of course, a CV is not the only marketing material you’ll need. If you’re going for a job as an actor or model, you may also have a portfolio and a showreel. Needless to say, landing a role in this sector takes an entirely different strategy to your standard vacancy.
Legal practice
Do you work in the legal field? Experience is everything. Should you be going for a senior partner or even QC role, you will need to have a wealth of industry experience to prove your worth.
Once again, you may not put your age (or date of birth) on your CV. However, your experience can well exceed the 15 year-mark, especially if you’re going for a high-level position.
High-level consulting
Consultants sell themselves based on the experience they have. That means that having 15+ years of experience is a USP, rather than a drawback. When you’re going for this type of role, you can extend your work experience section to include all of your relevant former experience.
For most of these examples, you should still avoid explicitly writing your age. Instead, you should either follow the specific job requirements or focus on your leadership experience and expertise by detailing older jobs to demonstrate your seniority.
Takeaway
Do you put your age on a CV? Most of the time, no. You should leave it off.
Review your CV header now and make sure you haven’t included your date of birth or your age. Strategically avoid any identifiers that will give away your age. We’re talking about your years of experience, the date you graduated, the tech you use, and how you present your CV. This approach means you’ll be judged purely on your talent and skills… not on how old you are.
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