Make it easy to reach you
Use a current email address and a phone number you check. A town or region can give location context without publishing a full home address. A relevant professional profile or portfolio belongs only if it is ready to be seen.
Open links in the exact exported attachment and check that contact text is legible. An icon without a written label is not enough. The National Careers Service identifies name, phone, email and a relevant work-network profile as useful contact information.
- Keep: your name, current email and telephone number.
- Use when helpful: town or region, relevant portfolio and professional profile.
- Leave out: date of birth, age, marital status and nationality.
- Keep private: National Insurance number, bank details, passport numbers and identity scans.
Decide whether a photograph serves the application
Our templates omit a photo so your experience leads the page. For a standard UK CV, you can follow that approach. Do not copy conventions from a different country without checking what this employer requests.
A role that asks for a headshot, portfolio or separate application image has its own instructions. Supply that material through the stated process. Do not assume a photo improves screening or that an image can replace written evidence.
Ask before using someone as a referee
Get permission before you name someone as a referee. Check how they want to be contacted and whether they can speak about your work or study. A teacher, placement supervisor or manager may be appropriate depending on your situation.
The National Careers Service advises keeping other people’s contact details off your CV. You may write “References available on request” if useful. Keep the actual details separately for the stage when the employer asks. Do not promise a reference that the person has not agreed to give.
Fictional wording example
BeforeReferences: manager’s private phone number and home address.
AfterReferences available on request. Contact details kept separately with the referee’s permission.
Separate the CV from formal checks
Your CV describes your evidence. It is not the place to upload documents proving identity or immigration status. The right-to-work guide separates optional wording from the employer’s formal check.
If the application asks for anonymised details, follow those instructions. For an adjustment during recruitment, use the employer’s stated contact process. Explain only what is needed for that request; you do not need to turn a CV profile into a medical history.
Check the version you will send
Replace sample names and addresses everywhere, including headers and footers in a downloaded document. Remove comments, tracked changes and an old employer’s name. Check permission before attaching anyone else’s information.
The CV checker can flag obvious example addresses and some sensitive labels. It cannot find every private detail. Inspect the attachment yourself using the export checklist, then keep a copy of that application.