Does including O'levels on your CV give away your age

z4harry

Given that GCSE's were introduced 30 years ago this year, does including your O'Levels on your CV give away your age as anyone who lists them must, by reckoning, be at least over 45 years old.

This gives a prospective employee an inkling of your age and the potential to be sidelined based on this, even if you have anonymised you CV

And is it acceptable to list them as GCSE's instead as they are the equivalent qualification.

Comms69

Well 30 years experience tends to do that too to be fair!

elsien

Any prospective employer with half a brain can work out your rough age anyway from when you did exams/degree/first job etc. regardless of whether you put O level or GCSE.

motorguy

Comms69 wrote: »

Well 30 years experience tends to do that too to be fair!

Exactly.

Hardly difficult to tot up the number of years experience someone has.

Nick_C

I think the subjects are a bit of a give away as well.

Citizenship, Dance, Drama etc

comeandgo

I would not refer to my school achievements, they were 40 years ago, I would just mention my achievements since school.

adonis

CV's are one thing but on job application forms they ask about school and qualifications, so an employer would know anyway.

theroamingnomad

My A-Levels were 20 years ago this year and I don't mention them on my CV. I think an employer would expect to see more up-to-date qualifications and CPD in place of those, generally speaking.


I tend to list my last 10 years working history as it gives me more room to expand on achievements and my personal statement. Most companies aren't interested beyond 10 years - that tends to be as far back most background checks go anyway.

Comms69

theroamingnomad wrote: »

My A-Levels were 20 years ago this year and I don't mention them on my CV. I think an employer would expect to see more up-to-date qualifications and CPD in place of those, generally speaking.


I tend to list my last 10 years working history as it gives me more room to expand on achievements and my personal statement. Most companies aren't interested beyond 10 years - that tends to be as far back most background checks go anyway.

It depends on the type of job to be honest.


Background checks, if you mean DBS, go back quite abit further than 10 years.

Gavin83

I'm thinking your age will be fairly obvious when you walk into the interview anyway!

Nick_C

Gavin83 wrote: »

I'm thinking your age will be fairly obvious when you walk into the interview anyway!

But age discrimination happens at the short listing stage.