So many times candidates fail to put their addresses or postal codes on their CV. For some it’s concerns about security and keeping their personal information safe. But for the majority of people, they simply don’t think it’s important.
Here’s how important it is. Without an address or even a postal code, we as recruiters, have no idea what area you live in and which positions you’d qualify for in terms of the commute. And as a result your CV doesn’t make it to the shortlist to get presented to clients.
The reality is that most people aren’t willing to commute more than 45 minutes each way. In fact, the majority of companies prefer for their employees to live within a 20 minute commute of work.

What’s the big deal with commuting?

It used to be that people would move jobs for more money, flexible work hours or better benefits. Today most people change jobs because of commutable distance.
Long daily commutes contribute to employee fatigue, especially if it’s more than 45 minutes each way. Who’d want to spend 1.5 to 2 hours daily sitting in traffic or on a train? It’s like cancelling two hours of your life every day, when instead you could be spending time with your family, socialising with friends, doing a sport or leisure activity or even just getting an extra half hours sleep.  
Employees that have a shorter commute tend to be more focused and productive at work than those travelling more than 45 minutes daily. And as a result many companies have a radius area from which they’ll employ.

Without an address you’re in no-man’s land

For a recruiter, initially vetting a potential candidate takes at least an hour and one of the first things we look for on a CV is an address. Our database uses postal codes to organise candidates by area, so without an address or even a postal code, your CV gets placed into no-man’s land.
No recruiter wants to spend an hour or more vetting a candidate and shortlisting them for a client, only to discover that they live the other side of London, and most likely won’t take up the position because it’ll involve a long commute.
On the other side of the coin, including your address could move your CV to the top of the shortlist – provided of course you qualify for the position with having the right skills and experience.

But what about keeping personal information secure?

Since the introduction of GDPR, recruitment companies are required by law to keep personal information secure. However, if giving the street name and number is still a concern, be assured, you don’t need to. Including just the area and postal code is enough for recruiters to know where you’ll be commuting from.
Think about it for a minute. There really shouldn’t be a concern for candidates to divulge their full address to recruiters. Recruiters aren’t going to sell your address or send you junk mail. They aren’t going to track you down after an interview and come knocking on your door asking why you haven’t gotten back to them. There are far more efficient ways of doing this – like telephone or email.
The bottom line is that omitting your address from your CV is causing you to lose out on job opportunities. Instead of going to the top of the shortlist pile, you’re going to no-man’s land, just because your CV doesn’t contain a postal code. It seems silly really, but it underlines the importance of getting the details right. A postal code is all it takes to make the difference.

Are you looking for your dream job? Then we’d like to help you. Please email us your CV to langleyjames@langleyjames.com