Mature students and CVs: FAQs

Age – Shall I include it? Where should I put it?

Since the introduction of age legislation it is no longer necessary to include your date of birth on your CV. Some employers have removed the request for a date of birth on their application forms and by law you do not have to provide this information. However it may still be possible for an employer to work out your age from your other achievements.

How should I present my qualifications, they’re not A levels and GCSEs?

Always try to equate any unfamiliar qualifications to A levels or GCSEs, just so the employer has a rough idea of their level. For information about the equivalence of less familiar qualifications, see the National Qualification Framework.

I haven’t got any paid work experience, what should I put on my CV?

Be sure to include all work experience, whether paid or unpaid. Employers are more interested in the skills gained than whether you got a salary.

Remember it's fine to have a one-page CV if you don't have enough information for two pages.

The reason I’ve done my OU study is to change career. All the work experience I have is completely unrelated, what can I do?

Make sure you explain your reasons for the change in your covering letter.

Think in terms of transferable skills: what skills have you developed in your previous work that will be relevant to what you want to do now? Match these against the person specification or job description. You can also consider using a skills-based CV format.

I’ve had such a lot of varied short-term jobs that it’s impossible to fit them onto two pages.

Make sure you don’t leave any chronological gaps. You can summarise some of the less recent and less relevant jobs (e.g. 1985–1992 A variety of temporary clerical jobs in the High Wycombe area).