[jlarocco]

Your age or birth date probably shouldn't be on your CV. Unless you think it's relevant to the job somehow, but it probably isn't.

Not only should it not matter, but it's illegal for employers to ask about it or consider it in their hiring decision, so having it right there on your CV puts them in a bit of a tight spot. I think some recruiters will actually remove that type of thing before forwarding it on to the interviewers and hiring people.

[laurieg]

That depends on what country you're in. In Japan it's very standard to include date of birth, gender and a photograph on CV's.

On the whole I hate the practice, but you have to consider cultural norms when doing the job-hunting dance.

[ido]

It's also customary in Germany, although I've never had a problem getting a job and I've never attached a photo to my resume.

[Accacin]

Really? That seems very odd to me. In the UK I've never put my birth date, gender or photo on a CV and you're advised not to, unless you're applying to be like a model or something where I guess gender and photo is needed.

[gaius]

When I was in the 6th Form in the UK we were told we had to include a photo with CVs. Another reason you should never take careers advice from someone who became a careers advisor!

[ido]

Immigration is still a pretty new thing for most of central Europe.

There weren't a significant number of visibly-foreign immigrants in Germany till the 60s or 70s and it took a couple more decades before those were seen as anything other than 'temporary guest workers'.

The UK and France (and even more so the US and other "New World" countries) had at least a few decades head-start for culture to get around the idea of immigration.

[germanier]

Depends on where you work. Anything influenced by the English-speaking world (IT, multinationals) – never attach a photo. A small local company – always attach a photo. Anything else – good luck deciding what to do.

[kuschku]

Not really anymore, the latest version of the DIN norm on CVs has no photo or birthdate anymore, and in some states, it’s being discussed to ban it even.

[germanier]

Is there a a norm on CVs? The only remotely relevant I know of is DIN 5008 which concerns letters but doesn't contain anything regarding CVs.

[kuschku]

There is one since the EU standardized CVs and created a webapp to build standardized CVs.

[germanier]

I have never seen a Europass in the wild and I wouldn't cite that as a German standard CV given its European nature.

[denzil_correa]

It's quite customary in Getmany to even have a picture on your CV.

[philsnow]

Many people put college graduation year on their resume, and hiring managers reflexively subtract ~20 from that year and aren't wrong 99% of the time.

[dorfsmay]

Interesting! I graduated much later in life, don't put my DOB on resume and I've often been told that they expected me to be younger when they see me - now I get it!

[cableshaft]

One of the few perks of not finishing your degree until much later is the fact that you can put that date on your resume and people assume you're younger. It's expensive, though, considering how much and how fast college tuition has been shooting up in price the past 15 years.

[Zelmor]

In Hungary, it is standard to include a photo on the CV, so I do that. Recruiter friends told me how they consider non-photo applications secondary to ones with photos, and how a human face helps building a connection right from the start.

So my only reason for including my age on the CV is because I look like I'm 24, whereas I'm pushing 31.

[dasboth]

Not just Hungary, most of Europe outside of the UK seems to do this. I remember finding it a bit odd the first time I had to sift through developer CVs and most of them had photos.

[geomark]

What's the story in Asia? I only know about Thailand where a photo, age, sex and religion(!) are standard on CVs. Most advertised jobs state requirement for male or female of a certain age.

[lostboys67]

That is because many European country's are still a bit un reconstructed when it comes to issues around race.

Photos make it easier to hire people like us :-(

[gaius]

Graduation dates need to be there for any role that involves a background check.

[Retra]

If someone is doing a background check and can't find out when you've graduated, then why bother?

[gaius]

Yeah, that's kinda the point: you can't realistically conceal your age in many if not most job applications.