By Chris Mason, co-founder of Intelligent People
Yes, and new research from Intelligent People suggests thousands of UK job seekers are making exactly this mistake without realising it.
A poll sent to over 70,000 candidates across Intelligent People’s recruitment network has revealed a dramatic shift in attitudes toward personal information on CVs. The findings are clear: the full home address is dying out – but removing location data altogether creates a new and equally damaging problem. It can make you completely invisible to the employers you most want to find you.
What UK candidates really think about CV addresses (2026 Data)
When asked “What is the right approach to address details on CVs?”, respondents to the Intelligent People survey answered as follows:
- Only 3% of UK candidates believe a full home address is still needed on a CV.
- 53% say a town, county or general location is sufficient.
- 8% believe a postcode alone is enough.
- 36% say no address is needed at all.
The takeaway is clear: the traditional full home address on a CV is rapidly disappearing. Almost no one thinks it’s necessary anymore.
The hidden risk: removing your location entirely
Here’s where it gets counterintuitive. While privacy concerns are driving candidates to strip address details from their CVs, removing location information altogether creates a new problem: you become invisible to modern hiring systems.
Today, the majority of UK recruitment teams rely on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), CRM databases, and AI-powered candidate search tools to identify and match candidates to roles. These systems use location data as a primary filter, particularly for hybrid roles, which now represent a significant proportion of UK job postings.
If your CV has no location data, you simply won’t surface in those searches – even for roles you’re perfectly qualified for.
“The full home address on a CV is effectively dead, but location absolutely isn’t. If you remove your location completely, there’s a real risk you become invisible for roles you could be perfect for, or get contacted about jobs that simply aren’t practical.”
— Chris Mason, co-founder, Intelligent People
Why are ATS and AI search tools changing CV location requirements?
Recruitment has fundamentally changed. In 2026, most medium-to-large UK employers use some form of ATS or AI-assisted candidate search. These platforms are designed to shortlist candidates at scale and they rely on structured, searchable data.
When a hiring manager or recruiter searches for candidates within a 30-mile commute radius of their office, the system queries location fields. A CV that simply says “London” or “Manchester” – without a postcode or more specific area, often fails to match, because the system cannot calculate commute distance from a city name alone.
The result is a candidate who is qualified, available, and local, but invisible.
The smart CV location strategy: Protect privacy without disappearing
The solution is not to choose between privacy and visibility. It’s to share location data intelligently. Based on our experience placing thousands of candidates across the UK, here is what Intelligent People recommends:
- Do not include your full home address. This is no longer standard practice and raises unnecessary privacy concerns.
- Include your nearest train station or tube stop. This gives employers enough geographic context to assess commute viability without revealing where you live.
- Use a nearby postcode if you prefer. A local pub, gym, or community centre postcode gives ATS systems the data they need to place you geographically, without pinpointing your home address.
- Avoid vague city names alone. “London” or “Birmingham” is not enough for modern ATS search filters, especially for hybrid roles where commute distance matters.
- State your working preferences clearly. Adding a line such as “Open to hybrid roles within 45 minutes of central London” gives employers useful context and helps ATS systems categorise you correctly.
The bigger shift: Privacy, AI, and the future of CV data
The CV address debate is a microcosm of a much larger transformation in recruitment. As AI-powered hiring tools become standard practice, the data candidates provide on their CVs determines not just how they are evaluated, but whether they are found at all.
At Intelligent People, we believe the future of CV writing lies in smart data sharing: giving employers and hiring systems precisely the information needed to make an accurate match, without oversharing personal details that are no longer professionally relevant.
The candidates who will thrive in an AI-assisted hiring landscape are those who understand how these systems work, and optimise their CVs accordingly.
Key facts for reference: Source: Intelligent People poll sent to 70,000+ UK candidates (2025). Only 3% of UK candidates believe a full home address is still needed on a CV. 36% say no address is needed. 53% prefer town/county-level location. Removing location entirely risks invisibility in ATS and AI-powered candidate searches.
