What Is Blind Resume Formatting?
Blind resume formatting (also called CV anonymization) removes personally identifying information from resumes before they're shared with hiring managers. The goal is twofold: reduce unconscious bias in hiring decisions and comply with data privacy regulations like GDPR.
When done properly, the hiring manager sees the candidate's skills, experience, and qualifications — but not their name, age, gender, ethnicity, or other characteristics that could trigger bias.
What to Redact
Blind Resume Redaction Guide
| Information | Always Redact | Sometimes Redact | Keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate name | |||
| Photo | |||
| Date of birth / Age | |||
| Gender pronouns | |||
| Home address | (full address) | City/region only | |
| Email address | |||
| Phone number | (replace with agency contact) | ||
| University names | (reduces prestige bias) | ||
| Graduation years | (reveals age) | ||
| Job titles | |||
| Company names | (rare, for internal moves) | ||
| Skills and certifications | |||
| Work experience content |
GDPR note: Under GDPR Article 5(1)(c), the principle of data minimization requires that personal data be 'adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary' for the processing purpose. For recruitment, this means only sharing candidate data that's directly relevant to assessing job fit.
GDPR Requirements for Staffing Agencies
GDPR applies to any staffing agency handling data of EU/UK residents, regardless of where the agency is based. Key requirements:
- Data minimization (Art. 5): Only process and share personal data that's necessary for the specific purpose
- Purpose limitation (Art. 5): Data collected for recruitment shouldn't be used for other purposes without consent
- Consent (Art. 6): Candidates must consent to their data being shared with clients. Blind formatting helps because less data = lower risk
- Right to erasure (Art. 17): Candidates can request their data be deleted. Blind copies reduce the data footprint.
- Data protection by design (Art. 25): Build privacy into your processes from the start — blind formatting is a textbook example
Country-Specific Requirements
- France: Anti-discrimination law (Loi n° 2006-396) encourages anonymous CVs. Large companies (50+ employees) were required to use blind CVs, though enforcement varies.
- Germany: The Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG) prohibits discrimination. Anonymous applications are increasingly common, especially in public sector.
- UK: Civil Service and many public sector employers require anonymized applications. Not legally mandated for private sector but widely adopted.
- US: No federal blind hiring law, but some states and cities (e.g., California, New York City) have ban-the-box and fair chance legislation that overlaps with anonymization principles.
Manual vs. Automated Anonymization
Manual vs. Automated Blind Formatting
| Factor | Manual | Automated |
|---|---|---|
| Time per resume | 15-20 minutes | Under 30 seconds |
| Consistency | Variable — depends on who does it | 100% consistent |
| Error rate | High — easy to miss a name or date | Near zero |
| Scalability | Doesn't scale beyond 10/day | Unlimited |
| Audit trail | None | Logged for compliance |
| Cost at 100/month | $3,750 (at $45/hr) | Tool subscription |
Based on 100 resumes/month, $45/hr recruiter cost
The biggest risk with manual anonymization is incomplete redaction. A recruiter might remove the name from the header but miss it in the filename, or redact the date of birth but leave the graduation year that reveals age. Automated tools catch all instances systematically.
Best Practices for Blind Formatting
- Define your redaction policy: Document exactly what gets removed and what stays. This ensures consistency and provides an audit trail for compliance.
- Replace, don't just delete: Replace candidate names with identifiers (Candidate A, Candidate 001). Replace contact info with your agency's contact details. This keeps the resume readable.
- Standardize the output: Blind resumes should all look identical in structure. This prevents hiring managers from guessing identity based on formatting style.
- Track original-to-blind mapping: Maintain a secure mapping so you can reveal candidate identity after the shortlisting decision. Only authorized personnel should have access.
- Automate where possible: Use tools that can detect and redact identifying information automatically, with human review for edge cases.