Anonymous CV: utopia or a good idea?

What are the advantages of an anonymous CV?

The main advantage of an anonymous CV is that it focuses recruitment on skills and professional experience by reducing unconscious bias related to identity. In theory, a recruiter no longer sees the candidate’s name or age and can concentrate solely on their profile.

Several studies and initiatives highlight that this anonymization can increase diversity. For example, blind CVs encourage the selection of candidates from varied backgrounds (different genders, origins, or social experiences), which enriches the team and the company’s creativity.

Moreover, some analyses indicate that using anonymous CVs reduces inequalities up to the interview stage by preventing applicant tracking systems (ATS) or initial human screeners from arbitrarily discarding a file.

Finally, standardizing the CV format can speed up candidate screening: recruiters save time by reviewing a uniform document that omits any elements distracting from the essentials (skills, key experiences).

• Selection based on the candidate’s skills, without influence from name, gender, or age.

• Potential increase in the diversity of recruited profiles, boosting team innovation and performance.

• Reduction of unintentional hiring discrimination at the first CV screening.

• Time savings during preselection thanks to a standardized format that removes non-relevant criteria outright.

What are the limitations of an anonymous CV?

Despite its merits, the anonymous CV has several notable drawbacks. First, French studies (CREST/Pôle emploi) have shown that it does not always improve the chances of discriminated candidates and can even disadvantage them.

For example, anonymization “does not, on average, improve the chances of securing an interview for groups likely to face discrimination,” and the interview rate gap becomes even more unfavorable for candidates from immigrant backgrounds or sensitive areas when their CV is anonymized.

In short, deprived of all contextual information (no school or former employer names, no photo, no detailed training history), the recruiter may fail to recognize the value of certain profiles. Additionally, the anonymous CV only addresses the initial screening stage: during the interview and the rest of the process, the candidate’s identity will of course be revealed, which limits the overall impact on discrimination. Furthermore, practical implementation can be complex. Manually anonymizing CVs requires time and can incur costs (you also need to anonymize cover letters, emails, etc.).

Some candidates or recruiters try to circumvent the system (by searching for the candidate on LinkedIn, discreetly sharing names, etc.). Finally, complete anonymization can remove valuable elements (e.g., the name of a prestigious school or a renowned company), which may diminish the strength of the application.

In summary, an anonymous CV without support remains an imperfect tool: it reduces some biases but does not eliminate all inequalities and can produce unintended consequences.

Hiring Notes supports you with its AI tool to anonymize a CV in just a few clicks—and even translate it into multiple languages.

Effectiveness of anonymous CVs against discrimination

The anonymous CV aims to combat hiring discrimination. In principle, it ensures that the initial screening is identity-blind, which seems like an ethical advance. In practice, however, its effectiveness is mixed. On one hand, some companies (AXA, Norsys, etc.) report positive feedback on diversity achieved through anonymization; on the other, several independent reports (notably a 2011 Pôle emploi evaluation) conclude that it does not significantly close the interview rate gap and, in some cases, may widen it for the most discriminated candidates.

Thus, while the anonymous CV counters recruiters’ tendency to favor “profiles like themselves,” it is not a panacea. It is generally agreed that it limits bias up to the interview, but additional measures (diversity training, quotas, HR practice monitoring, etc.) are needed to ensure equal treatment throughout the recruitment process.

Impacts on diversity and equal opportunity

In theory, a partially “blind” recruitment process should promote team diversity by eliminating the homophily bias (the tendency to choose someone similar to oneself).

Anonymizing CVs thus tends to open doors for women, people from immigrant backgrounds, or candidates with atypical educational or career paths. From an equal-opportunity standpoint, it allows talented individuals to pass the first screening without being eliminated on non-job-related criteria. However, as noted, field studies show this potential benefit is partly offset by post-interview recruitment practices.

In short, an anonymous CV partially promotes fairness, but its overall impact on internal diversity remains difficult to quantify without complementary actions (mentoring, recruitment targets, etc.).

How to create an anonymous CV: best practices

To draft an effective anonymous CV, you must remove all personal information and thoughtfully reformulate certain elements. Typically, you delete the name and photo (keeping only initials if desired), hide age and birth date, remove full address and family status, and omit nationality or religious symbols.

However, you retain the core content: detailed professional experiences (job titles, responsibilities, achievements), degrees and training, key skills, languages, and certifications. The idea is that only skills and experiences speak for themselves. Thus, a candidate can still mention responsibilities at “a multinational beverage company” without explicitly naming “Coca-Cola.”

In practice, several solutions exist to anonymize a CV: you can do it manually (with care) or use dedicated digital tools (see Hiring Notes below). It’s also recommended to accompany the anonymous CV with a neutral cover letter and inform recruiters in advance that the application is intentionally anonymized.

Legal framework in France

Legally, the anonymous CV has long been debated. The March 31, 2006 law for equal opportunity included an article (L.1221-7) requiring anonymous CVs in companies with more than 50 employees, but this obligation depended on a decree that was never enacted. Finally, Article L.1221-7 of the Labour Code was amended in 2015 to specify that using anonymous CVs is optional.

Alternatives and complementary solutions

The anonymous CV is not the only method to reduce hiring bias. Among the alternatives are the “citizen CV” (which highlights transferable skills and personal qualities without focusing on past employment), skills tests at the start of the process, or “blind” preselection algorithms. Unconscious bias training for recruiters, diverse interview panels, and gender-parity quotas are also commonly recommended levers. You can even combine approaches (for example, anonymize CVs and then conduct interviews based on objective technical tests).

Below is a comparative overview:

Anonymity between recruiter and company during selection

With a Hiring Notes subscription, anonymity protects not only the candidate but also ensures a neutral relationship between the recruiter and the company. Only the desired skills and fully anonymized profiles circulate, with no influence from the company’s name, employer brand, or job reputation. Screening thus relies on objective value, accelerates decision-making, and strengthens the fight against hiring discrimination while preserving the strategic confidentiality of both parties.

Hiring Notes: high-performance anonymization

Hiring Notes overcomes the limitations of traditional anonymous CVs with its AI engine. In seconds, it erases name, photo, age, address, gender, educational institutions, and identifiable companies, then generates a PDF where only skills and experiences speak for themselves. The result: zero omissions, zero bias, and significant time savings.

Recruiters immediately access relevant profiles, while sensitive company data remains masked (exact job title, contact details, company name). By combining intelligent anonymization with secure matchmaking, Hiring Notes enables a more equitable, faster recruitment process in line with best practices for diversity and equality.