When do you remove old qualifications from your CV/job applications?

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I've got a load of qualifications that I've never done anything with. I've always just put the relevant ones on job applications but at this point, the most recent qualification is over a year old and I can't remember a thing that I learnt in any of them so should I include any of them?

Also, I feel like it looks like there's something wrong with me (there is; I have no social/communication skills) because I've been stuck in an unskilled retail job for the best part of a decade even though I've done so many courses.

Should I just include anything listed as a requirement in the job advert and nothing extra? I do worry a bit about potentially being asked at interview about something that I'm supposedly qualified in but have long forgotten.

If it makes a difference, it's a mix of level 2, 3 and 4 qualifications in IT, accounting, payroll, customer service, admin, data protection, and web and graphic design, and Office specialist certifications...

I would put on anything even tangentially relevant to the job then browse some websites related to your qualifications to jog your memory of them. If you are anything like me it will come flooding back to you when you do just a little revision.

What kind of jobs are you applying for? Is there anything you particularly want to get into?

Some of them, I crammed the night before/day of the exams so I never knew it all that well anyway

Not really. I apply for any interesting looking admin roles that don't have a huge amount of telephone/customer service work and once in a blue moon, when they come up, entry level accounting roles.

When they arent relevant to the job. Nothing worse than a cv that has every qualification ever achieved

I only ever include relevant ones but when do qualifications stop being relevant purely through being old?

Like every office job ever wants proficiency in Office, rarely any specifics. I did the MOS certifications a few years ago. Same with accountancy roles. I studied payroll and Excel with the aim of showing a continued interest in getting into accountancy after AAT got me nowhere but it's all old now.

I would say just put the relevant ones, despite how old they are. Surprised AAT got you nowhere though as that's how I got into accounting recently from something completely different. Also what got me jobs is intermediate Excel skills and being able to talk about exactly what I could do in it, so perhaps refresh that one. Make sure you understand double entry, and then literally spell it out on your CV and covering letter "I understand double entry". "I can use Excel to an intermediate level including vlookups, sumifs, blah blah blah, and am always trying to expand my Excel knowledge". "I have been interested in accountancy for a while and have been building up relevant skills through study while also working in retail" Then talk about the transferable skills like organisation, prioritising workload, working under pressure, team work. Honestly I've been on the hiring side recently and if I saw these sentences you'd get to interview. A lot of people just list things on their CV without explaining them.

Accounting is more a complete lack of suitable opportunities than anything else. I can't afford to work for £4ph and it's very rare to see a entry level job offering anything better around here.

Thanks for your suggestions :)

Why not just put them all down. Don’t sell yourself short

It just becomes a bit of a list of things that I used to know but don't really have a clue about anymore.

I think your "school" ones have to stay, GCSE Maths and English etc but beyond that only significant things like a degree or masters and anything that's particularly relevant to the role.

I wouldn't worry about being "tested" on the content during the interview. That would only happening if it's a requirement of the role and they plan to do it for all candidates, so it won't matter if you list the qualification or not.

Tailor your CV slightly to each role you apply for, and include a cover statement. Remove the qualifications or certifications which aren’t applicable to the role you’re applying for - if you include all of them it can signify to some employers that you haven’t stuck with anything and are only applying for their job because it’s a job rather than because you’ve a real interest in it. It doesn’t particularly matter how old the qualification is if it’s relevant, especially at entry level.

The most important thing is to be able to demonstrate recent relevant experience. You don’t need to know what you learned for an exam five years ago if you can give an example of how you’d use the skills day to day.