can employers that you are applying for a job with able to look at what your past jobs are if you dont put them on your cv?
not sure if they can find out from your national insurance number.

not sure,
but i'm guessing that if there's a gap on your work dates then they can possily ask you about it.

i had a few years gap on mine but it was because i was raising my children.

Data Protection Act 1998 prevents them looking into your previous jobs.

nope but as said before, if there are gaps in your employment history they will probably ask you about them missing dates....

so essentially, you could lie about were you worked and for how long and they wouldn't be able to find out unless they called or wrote to them?

seems a bit wrong to me in all honesty - even if it is all to do with data protection, i reckon a potential employer should be able to find out about your work history.

They may question why you have not given the company as a reference though.

When I got the job before last, I completely missed a job off my CV that I'd done for 6 months as it was irrelevant to anything.

I may or may not have extended the job before by 6 months to cover any gaps...

Your last employer will show on your p45 then its just you and HMRC in the know. Unless you go for a security job as you have to prove 5 years work history

they are unable to find out from Natinal Insurance number, also Ni numbers should never be included on a CV as its open to ID theft

Depending on the job (and the name of the employee) it's possible to link past jobs with carefully crafted google searches. Also facebook posts can be found (even for private facebook profiles, posts are still subject to google cacheing so they can be read) and linkedin profiles read etc.

Bit more technical than what you wanted but for anyone that knows how to google it's only a 5min job unless you've got an exceptionally common name like smith or jones or williams. I do it for people that apply for stuff where I work and we're only a small firm. I would guess bigger firms might do it as standard now.

Good replies to your posting. I think if asked about previous jobs or gaps in employment on CV best to be honest with a potential employer. There are some places you work where there are personality clashes or that you don't feel at home and you move on. Any reasonable employer will understand that all previous jobs you held may not have been satisfactory. If you mucked up awhile ago some are willing to give a second chance.Once you are evasive or as like Billy Bunter'A stranger from the truth' you get into a pickle and come over as not being straight.