Irish CV format: what employers in Ireland expect

The Irish CV format is the UK one: two A4 pages at most, newest experience first, no photo and no date of birth. gradireland, the graduate careers site for Ireland, says CVs in the UK follow the same format as those sent to Irish employers. If you already have a UK CV, you are most of the way there.

The layout, top to bottom

This order follows the DCU Careers Service CV guide:

1. Name and contact details: address, phone, email and your LinkedIn link. No "Curriculum Vitae" heading above them.
2. Personal profile (optional): three or four lines on your qualifications, experience and the skills the job asks for.
3. Education, newest first: dates, degree, university and your overall or expected grade.
4. Employment history, newest first: start and end month and year, employer, location, job title and four or five bullets.
5. Voluntary work, then interests and achievements, kept to a few lines.
6. Additional information, such as languages, a driving licence or professional memberships.
7. Referees.

gradireland's guide puts education first on a graduate CV. DCU adds that employment history should ideally start on page one, so keep the education section short enough to let it.

How long an Irish CV should be

Two pages. DCU tells students their CV should be two pages long, and its tip sheet says to limit it to two A4 pages. For graduates, gradireland aims shorter: one page of A4, with two as the absolute maximum.

Personal details to leave out

DCU's guide says not to include your date of birth, gender, race, religion or marital status. It also notes that a photo is not the convention on CVs for Ireland, the UK or the USA.

The reason is the Employment Equality Acts. They ban discrimination against people applying for a job on nine grounds, among them age, civil status, family status and race, which the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission defines to include nationality. None of these should play a part in who gets shortlisted, so keep them off the page.

One thing to add if it applies to you: DCU advises international students to state their eligibility to work in Ireland in the contact details block.

Referees

List two, and ask each person before you add their details. DCU suggests one academic referee and one from employment, and says to give only two unless the employer asks for more. gradireland gives the same advice for graduates. Include each referee's title, organisation, email and phone number.

Short of space? DCU says "available on request" is acceptable unless the application asks for the details.

Irish CV vs UK CV

Same format, so the UK CV format guide applies here too. If you studied outside Ireland, DCU suggests stating the Irish equivalent of your qualification, and points to NARIC Ireland for the comparison.

Graduate CVs

• Keep it to one page if you can. gradireland treats two as the limit for a graduate.
• Describe your final year project: the title, what you did and the outcome.
• Add your Leaving Certificate points if you are happy to. DCU says subjects and grades can stay off unless asked.
• Start bullets with a verb, not "I". Both DCU guides say to avoid the first person.
• Send a PDF, and save it under your own name. gradireland warns that a file called "CV.pdf" can get lost among the others.

Example profile

"Final-year BSc Computer Science student at a Dublin university, expecting a 2.1. Built the booking system for a sports club in React and Node.js during an eight-month placement. Looking for a graduate software role in Dublin."

Three lines, no "I", and every claim is something an interviewer can ask about. For more wording, see resume summary examples.

Build yours

Start an Irish CV in the builder. The UK / Ireland format sets A4 paper, calls the document a CV and leaves out photo, date of birth and nationality. It opens on Ledger, a single column with dates on the right; Modern is the alternative if you want a little more style. For a filled-in Irish example, see the solicitor CV, written for Dublin.