Two pages is the norm
In Ireland, the standard CV is two A4 pages. One page can work for graduates with little experience; three pages is acceptable only for very senior or academic roles. If a recruiter has to hunt through four pages, you have already lost most of them. Aim for two pages of tightly edited, relevant material.
The standard structure, top to bottom:
- Name and contact details: name, town or city and county (a full postal address is not needed), phone number with country code if you are abroad, a professional email address, and your LinkedIn URL.
- Personal profile: three or four lines stating what you do, your strongest evidence, and what you are looking for. Write it last, tailor it per application.
- Work experience: reverse chronological (most recent first). Company, job title, dates (month and year), then achievement bullets.
- Education and qualifications: institution, award, grade, year. Recent graduates can put this above experience.
- Skills: a short, scannable list of genuinely relevant technical skills, tools and languages.
- Optional extras: certifications, volunteering, publications, only if they support the application.
What to leave OUT
This surprises many people moving from other markets. Irish CVs should not include:
- A photo. Employers here generally do not expect one, and many will be uncomfortable receiving it because of equality legislation (the Employment Equality Acts prohibit discrimination on nine grounds, so employers prefer not to hold information they should not consider).
- Date of birth or age
- Marital status, children, or religion
- PPS number (never share this before you are hired)
- Nationality or visa details on page one. Your right-to-work situation matters, but the CV is not the place to lead with it; if you address it at all, one factual line at the end or in the cover letter is enough.
Tone and language
Use Irish/British spelling ("organised", "programme", "labour"). Write in the first person implied ("Led a team of five", not "I led" or "John led"). Keep formatting simple: one clean font, clear headings, no graphics-heavy templates.
Finally: never invent or inflate anything. Ireland is a small market. Reference checks are normal, industries are tightly networked, and a falsified CV discovered later can end an employment relationship and, for permit holders, put a permit at risk. Accuracy is not just ethical, it is strategy.
A line such as "References available on request" is fine; listing referees' details on the CV itself is no longer expected.
