Elements of a Winning CV

A CV is like a first impression. You wouldn’t (or shouldn’t!) walk into an interview looking untidy and disorganised. Your CV is exactly the same. With considerable competition amongst candidates, a well constructed CV is now more important than ever.

The average length of CV’s we have reviewed is 2-3 pages. It should be positive, stressing achievements and strengths, and make a good impression in a clear and positive way.

Pay attention to grammar, use a straightforward font and formatting is advised as is a spelling check. Don’t type it in UPPERCASE as this does not look professional.

Its important to state that no one CV will be applicable to all roles, so a couple of versions may be required to emphasise a different aspect of the content, such as career history or qualifications.

We advise that the basic CV includes:

Personal Details

• Name, address, phone number, email address and possibly any professional social media presence i.e. LinkedIn. You do not need to include your date of birth, references or a picture if you so wish.
• If you are not a European citizen, it is useful to clearly clarify your eligibility and status to work within Ireland.
• We advise you never include your PPS Number or bank details if applying for a temporary position.
• A summary profile paragraph which is like an “elevator pitch” selling yourself and your qualities, tailored towards the job you are applying and emphasising what you can do for your new employer.

Education & Training

• Start with your most recent qualifications, detailing date received and awarding institution.
• Detail all relevant training, with the most recent first, including in-house and external training received as well as any systems and specific software experience you have.

Employment History

• Start with your most recent job first, including dates of employment and identify any significant gaps between jobs.
• Where the employer is not a well known company, its useful to briefly describe the business, typical clients and markets serviced.
• Where possible include as much information as possible so the person reviewing your CV is able to establish your potential benefits.
• Detail all key relevant responsibilities and duties in bullet point format along with all key achievements for each job that are relevant to the position you are applying.
• Avoid using abbreviations that are not common as whilst they may be familiar to you, a prospective employer may not understand what they mean.

Interests & Hobbies
List all if they are relevant and especially if the skills or teamwork concerned are relevant for the job

References
Ideally detail two or more and including a recent employer