When applying for jobs in Ireland, it’s vital that you adapt your CV to the expected local format. Find out what you should and shouldn’t include in your CV to get noticed by Irish employers.
The top of your CV should include your name and contact information, so that it is easily accessible should the employer want to get in touch with you. You can also include your nationality, but it’s not necessary.
As an international applicant, one of the first questions the employer is going to have is whether or not you have the legal right to work in Ireland. Make your work permit status explicitly clear to ease their concerns straight away, and encourage them to read the rest of your CV.
Including your date of birth, marital status or religion on your CV is not common practice in Ireland. Copies of degree certificates and official academic transcripts may be requested later on, but you shouldn’t include them with your initial CV.
Part of convincing someone that they should hire you lies in making their job easier. Giving them extra work to understand your CV is a pretty bad start then. To that end, when you include your academic qualifications it’s important to give the Irish equivalent. Finding the Irish equivalent of your qualification will allow employers to easily understand your application, and make them a lot more willing to consider you.
With its growing economy and high standard of living, a lot of people are looking to Ireland in search of work. Employers are inundated with CVs, and only have time to scan your application before making a decision. It’s vital to make your skills and experience jump off the page to get noticed.
The relevant skills for the job should be short and jump off the page. Once you have their attention, they can read examples of how you have demonstrated these skills in the past.
Have a friend, English teacher or colleague check over your CV before you send it. Spelling and grammatical errors raise employers’ alarms, as it shows communication in English could be a potential problem. It’s also worth having a native Irish person check your CV for the general formatting and phrasing - which should be direct, to the point, and persuasive.
For a more professional opinion and help, Atlas Language School host a free workshop for English students in Dublin called the Job Shop, where you can get professional advice on preparing a job application.