How to write a CV that gets interviews in Ireland

First, understand who reads your CV

Your CV has two readers. The first is often a screening step: an applicant tracking system, an HR generalist, or a manager with forty applications and a lunch break. The second is the person who will interview you. The first reader decides in seconds whether you are relevant; the second wants evidence that you can do the job.

An often-quoted eye-tracking study by the recruitment site Ladders (2018) found that recruiters spent an average of around 7.4 seconds on an initial CV scan. Whether it is seven seconds or seventy, the lesson is the same: the top third of page one has to do the heavy lifting.

The shape of a strong Irish CV

Irish employers expect a clean, conventional document. Creativity belongs in your content, not in your layout.

• Two pages for most people. One page if you are a student or early in your career; a little more only for senior, academic or highly technical roles.
• No photo, no date of birth, no marital status. These are not expected in Ireland and can invite bias.
• Contact details at the top: name, phone, email, town or county, and a tidy LinkedIn link.
• A short profile (three or four lines) that says who you are, what you are good at, and what you are looking for next.
• Experience in reverse order, most recent first, with dates as month and year.
• Education and training, including relevant short courses and CPD.
• Simple formatting: one clear font, consistent headings, no tables or text boxes that confuse screening software.

Turn duties into achievements

This is the single change that makes the biggest difference. A duty tells the reader what was on your job description. An achievement tells them what changed because you were there.

Compare these two lines:

• Responsible for customer service and handling complaints.
• Resolved an average of 25 customer queries a day and cut repeat complaints by introducing a simple follow-up call.

The second line is specific, shows judgement, and gives the interviewer a story to ask about. You do not need huge numbers. Small, honest specifics, "trained three new staff", "reduced stock waste", "kept the club accounts for four years", are far more convincing than adjectives.

Match the job, every time

A CV is not a biography; it is an argument for one particular job. Read the advertisement slowly and highlight the skills, qualifications and words that keep coming up. Then make sure your CV uses the same language where it is true for you. If the job asks for "stakeholder engagement" and you have spent years "working with parents, teachers and the board", say so in their words.

Tailoring does not mean rewriting everything. Keep a full "master" CV and adjust the profile, the order of your bullet points and the skills section for each application.

Competency-based applications (public sector and beyond)

Many Irish public-sector competitions, including those run through publicjobs.ie, local authorities and the HSE, use competency-based application forms and interviews. Instead of a CV alone, you are asked to give examples that show specific competencies, for example delivery of results, people management or communication.

The classic structure is STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. The Action part should be the longest, what you did, in the first person, and the Result should be concrete. Choose recent examples, and do not reuse the same story for every competency.

"The panel can only score what you write down. If it is not on the form, it did not happen."

The cover letter still matters

A cover letter is where you connect the dots. Keep it to one page: why this organisation, why this role, and two or three short paragraphs that link your strongest evidence to what they need. Avoid repeating your CV line by line, and never send a letter addressed to the wrong company. It happens more than you would think.

Mistakes we see every week

• A profile full of clichés ("hard-working team player with excellent communication skills") and no evidence.
• Gaps with no explanation. A single honest line, "career break to care for a family member", is better than silence.
• Long lists of every course ever taken. Keep what is relevant.
• An email address you would not want a manager to read aloud.
• Spelling mistakes in the very skills you claim ("attention to detial").

When it is worth getting help

You can absolutely write a strong CV on your own with the guidance above. People usually come to us when they are changing career, returning after a break, applying for a competitive public-sector post, or simply too close to their own story to see what makes it interesting.

At Slí Nua Careers, a coach works one-to-one with you, in person in Ballinrobe or online, to draw out your achievements, shape your CV and cover letter, and prepare you for interview. Every document is written and checked by a person; we never fabricate experience, and you leave with materials that sound like you on a very good day.