Application Tips - Creating your CV

Ideally a CV should be 2 pages long (definitely no longer than 3 pages), and should include the following pieces of information:

Personal Details:

• Full name
• Address for Correspondence
• Email Address
• Mobile and home telephone numbers

Education & Qualifications:
Starting with your most recent qualification, this section should include:

• Any professional qualifications attained e.g. CIPD, ACCA etc.
• Name of College/University, qualifications and grade achieved
• Name of secondary school and Leaving Certificate (or equivalent qualification), subjects studied and grades achieved

Employment History:
Start with your most recent position and work backwards in reverse chronological order. The following information should be given for each position held:

• Dates of employment
• Company name and location (town/city name only)
• For each position include the job title and briefly outline the key duties and responsibilities of the role Keep this section clear and concise by using bullet points
• Include any significant achievements that may have come about as a result of your work
• Avoid overloading this section by only including your most recent and relevant employment

Key Skills:

• Include technical skills such as PC Applications, hardware, operating systems, software etc.
• Include any relevant non-technical/soft skills, such as presentation skills, team management skills etc. Outline the manner in which you gained these skills.

Achievements:

• This section should be short and relevant and include no more than 3 achievements. These achievements may be from your hobbies and interests, your education or indeed your employment history, if you have not previously mentioned them above.

Hobbies and Interests:

• At the end of the CV include hobbies and interests.

Additional Information:
You may wish to give other information here that will add value to your application such as:

• Details of why you are suitable for the position you are applying for, or if speculative, what type of role you are looking for
• You may also wish to include that you hold a full drivers licence if appropriate
• You may wish to indicate your preferred geographical location or whether or not you are willing to relocate

Points to Remember
You should rework your CV for every job you apply for, emphasising the aspects of your work history, skills and abilities that best suit the requirements of the position.

• Avoid long paragraphs of text
• Bulleted paragraphs are a great way to save space and add impact
• Be brief and concise
• Make sure that all information on your CV can be backed up and is truthful and honest