CV Template Ireland 2026: Free Layout That Recruiters Actually Read

The Irish CV in one page (or two)

Irish recruiters skim a CV in 6 to 8 seconds. Before they read a single sentence they check three things: is the layout clean, are the last two roles visible without scrolling, and does the top of the page tell them what you do.

That's what an Irish CV template needs to solve. Not fonts. Not colours. Structure.

This template is the exact layout we use with clients applying to roles in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, from tech and pharma to hospitality and finance. It works with the ATS platforms most Irish employers use (Workday, SmartRecruiters, Greenhouse, Occupop) and it prints cleanly for the hiring manager afterwards.

The template (copy this structure)

That's the whole template. Two pages maximum. One page if you have under 5 years of experience.

Why this order works in Ireland

Profile at the top, not "Objective". Irish recruiters don't want to know what you want. They want to know what you do and what you've done. Three sentences, past tense, results-first.

Key Skills as a strip, not a wall. ATS parses it, recruiters scan it. Eight to twelve skills, comma or bullet separated. No skill bars, no 1-10 ratings, no "expert / intermediate" tags, Irish hiring managers find them awkward.

Experience in reverse chronological order with the company location on the same line as the dates. If you've worked abroad, this is where relocation signals live: "Company, Lisbon" tells the story instantly.

Education below experience once you have more than 2 years of work. Above only if you're a recent graduate.

Work authorisation at the bottom. This is the single most under-used section on international CVs applying to Ireland. If you have the right to work, say so. Recruiters filter aggressively on this.

Formatting rules Irish recruiters expect

• Font: Calibri, Arial or Aptos, 10.5-11pt body, 12-14pt headings. No Times New Roman.
• Margins: 1.5cm to 2cm all sides.
• File: Save as PDF, named Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf. Never CV_v3_final_FINAL.docx.
• Photo: No. Irish and UK CVs don't include them. Same for date of birth, nationality, marital status and PPS number.
• Length: 1 page under 5 years'' experience, 2 pages above. Never 3.
• Colour: One accent colour maximum. Black text on white is still the safest bet for ATS.

What NOT to put on an Irish CV

• Photo, age, date of birth, nationality, gender, marital status
• Full home address (city + country is enough)
• "References available on request", assumed, waste of a line
• Hobbies section unless it's directly relevant to the role
• A "career objective" paragraph
• Every job you''ve ever had, cap it at the last 10-12 years

Tailor it in 10 minutes per application

The template is the skeleton. The magic is in tailoring the Profile, the Key Skills strip and the top 3 bullets of your most recent role to match the job description.

Copy the job ad. Highlight the 6-8 phrases the employer uses more than once. Those phrases go into your Key Skills and your Profile, using the employer''s exact wording, not your synonyms. That''s how you get past ATS and into the recruiter''s shortlist.

Next steps

If you want us to apply this template to your CV and tailor it to a specific Irish job description, book a free consultation or run your current CV through our CV analysis, it''ll tell you exactly which sections to rewrite and why.