How to prepare a Resume to Work in Ireland

This is a short guide to help you. How to prepare a resume to work in Ireland.

Irish Resume / CV have no standard length, but many employers prefer them short, maximum two pages containing only facts and figures.

The key focus of your Irish resume should be to persuade the employer to invite you for an interview. Therefore, your resume is a marketing tool, which should be adapted to the market in which you intend to use it.

Present your Irish CV / Resume either in chronological order - starting with your first job and ending with your most recent position or in the more common reverse Chronological order - beginning with the most recent job.

Start with your ‘Personal Details’ - often without place of birth and religion.

A daytime phone number, with the international access code and e-mail are most important.

Follow with ‘Education’. Include examination grades giving dates of attendance, study emphases, diplomas and degrees.

Mention additional courses and special skills such as computer programs in which you are proficient.

Language skills are important in Ireland, so detail them.

Reveal your native tongue and describe your level of fluency for the other languages with reference to the spoken and written levels.

Next write your ‘Work Experiences’. List responsibilities you had in each job with dates, their locations and your titles - emphasizing areas relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Close with extra-curricular and leisure activities as they are important to Irish employers..

Attach on a separate page two references, one academic / personal, the other a professional reference, both with full contact details.

They are usually taken up if an offer of employment is made.

It is more common in Ireland to apply for a job through the Internet.

Work permits in Ireland

• EEA citizens are free to move and work wherever they want to, within the EEA (including Ireland).
• You need to apply for a residence permit. This is valid for five years and should be issued within six months of your arrival.
• Contact the Irish embassy in your home country for more information.

The application procedure in Ireland

• In Ireland, speculative applications are worth trying if they are well researched in advance.
• Realise the importance of language skills. Having a social conversation is very different from a business negotiation.
• Realise that Ireland is not the United Kingdom. Compared to the UK, Ireland focuses more on the personal development of the applicant, and not as much on results.

The application letter in Ireland

• In Ireland application letters can be typed or handwritten.
• When your letter is a response to an advertisement, it should be brief and merely introduce your CV.
• A lot of companies in Ireland use application forms, especially for junior managerial/supervisory staff.

Dos

• In Ireland bring copies of your CV, diplomas and employer testimonials to the interview with you.
• Be prepared for an assessment centre. Assessment centre test are quite common in Ireland.
• Be prepared for questions about your extracurricular activities.
• Ask for clarification if you don’t understand the question.
• Look interested – ask questions.
• Be able to provide examples to illustrate your achievements.

Don’ts

• Mention your skills and motivations in your CV in Ireland, this should be mentioned in your application letter.
• Sit until invited in an Irish application interview.
• Be deceived by the chatty style in which interviews are held. This can be a way to find out about the ‘real’ you.
• Criticise former employers.
• Go over the top – stay calm and stick to the facts.

Management culture in Ireland

• Irish people are considered flexible and are great at improvising.
• In Ireland, planning and strategy are usually short term.
• In an Irish business meeting it is best to only give your opinion about a subject if you are well informed.
• Irish people are tough and skilful negotiators underneath the friendliness they will display.
• In Ireland, you should always shake hands when you meet someone and again when you leave.
• After work colleagues often go for a drink. However be prepared to be on time again the next morning!