CV Format and CV Layout Tips

designing your CV

What to put in (and leave out) in your CV

Your CV is the first impression a prospective employer will get about you. Therefore it's important that you have the right personal details in your CV. Choose a plain CV format, but still profession, CV template, and fill it in as honestly as possible. Remember to put the most important details towards the top of the page as feasibly possible. Remember you should tailor your CV to the employer you are sending it to, this means checking what the advertised position is looking for and highlighting those points in your CV layout. Whether you are writing a Engineering related CV or a Sales related CV, you still need to have good content.

Human Resources & your CV

The Human Resources Department (HR) looks firstly to exclude you from the applicant pool, and by not including the right keywords mentioned in the job advertisement, means you won't get put into the pile for people to be interviewed.

Many people forget to use a spell checker on their CV before they submit it, so don't forget this. Try to get a friend to read it to make sure that they can understand what you are trying to tell an employer. Remember to be creative when you are making your CV, it will make you stand out and be memorable to the employer. Irish CV's tend to be two pages or shorter, longer CVs, no matter how good they are, tend to be tossed to the rubbish pile.

Engineering/Sales CV Example

Here is a quick idea as what order to put in say a sales or engineering type CV.

  • Personal Details
  • Employment History
  • Education & Training
  • Personal interests

Important things to remember when writing a CV/Resume

Employers normally receive a multitude of CVs for each position they advertise. Jobs advertised in national papers can attract hundreds of applicants. So your CV has to be just that little bit special to stand out if you want to obtain interviews. One of the goals of a CV is to get your foot in the door. The good news (for you) is that most people do not know how to write a CV or format a CV and only spend a short time preparing a CV. Writing professional CVs is a skill, which these people have not learnt.

CV Cross-checking

Common mistakes, like spelling errors or irrelevant information, makes the reader think that the applicant hasn't taken the job application process seriously. You need to invest some time in preparing a CV, and even tailoring your CV to the job application. So take your time when you are doing your CV.

Some companies require a certain format of their CV, either in Microsoft Word/plain-text or as a PDF. Make sure you are sending the right format and you don't annoy the prospective employer by filling up the email inbox with overly large attachments.

A CV tells a lot about you, so remember to put in the time to get it right, this includes not adding certain details too.

CV Layout Service

If you want, our CV expert, can have a look at your CV and provide feedback and suggest changes. It costs under €100 and you will normally have a polished CV back within 72-120 hours (3-5 days) !
CV Review Service : €93.99
Why such a strange price ? After PayPal fees are taken we are left with just over €90

For this price we will :

  • Hold a 30 minute call with you to discuss jobs and target areas.
  • Prepare up to two versions of your CV, with different focuses.
  • Deliver word file and PDF versions of your CV.
  • Will give you email support for when you have questions about your CV in the future.

Cover Letter

Before you send your CV to an employer, you will need to put together a Cover Letter, check our Guide to good Cover Letters to help you get started.



"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives
and the dreams shall never die."

~Edward Kennedy