Italian CV Format: How to make a CV for Italy + Examples

In this article, we provide a complete guide to creating an Italian CV that gets your application noticed, with formatting tips and examples to use for inspiration.

You can give your applications a boost by using Jobseeker's CV templates to build an Italian-ready CV. Choose Italian as the language for your CV, to automatically add all the necessary Italian section headings, and use AI suggestions to improve the quality and relevance of your Italian CV content for the local job market.

Italian vs UK CV: Key Differences

Before we delve into the details of the Italian CV, let's take a look at some of the key differences between a UK CV and its Italian equivalent:

Italian CV format

Choosing the correct Italian curriculum vitae format will help ensure your application meets local expectations and doesn't show up a lack of understanding of Italian hiring and workplace culture. Italian CVs tend to follow a formal, traditional layout, while the Europass CV is also widely used in Italy, with its rigid, highly structured format. Here are some tips on ensuring your Italian CV meets employer expectations:

Italian CV examples

To see how to make a CV for a job in Italy, review these two Italian CV examples, which include all the necessary personal details and sections for an Italian CV:

With Jobseeker, it's quick and easy to create a CV like the examples shown above. Jobseeker's CV builder provides a wealth of CV templates with professional, ATS-friendly layouts that will resonate with Italian recruiters and hiring managers.

How to write an Italian CV (step-by-step)

For detailed guidance on how to write each section of your Italian CV, follow this step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Add personal details (Dati personali)

In addition to the usual details (name, e-mail address, telephone number including country code), you need to include a little more personal information than you may be used to. Italian employers are more likely to expect you to include your full home address than UK employers, but it's also common to list various personal details. These include your date of birth, place of birth, nationality, marital status and whether you hold a driving licence.

UK employers typically prefer you not to include these details, owing to the Equality 2010. While Italian and EU law prohibits discriminatory hiring practices and protects various personal characteristics, it's still normal to include these details in your CV. This is because hiring culture in Italy takes a more holistic view of the candidate, their personality and circumstances, while UK culture is much more focused on experience and qualifications.

Step 2: Add a photo

For similar reasons, it's normal to include a personal photo in your Italian CV. While Italian CVs have a highly structured, formal approach to written content, which may reduce the personal connection the reader can make with the applicant, a photo counters this slightly. As such, it's common practice (though not mandatory) to add a passport-style photo to the top corner of your CV.

If you do decide to include one, make sure that it’s a formal passport photo, taken either at a photo booth or by a professional photographer. Facebook party photos or holiday snaps are not appropriate.

Step 3: Write your CV profile (Profilo professionale)

Like in the UK, Italian CVs start with a personal profile. In Italy, this takes the form of a short paragraph (up to three sentences) describing either your career journey to date (profilo professionale), or your objectives for your career (obiettivo professionale). The career objective reflects a more traditional Italian approach to professional presentation, that prioritises the candidate's aspirations alongside their credentials. This is ideal if you're a junior candidate without much work experience to speak of.

Step 4: Add and adapt your work experience (Esperienza lavorativa)

Italian CV conventions mirror the UK, with the work experience section taking the most prominent position in the CV, directly under the CV profile. List your work experience in reverse-chronological order, starting with your current or most recent role. For each entry, list the following:

The Italian approach to work experience bullet points is to be more restrained and factual, removing any self-promotional tone you might use for a UK CV. This means being modest about your achievements and using more moderate action verbs to describe the impact you've made in your career to date.

Step 5: Add education (Formazione)

Formal education and qualifications carry more weight in an Italian CV than its UK equivalent. The specific university you attended carries considerable prestige, so if you attended a high-ranking UK university such as Oxbridge or a Russell Group university, you should highlight this in a brief comment.

Italian degree grading is different to the UK, so it's a good idea to translate your UK qualifications into their Italian equivalent. Europass offers a tool to do this, but Italian employers may also require you to register your UK qualifications with Italian authorities for verification purposes. Completing this process through Italy's ENIC-NARIC network — which is managed by CIMEA (Centro di Informazione sulla Mobilità e le Equivalenze Accademiche) — may be required for regulated professions.

Step 6: Add skills and languages (Competenze e lingue)

Like a UK CV, add a list of your most relevant technical and transferable skills to your CV. However, for Italian CVs, it's also common to include separate sections for IT skills. This section is called 'Competenze Informatiche', and you should list software, digital platforms, and technology tools you're familiar with. Adding this as a dedicated section reflects Italy's usage of the Europass CV format, which uses the structured 'DigComp' framework for digital competence assessment.

You should also include a dedicated languages section. Use the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) standard to indicate how well you speak Italian and any other languages. This universal, standardised system uses letters to describe different language proficiency levels:

This framework is an easy way for employers to understand whether you can carry out specific tasks: reading, writing, speaking, listening.

Step 7: Finish with a GDPR clause

Although GDPR provides blanket data protection regulations, regardless of whether you add a clause to your CV, it's still common practice to include one for Italian job applications. The 'Autorizzazione al Trattamento dei Dati Personali' is required under Italian data protection practices, and gives the employer explicit permission to process your personal data.

Here's an example of a CV GDPR clause in Italian:

Autorizzo il trattamento dei miei dati personali presenti nel curriculum vitae ai sensi dell'art. 13 d.lgs. 30 giugno 2003 n. 196 — Codice in materia di protezione dei dati personali — e dell'art. 13 GDPR 679/2016 — Regolamento europeo sulla protezione dei dati personali.

Essential Italian CV terminology you need to know

To make a good impression with Italian employers, it’s important to use the correct terminology and headings throughout your CV. The table below includes some of the most critical Italian CV terminology, so your application looks the part and is compatible with Italian ATS:

6 Tips for your Italian CV

Follow these quick tips to ensure your CV boosts your chances of success with your Italian job hunt:

1. Write your CV in Italian in most cases

As most employers will expect you to have a good command of the language, and your CV will help you showcase this. However, for some international companies operating in Italy, or roles where you'll be expected to speak English as part of the job, it can be acceptable to submit an Italian CV in English.

2. Be aware of regional employment culture differences

When applying in Italy, and shape your CV accordingly. The northern industrial heartlands have a more modern, international outlook, while central Italy and Rome is more aligned with traditional public sector culture. In the south, the culture is more about personal connection and relationships.

3. Proofread your CV before sending it

Even if you have a strong command of Italian. You can do this either by using an online grammar checker such as ItalianCorrector or LanguageTool, or better still, asking a native speaker to look over your CV.

4. Think about adding a hobbies and interests section

To provide an insight into your personal life. This section is more common in Italy, as employers look to judge candidates' cultural fit for the organisation.

5. Check if references are requested in the job description

Although these aren't always required at the CV stage, some employers may request them. Have references ready to add to your CV if and when you see them requested in the job description.

6. Support your CV with a strong cover letter

Your cover letter gives you the chance to add context and detail about your skills and achievements, that might seem out of place in the more rigid, formal confines of the Italian CV structure. For help constructing an engaging cover letter, review Jobseeker's cover letter examples.

Checklist for Creating an Italian CV

The checklist below can help you tick all the right boxes with your Italian CV. Check this before sending your CV, to avoid any CV mistakes that could harm your chances of success:

Expert tip: If you’re from outside the EU, you won’t need to enclose a copy of your residence permit, but it can work in your favour to state that you have one.

Key takeaways for a winning Italian CV

Learning the nuances of an Italian CV and the unique Italian hiring culture can make all the difference when applying for a job in Italy. Remember the following key points when putting your next Italian job application together: Include a photo and personal details, such as your date of birth, nationality, marital status and gender; use a formal, traditional CV layout and write your CV with a factual, professional tone and writing style, to mirror Italian hiring culture; emphasise your educational achievements and qualifications, with particular reference to the standing of your university, and have your qualifications verified by the Italian authorities; and include a GDPR clause to ensure your CV meets local requirements, and employers will handle and process your personal data responsibly.

For help creating an Italian CV that impresses local recruiters and employers, use Jobseeker's CV builder. Jobseeker provides a wealth of resources for CVs and cover letters, such as cover letter templates, so you can build your understanding of exactly what goes into a successful job application. You can also review extensive CV examples as a guide, before using Jobseeker's CV builder to create an impactful, engaging CV in minutes. Sign up today to get started.