When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Which means that you need to submit a CV in Italian for it to be accepted. However, if you are not that fluent in Italian, and the listing doesn’t state to send your CV in Italian, you could probably get away with an English CV.
But first things first, you need to know what to put in your CV and that is why we will answer all your questions so you can make your Italian CV magnifico.
If you don’t have the time to create a CV from scratch, try our resume builder instead.
How should my CV look?
There are two answers to this question. You can send a Europass CV which is accepted across Europe, including Italy. Or you can create a specific Italian CV. This is similar to the CV of other countries but contains more detail.
Your CV should be one–two pages long and in a standard font such as Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. Reverse-chronological format is the preferred CV format, but it should be what works best for you and shows you in the best light. Everything else is up to you. This scenario is valid for Italian curriculum vitae format too.
What should I include in my curriculum vitae Italy?
There are a few sections that are an absolute must for the perfect Italian CV. They are,
- Contact Details
- Work Experience
- Education
- Language Abilities
- Skills
What should I include in my contact details?
Unlike in American resumes, the Italian CV needs more information when it comes to your personal details. You should include your name, nationality, date of birth, address, email address, contact number and personal professional websites in this section. If you are a male that has served in the military, you are required to mention it in your CV.
A photo is not mandatory but hiring managers in Italy expect a professional photograph, think headshot not Facebook profile picture.
How do I include my work experience?
Your work experience is extremely important, and you need to present it in the best way in your CV. The standard format is often the best as in the example below. You can also include internships or volunteer work if they are relevant to the job that you are seeking. Remember to add keywords to make your CV stand out even more. Our keyword finder tool can help you with that.
How should I emphasize my educational qualifications?
Education is extremely important in the Italian CV. Italians believe that if you do not mention your results, in numerical format, that it must be quite low so you should mention your grades alongside your qualifications.
In addition, you should translate your qualifications to the Italian equivalent, so that it is easier for the HR manager to understand your level of education.
Conversion Table of Italian Qualifications
| Italian Qualification | US Qualification |
|---|---|
| Diploma di istruzione secondaria superiore | High School Diploma |
| Laurea triennale | Bachelors Degree |
| Laurea magistrale | Masters Degree |
| Dottorato di ricerca | Doctorate |
How should I show my proficiency in Italian?
You should mention your proficiency in all languages that you know, not only Italian as that could be the ticket that lands you the job. There are two best ways to showcase language fluency.
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
This is the framework used by the Europass for self-language assessment and it can be adapted for your Italian CV as well. The levels are :
- A1 – Beginner
- A2 – Elementary
- B1 – Intermediate
- B2 – Upper Intermediate
- C1 – Expert
- C2 – Master
Language Level
This falls into three categories
- Fluent = Fluida
- Good – Buona
- Moderate – Discreta
What skills should I mention?
Whatever is relevant to your CV should be added here. Computer skills and a mixture of hard and soft skills are always a safe option as there is a chance that a recruiter might be impressed. However, you should avoid buzzwords and cliches that harm your chances.
Check your CV for buzzwords through our buzzword checker.
Should I authorize the use of my personal data?
Italians are required by law to authorize the use of their personal data and you will have to allow it too. You simply need to end your CV with the following words and place your signature immediately below.
“I authorize the processing of my personal data according to the 2016/679 European Union regulation”-“Autorizzo il trattamento dei miei dati personali in base al regolamento 2016/679 dell’Unione Europea”
Should I ask someone to proofread my Italy CV?
If you know someone with a good grasp of Italian, absolutely. There is nothing worse than a poorly written CV which is filled with grammatical errors. So, yes, it's always better to have your Italy resume proofread in terms of language accuracy, and your Italy resume format.
Also, you can always follow a trustworthy source online by using some relevant search queries such as an Italian CV template, model CV Italiana, etc.
If you are applying for jobs in other European countries, you can also go through our guides for the Swedish, and French CV. And if you are looking further afield, our international resumes page contains many guides for all countries. You can also find more CV tips on our Career guides blog.