Your curriculum vitae can make or break your job search. It goes ahead of you and represents you before you enter the room. As a job seeker, you must understand the CV format in Nigeria. Your resume needs to present the best version of you, and a poorly formatted CV could be the reason you never get interviews.
Although organisations may ask for different information in your CV, the basic Nigeria CV format is standard. You should strive to be unique from other applicants. However, be careful not to exaggerate your skills and expertise so much that it looks fake.
A curriculum vitae, also sometimes called a resume, is a document that gives your career summary. It contains your experiences, skills and personality traits. In job seeking, your CV helps recruiters determine your job suitability.
What should you include in your CV? The latest CV format in Nigeria has four main compulsory sections and two optional ones.
This includes your name, job title and contact details. State your name in full, your phone number and your email address. Make sure your contact details are up to date and easy to spot when the recruiter wants to reach you.
Your physical address is optional, and you are advised to omit it when applying for online jobs. In addition, career consultants recommend that you exclude any other personal information that recruiters could use to discriminate against you. Your photo, age, gender and ethnicity, for instance, are unnecessary.
Your professional summary or personal statement is a brief explanation of your career. Consider this your ‘elevator pitch’ and answer the question “why you” right from the start. In a short paragraph, state who you are, give a quick summary of your work experience and state your career goals.
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Aside from your professional summary, your work experience is the most crucial part of your resume. If you have had many different roles, only include those relevant to the job you’re applying for. Always list your roles, starting with the most recent.
When listing your work experience, state the job title, the company, and the dates you worked there. Three to four bullet points describing your function will give a clear view of the role and highlight the skills you used and gained.
After work experience, you should add your educational background very briefly. You only need your tertiary qualifications as a professional unless you're applying for an entry-level job. As usual, begin with the most recent university courses and include dates.
If you have qualifications that will set you apart from other applicants, list them briefly in this section. Awards received in your line of work will also highlight your competence at the job and give you an extra edge.
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Many local platforms like the WAEC recruitment portal require your references upfront. In this case, add their full names, professional titles and their current place of work. You should also state how you know them, for instance, if they are your former colleague or boss, and where you worked together.
It is essential to talk to your referees beforehand to inform them that their contact information is somewhere out there. Additionally, they should be aware of the job you’re applying for and why you included them as your reference. They could mess up your reference if a recruiter catches them off guard.
The latest curriculum vitae format in Nigeria doesn’t always require references. Omit your referees if the job application does not explicitly state that you must include them. You can add a line at the bottom of your CV to say that your references are available upon request. This ensures you protect your references’ personal information.
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There are essential points to note when writing your CV, so you don’t bore the headhunters:
In addition to these points, these secrets will make sure you write a great CV in Nigeria:
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Have a look at a good CV sample in Nigeria. You can use this for reference to draft your interview-winning CV.
Unless the role requires your photo for some reason, it is advisable to omit your photo. The same goes for your age and gender. Such information is not essential to your performance on the job. Furthermore, headhunters could also use it to discriminate against you and lower your chances of getting that interview.
Modern job applications don’t require that you include your hobbies and interests in your CV. They add no value and only lengthen your resume. Instead, mention them on your LinkedIn profile and add the link to your resume.
No, you should customise your CV to every job application, just like you do for the cover letter. This will allow you to highlight exactly what the recruiter is looking for. It also shows the recruiter that you are taking the application seriously.
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Failing to tailor the CV to the job advertisement is the most common mistake. Using the wrong format and making the CV too long are fatal mistakes in the job hunt. Also, spelling and grammar mistakes can ruin your chances before you get an interview.
As long as you stick to the latest CV format in Nigeria outlined above, you should have no issues in writing your own resume. Make sure you present yourself in the most advantageous light possible in order to get the job of your dreams.
Legit.ng recently published a guide on how to write an application letter in 2022. Along with your CV, an application letter is the document that can get you an interview.
Your application letter is supposed to tell a recruiter who you are. You should explain why you are applying for that job and why you are the best candidate for the job. An excellent application letter will make a recruiter interested in meeting you to hear more about your experience and skills.
Wilbroda Onyango (Lifestyle writer) Wilbroda Onyango is a content creator and writer with over 4 years of experience. She has worked as an entertainment journalist, creating content across over 5 African countries, most notably for Zalebs.com, Young, Gifted & Blacc, and Africa New Media Group. Wilbroda joined Legit.com as a writer in June 2022, covering celebrity biographies, guides and listicles for Ask Legit. In 2023, Wilbroda finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. Email: akinyionyango@yahoo.com
