Job CV In Nigeria: What every fresh graduate must know

Hello fresh Nigerian graduates, are you still searching for a job? If yes, then you need to pay a special attention to your CV. I want to show you the do’s and donts for writing a Nigeria CV that you should know.

In my previous post, I showed you how to write a good CV and samples. In this post, I will focus on the major key points.

Remember it’s your CV that determines if they will call you for an interview.

So, if you have not been called for an interview before, the problem is with your CV.

You need to pay spacial attention to what I’m about to show you. Incase, it’s your first time of visiting this website, my name is Humphery. I am a publisher at nyscinfo.com.

I have written CVs for a lot of people, and about 99% of them got a call for an interview. I will teach you how write your CV but if you want me to write it for you, feel free to contact me after reading this post. I only charge a token for that but I understand you are unemployed.

A good CV will get you to an interview table but getting a job is according to your performance in the interview.

You can check 10 tough interview questions and answers.

What is a CV (Curriculum Vitea)?

A CV is an official document from a person who is seeking for a job which contains his profile, educational and career background.

In Nigeria, CV and Résumé are used interchangeable but in other countries, they are treated differently.

Many graduates have been submitting CVs for a long time without getting call for an interview.

So, before you submit your CV, check if it passes “30 seconds test”.

The 30 seconds test is a decision an employer make within 30 seconds of reading your CV. The decision is either to call you for an interview or to reject you.

Do’s and Donts for writing a typical Nigeria CV

1. Do not write “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of your CV, instead write your name with large and bold font.

2. Make sure the address on your CV is the same with the location of the job. This will give you a catchment advantage. For example; if the job is in Abuja, apply with Abuja address. If you don’t stay in Abuja, use the address of someone you know that live close to the company.

3. Don’t use childish e-mail address, instead use an email address with your name. Example: Don’t use email address such as sexybabe@gmail.com, mylove@gmail.com, queenlover@gmail.com, and so on. You can use something more professional like your name e.g humphery@gmail.com, Muhammadubuhari@gmail.com, Atiku@gmail.com, and so on. Tip: If your name has already been taken, add some numbers to it, e.g humphery101@gmail.com

4. Your date of birth, State of Origin, Local government and Nationality are not compulsory.

5. Do no add Date of birth if the age the company request does not favour you.

6. Add your school, your course of study and then the year you graduated.

7. Do not add year of admission is your stay long in school (Some people started school in 2011 and graduate in 2020 for a 4-year course). Don’t expose yourself.

8. There’s no need to write your CGPA or grade (First class, 2.1, 2.2, etc). Just take it off.

9. Add your Professional Certification: Under this section, most people don’t have what to put and it annoys most employers. It means you have not done much to add value to yourself after graduation. If you are a Corp member, try to enrol in one or two professional course during your service year, or you will be submitting a blank CV’. If you are working, you can use weekends to achieve same. It will help boost your Nigeria CV for next job search.

10. Only add pervious work experience that is related to the job you are seeking. Your IT (SIWES) or NYSC can serve as work experience for fresh graduates.

11. For hobbies and interest, you need to be very careful of your choice. I’ve once seen a CV that has playing video games as the applicant’s hobby. Use mature things as hobby, things like; researching, meeting people, singing, listening radio, playing chess, watching football match, reading novels, swimming and travelling. But be sure you are into the hobbies as it could be used to challenge you one day.

12. Under your referees or references, please you are expected to have your referees name, address, phone number and email address. You can also use your family member as your referee but ensure you don’t use the same surname. Also, ensure your referees are aware you are using them as referees.

13. An ideal CV should be in black and white not coloured except on two occasions: if you are applying as a graphic designer and you want to wow your employer or when your CV has the logo of the company you’ve worked before under your job experience.

14. Never forward a CV from your inbox to another employer. Open and compose a fresh mail then upload your CV and send

15. When sending your CV, make sure the subject carries the job role you are applying for.

16. Don’t save your CV on your laptop or phone as ‘My CV’ or Edited CV’. Simple save it with your full name, e.g Adebayo Michael Samuel.

17. When sending your CV, don’t leave the email page blank. Copy your cover letter and post on the email page. Forget the usual ‘Sir, kindly find attached herewith for your .

18. Do not attach or append your passport photo on your CV except the employer request for it.