Writing a standard CV can be challenging for many people, especially fresh graduates without work experience. How can one write a standard CV for a job in Nigeria? What do Nigerian employers typically look for in a CV? In this post, you’ll also learn; how to write a winning CV, get answers to frequently asked CV questions, top tips on how to write Applicant Tracking System compatible CVs, and much more. Also, we have provided you with Standard CV Samples for Different Jobs in Nigeria which you can use as a guide to write yours. As you read on you will find them. Without further ado, let’s get started!
Note: If you need any form of assistance with your CV/Resume, you can contact us today. An expert will review or revamp your resume and help you improve it to better capture the key things that will help you stand out.
What Is A CV?
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a document that holds information about an individual’s course of life, especially things like; education, skills, and work experience. The primary goal of a CV is to project a person’s qualifications. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the word resume.
When Do You Need A CV?
You need your Curriculum vitae (Resume) as soon as you reach an employable age.
Standard CV Samples For Different Jobs In Nigeria
Here are 17 Standard CV samples for different jobs in Nigeria and abroad. The link on each of them will take you to the Find the one that best suits your search and also don’t forget to share with others that will benefit from this information.
- Academic Teacher CV Sample
- Administrative Manager CV Sample
- Blockchain/Cryptocurrency Brand Ambassador CV Sample
- Business Development Manager CV
- Chemistry Science Fresh Graduate CV
- Computer Engineer CV (Mid-Level Professional)
- Corporate Lawyer CV Sample
- Cyber Security CV No Work Experience
- Data Analyst CV Sample
- Electrical Engineer CV Sample
- Engineering Fresh Graduate CV Sample
- Mechanical Engineer CV No Work Experience
- Pharmacist CV Sample Entry/Mid-Level
- Quality Assurance/Quality Control CV Sample
- Quality Assurance/Quality Control CV No Experience
- Quantity Surveyor CV
- Student Internship CV
Sections To Include In Standard CV Samples For Different Jobs In Nigeria
Your standard CV for jobs in Nigeria should contain, but not be limited to the following sections. Without much delay, here are the things you need to include in your resume.
1. Contact Information
Including your contact information on your resume gives the employer a chance to reach you in case of further inquiries. Also, note that not all personal information is necessary to add to your resume, especially marital status, religion, age, height, etc. Here are the most important contact information every employer is concerned about in any CV
- Full Name: Your name as it appears on all your credentials should be written boldly on your resume. Moreover, using the same name on your professional social media platforms will do you good because nowadays, employers or recruiters verify prospective employees’ social persona before hiring them. So, having a good social media presence can enhance your chances of getting hired.
- Phone Number: Use an active phone number.
- Professional Email Address: Ensure your full names appear on your email address and not pet names. Use a working email address.
- Official URL: Add the link to any official website of your own or from any professional platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, GitHub, etc.
2. Profile Summary
A profile summary is an overview of the entire resume; it gives a good summary of all the sections contained in the resume. Moreso, it is important to write a compelling profile summary or personal statement so that it catches your employer’s attention faster and makes him convinced to hire you immediately or read further into your resume. There is a guide on how to write a befitting profile summary as you read further.
3. Professional Skills
Skills are important for an entry-level resume. It is the basis of your assessment. Here’s is an expert tip on how to make the most out of this skills section; instead of listing just soft skills or putting both soft and hard skills together, you can do your research on the most relevant skills required for the job and add it in separate sections instead of just one.
4. Work Experience
Include your work experience because this demonstrates that you have been proactive and consistently involved with the industry and its practices. As we go on, you will see how to write the work experience section.
5. Education
The employer is also interested to know your academic background; what you have spent time doing in school and all that. Now if you have acquired a Bachelor’s degree, and nothing else after that, just leave out all others before the B.Sc. That is the standard practice.
6. Certificates/Awards
Add certificates, awards, and any other memberships you are part of. This goes on to demonstrate to the recruiter that you have passion or enthusiasm for the job role.
7. Internships & Training
Don’t forget to mention the internship or training programs you have taken because this will add more spice to your resume.
8. Hobbies & Interests
Write the hobbies you have that are in line with the current industry practice. No matter how tempted you are don’t add irrelevant hobbies as that can reduce your chance of getting hired.
Finally, for this section on things to include in a CV, remember to add only sections that will enhance your resume and avoid the ones that will deter your chances. Also, with good research on the company and job role you applied for, you will get acquainted with what the employer is most interested in and know how to include them in writing.
How To Write A Compelling Standard CV For Different Jobs In Nigeria
1. Write Contact Details
As said earlier, see to it that you don’t give unnecessary contact information about yourself so that you don’t end up turning the attention of your employer to someone else’s CV just because of a little mistake out of ignorance. So here is an example of how to write down your contact details in a resume.
WRONG
MR. NICKNAME
Date Of Birth: 17th – July – 2000
Age: 24 years
Marital Status: Married
Religion: Free Worshipper
The above details don’t show any iota of professionalism, and it isn’t going to make a good impression on your employers. But see the right way to go about this below.
RIGHT
FASTHIRE SERVICES
Phone Number: +234 8XX XXXX
Email Address: fullname@gmail.com
Location: (City, Country)
Official URL: (link to an official platform)
2. Mention Professional Skills
Highlight your skills; 10-12 is ideal and also, you can separate the technical skills from the soft skills or better skills and put them all together.
Soft Skills
- Commucication Skills
- Analytical Skills
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Technical Skills
- Search Engine Optimization
- Cryptocurrency Projects Research And analysis.
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Note: We have listed ten soft and technical skills that every recruiter wants to see in an administrative manager’s resume. You can look through it to use it in crafting yours.3. Describe Work Experience
For your work experience, these are the details employers need from you. They are
- Title of the position
- Name of the organization
- Location of the organization
- Duration
- Activities you were involved in (3-6 bullet points)
Here is an example of how to write the work experience:
(Title of the position), (Name of the organization) || (Location of the organization) || (Duration)
- Managed XXXXXXXXXXX
- Oversaw XXXXXXXXXXX
- Developed XXXXXXXXX
- Maintained XXXXXXXXX
4. Write Academic Journey
The education section is for you to demonstrate your academic prowess. This is what you ought to mention here
- The degree you acquired
- Course of study
- Name of the institution
- Location of the institution
- Entry year – Graduation year
Additionally, these too are important to enhance your resume
- Grades
- Research Project
- Majors
- Minors
- Notable Achievements
Here is an example of how to write it
(Insert The degree you acquired/Course of study), Name of the institution || Location of the institution || Entry year – Graduation year
- Grades: 4.0 Magna Cum Laude
- Undergraduate Research Project: (insert title here)
- Achievements:
Fasthire Services
5. List Your Certifications & Awards
Talk about the certificates and awards you have acquired, and see how that plays out for you. Going the extra mile to get these demonstrates enthusiasm and passion for the field and industry. This is what is required
- The title of the certificates
- The organization that issued it
- The year it was issued
6. Other Sections To Include
You can also include other sections like the following which will help give more weight to your resume.
- Hobbies or Interests: In this section, you will list the things you can be involved in outside work or what you always invest your time in. To tailor a good resume, ensure all your hobbies or interests are in line with the job role and the company values.
- Language: If you applied for a job in a multinational company and you are bilingual or multilingual, it is advised you mention it to help you get a chance with your employer.
- Special Talents: Do you have any special talent related to the job? If you answered yes, then why not mention it here also?
- Referees (if requested by your employer or admission committee): This section is also important if you are applying for an academic scholarship or admission, or if your employer requests for it. The referee section can serve as your testimonial, that you can be trusted to be of good behavior.
Note: Your referees don't necessarily have to be your relatives.Examples Of people You Can Use As Referees
- Past or Current Employer
- Cleric
- Landlord
- Lectures/Teachers
- Prominent Persons In The Society, etc.
7. Write A Compelling Profile Summary
A well-structured profile summary gives a detailed summary statement of every other section written on the resume. At the end of the day, make sure all the details there are correct and everything in your CV represents what you do or who you are.
How To Optimize Your CV To Pass Through ATS
So let’s break down the most important things, to factor in, as you optimize your resume for the ATS.
1. Keywords
For your CV to go through the ATS; you should consider aligning your CV with the stated job description(s).
Identify keywords that are used frequently and prominently in the job description, and ensure you include them in your CV; because, these are the very terms, a recruiter will input in the ATS when they are searching for the best-matched candidates. Hence, you should ensure that your CV contains those keywords; as this will enable you to have a good ATS score.
2. Job Titles
Consider using the exact job title listed in the job advert; because the ATS considers job descriptions when ranking candidates.
For example;
If you are applying for a secretary position; but, your current job title is an office assistant, the best thing to do, is to list yourself as a secretary on your CV. As a result, the ATS identifies that you line up with that job, and increases your score.
3. Formatting
Your CV format can disrupt the parsing process. Therefore, keep the format straightforward; especially the columns, headers, fonts, and graphics. The worst thing that can happen to you; is when you are qualified for a position, but your information is parsed into the ATS as a mess; the ATS will not score you as a strong match.
You can get in-depth knowledge of how to optimize your CV, to be ATS compatible here.
Frequently Asked CV Questions
1. Am I Obligated to Write My Age on My CV?
You are not obliged to write your age on your CV. A prospective employee should be measured by his/her years of experience, skills & abilities; and not age. However, in some industries, age is sometimes a prerequisite to getting selected. It’s very important to understand the requirements of the industry you intend to venture into.
2. Am I Obligated to Write My Full Address on My CV?
This is a debated issue with varying opinions. I think the reason why leaving full addresses on CVs, was common in previous times; was because job applications were submitted physically, and sometimes, offer letters were dispatched to the physical addresses of recipients. Technology has changed a lot of things, and the major part of the hiring process is done online these days.
However, there are two things to consider:
1. For the applicant; I am aware that, some people have security concerns, with leaving their private addresses on CVs; mostly when they do not know to whom the information will be exposed.
2. For recruiters; Knowing your geographical location, is sometimes very important for various reasons; one of which is; estimating the impact, distance/commute time, may have on the prospective employee, and the organization. My take is; that rather than putting details of your full address on your CV, applicants may rather limit the information to “the city and state”. E.g., Lagos State, Nigeria or Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
3. How Long Should An Entry-Level CV/Resume Be?
Entry-level candidate’s resume: The popular belief is to keep the resumes to one page, as most employers assume that candidates who are new to the post-varsity workforce wouldn’t have enough career information to take more than one-page resume.
Conclusion: Standard CV Samples For Different Jobs In Nigeria
In essence, although industries may differ, there are certain sections that every employer anticipates seeing in an applicant’s CV. For instance, sections such as skills, work experience, education, and contact information should always appear in your CV despite the industry you are applying for.
Furthermore, this article has extensively discussed all that you need to know about the standard Nigeria CV samples and also provided you with different CV sample templates that can serve as a guide when you want to write your CV.
Finally, we believe this valuable information will play a key role in your success. Here’s to your success! Cheers!
How We Can Help You With Your Resume
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