A fresh graduate CV faces one specific problem: little or no work experience. The format that works for a 10-year veteran leads with "Work experience" and buries education on page 2. For a graduate that order fails - you have nothing to put under "Work experience". This guide gives you the right structure instead.
The order Nigerian graduate recruiters actually use
- Header - name, phone (WhatsApp), professional email, LinkedIn, city.
- Career objective - two sentences stating the role and your strongest qualification. "Recent B.Sc Computer Science graduate (Upper Credit) from University of Lagos seeking an entry-level software engineer role to apply my experience with Python, React and SQL learned through academic projects and the Andela ALX programme."
- Education - lead with this because it is your biggest signal. University, degree, class, graduation year, relevant modules.
- Projects - the section that saves your CV. Three to five academic or personal projects with the problem, your role, the tech stack, and the outcome.
- Internships and NYSC - every graduate CV has these. Format them exactly like full work experience with achievement bullets, not duties.
- Skills - split into technical (languages, tools, frameworks) and soft (communication, teamwork).
- Certifications - online courses count. Google Data Analytics, Coursera, Udacity, HNG, Andela, Netlab - list them.
- Leadership and extracurriculars - society executive roles, volunteer work, hackathons. Fills the experience gap.
- Referees - two academic (a lecturer, project supervisor) is fine.
How to make projects count
Every graduate CV we see undersells projects. Here is the format that works:
E-commerce platform (final year project, 2024)
Built a full-stack e-commerce platform in Node.js and React with Paystack integration and inventory tracking. Deployed on Vercel; serves 50 active beta users. Earned "Best Project" at department showcase.
Stack: Node.js, Express, React, PostgreSQL, Paystack API, Vercel.
Three things to copy:
- Lead with what the project does, not the title.
- Include a measurable outcome ("50 active beta users", "Best Project").
- List the stack as a separate line - recruiters and ATS scan for keywords.
Length and format
Two pages is ideal. Three is the maximum. One page tells the recruiter you have thin content. Save as PDF, name it "Firstname Lastname - Graduate CV.pdf" and send it as an attachment, not a link.
Common mistakes
- Hiding projects at the bottom. They are your biggest asset - put them above the fold on page 1.
- Listing "proficient in Microsoft Office" as a skill. Everyone can use Excel; it signals you are stretching.
- Omitting NYSC. If you have not served yet, say so - "NYSC: expected 2026".
- Describing modules by name only. Nobody cares that you took "CSC 311". Describe what you built.
Browse graduate-friendly openings on Openings - filter by experience level to see roles that explicitly accept entry-level candidates.