A Nigerian CV is almost always between two and four pages, prints clean on A4, and follows a predictable section order. If you are applying to a Nigerian employer today - public or private sector, Lagos or Abuja, graduate role or senior hire - this is the format they expect.
The structure Nigerian recruiters expect
- Header - full name, Nigerian phone (preferably WhatsApp-enabled), professional email, LinkedIn URL, city of residence.
- Career objective or professional summary - two to three sentences stating the role you want and the value you bring. (See our career objective guide.)
- Work experience - reverse-chronological. Job title, employer, dates, three to five bullet points per role describing achievements (not duties).
- Education - university, degree, class of degree (second class upper, upper credit, etc.), year graduated. Include NYSC year below your most recent degree.
- Skills - mix of technical and transferable. Keyword-dense so ATS parsers hit on them.
- Certifications and training - professional memberships (ICAN, CIBN, APCON etc.) and short courses.
- Hobbies or interests - optional, kept to two lines. Omit for senior roles.
- Referees - two to three, with phone + email. "Available on request" is accepted but less common in Nigeria than abroad.
What makes a Nigerian CV different
Three things set Nigerian CVs apart from UK or US resumes:
- Longer is normal. Two pages is baseline; three to four is common for mid-career. Senior roles may run to five pages. US-style one-pagers often read as thin.
- Class of degree matters a lot. "B.Sc Economics, Second Class Upper" is a line recruiters look for. Omit it only if you failed to earn one.
- NYSC year is called out. Everyone has one; everyone lists it. Format: "NYSC - Primary Place of Assignment, State, 2023 / 2024".
Common mistakes that get CVs binned
- Photos. Nigerian employers no longer want them and most ATS parsers choke on image-heavy CVs.
- Date of birth, marital status, state of origin. All optional, all best omitted (except where a government recruiter explicitly asks).
- Decorative fonts and coloured headers. Stick to Calibri, Arial or Helvetica at 10-11pt body / 13-14pt headings.
- A "References available on request" line without actually having them ready to send. Line up your referees before you apply.
- Generic career objectives like "To work in a challenging environment that offers growth". Say what role you want.
The 15-minute version
If you only have 15 minutes, here is the minimum viable Nigerian CV: header, two-sentence summary stating the role, three most recent jobs with three achievement bullets each, education with class of degree, five keyword skills, two referees. Save as PDF, name it "Firstname Lastname - Role.pdf". Done.
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