CV stands for Curriculum Vitae, a Latin phrase meaning "course of my life". A CV is a document that summarises your work history, education, skills and achievements - the primary artefact you send to apply for a job.
Full meaning: Curriculum Vitae
"Curriculum" is Latin for "course" or "race", in the sense of a track to be run. "Vitae" is the genitive of "vita", meaning "of life". Put together: "the course of my life". In practice, "CV" is almost always used in the plural ("send me your CV") not expanded.
What a CV actually contains
- Contact information - name, phone, email, city, LinkedIn.
- Professional summary or objective - what role you want, who you are.
- Work experience - jobs, dates, achievements. Reverse-chronological.
- Education - degrees, class of degree, year of graduation.
- Skills - technical and soft, usually in a short list.
- Certifications - professional qualifications, short courses.
- Referees - two to three people who can vouch for you.
How long should a CV be in Nigeria?
Two to four pages is standard for Nigerian job applications. Fresh graduates can get away with two pages; mid-career professionals usually run three; senior hires may stretch to four. For international applications see our UK format and Canadian format guides - these markets prefer one or two pages.
CV vs resume - are they the same?
In Nigeria, most people use "CV" and "resume" interchangeably. Technically a resume is a one-page summary (an American format) while a CV is longer and more detailed (the British / European convention Nigeria inherited). When applying to American employers, send a resume. For everywhere else, send a CV. See our full comparison guide.
How to write one
Our step-by-step CV writing guide walks through every section with Nigerian examples. For a specific template to copy see the Nigerian CV format guide.
Common CV mistakes
- Listing duties instead of achievements. "Managed a team" is weaker than "Led a team of 6 to deliver 3 product launches on schedule."
- Including a photo. Nigerian employers increasingly prefer no photo; ATS parsers choke on images.
- Generic objectives like "To work in a challenging environment".
- Spelling errors, especially of the company's name.
Ready to apply?
Once your CV is polished, browse live openings on Openings - deduplicated across every Nigerian source so you see each vacancy once.