A Nigerian CV is usually one page for graduates and anyone with under about five years of work, and two pages at most, in one column with plain headings. State your NYSC status plainly (serving, completed or exempted), match your education to your certificates (degree class, CGPA with its scale, WAEC results) and list two referees. A photo, state of origin and date of birth vary by employer, so add them only if the advert asks.
Nigerian CVs are shaped by a few things you will not find in a generic template: the NYSC year, WAEC and degree-class wording, referees and, in some places, a block of personal details. Get these right and you look like a candidate who knows the market. This guide covers what many Nigerian employers expect, how to show your NYSC status honestly, and how to lay out a CV for a first job or a move.
Every name, employer, school and figure in the example is made up, so use your own details. Practice varies between employers and sectors: "customary" here means common, not required. If an advert asks for something specific, follow the advert.
Want to build the worked example below as your own? Build this CV in the builder with the Nigeria setup. It opens with a matching template and optional NYSC status and state of origin fields, which print only if you fill them in.
How long should a CV be in Nigeria?
Two pages is the ceiling for most people. Graduates and anyone with under about five years of work should aim for one page, and a second page is fine once you have several roles to show.
- English, one column, plain headings. Profile, Education, Experience, Skills, Referees. Plain headings help screening software read your sections (see what an ATS is).
A clean one-column design such as Standard Rule fits this well. If you prefer a little colour, Deep Cobalt keeps the same simple structure.
Personal details: what is customary and what varies
Older Nigerian CVs often opened with a long "Personal Data" block. Many employers no longer need it, but some still expect parts of it, and public-sector and some traditional employers are the likeliest to. Habits differ widely, so read the advert.
- Photo. Varies. Some employers expect one, many do not mind either way, and some prefer none. Add one only if the advert asks or your sector tends to use them. If you do, use a recent passport-style photo with a plain background and smart clothes.
- State of origin and local government area. Often seen on older CVs and on some government and application forms. Private employers rarely need it at CV stage, so leave it off unless asked. It says nothing about whether you can do the job.
- Date of birth, marital status, religion. Optional in most private-sector hiring. Include date of birth if an advert sets an age limit. Leave marital status and religion off unless a form requires them.
- Phone number. Write it in international form, +234 801 234 5678, so it works for employers and agencies outside the country.
In ApplyRaft's builder, photo and date of birth are optional extras under "Add more details", so you can include them only where they help.
Showing your NYSC status honestly
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year is one of the first things a Nigerian recruiter checks on a graduate CV. Many employers ask whether you have served, are serving or are exempted. State it clearly, in the same section as your education or in its own short section, and never claim a status you do not hold. Certificates and call-up letters get checked.
- Currently serving. "NYSC, Batch B, 2026 (ongoing): Corps member, Ikeja, Lagos State. Expected completion: December 2026." Name your place of primary assignment (PPA) and what you do there.
- Completed. "National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), 2024 to 2025. Discharge certificate obtained." Add your PPA, your role and your community development service (CDS) project, with a result if you have a true one.
- Exempted. "NYSC exemption certificate obtained, 2025." Write it plainly and do not explain further unless asked.
Treat the service year as work, not a footnote. Write it as an experience entry:
Before: "Served in Ibadan."
After: "Corps member, Government Secondary School, Ibadan, Oyo State (2024 to 2025): taught Mathematics to 140 JSS 2 students across three classes, and led a CDS project that set up a reading corner for 60 pupils."
Writing your education: WAEC, BSc, HND and degree class
Nigerian employers read education in a specific way. Match the wording on your certificates, because many check them.
- Degree. "B.Sc. Accounting, University of Example, Ibadan, 2020 to 2024. Second Class Upper Division." Degree classes in Nigeria are First Class, Second Class Upper (often written 2:1), Second Class Lower (2:2) and Third Class. Write the class in words or in the short form, and add your CGPA if you wish.
- CGPA. Many Nigerian universities use a 5.0 scale and some use 4.0, so always show the scale: "CGPA 4.31/5.00". Never round it up.
- HND and ND. Polytechnic qualifications use their own grades, such as Distinction, Upper Credit, Lower Credit and Pass. Write "HND Electrical Engineering, Example Polytechnic, 2024. Upper Credit." Do not convert it to a degree class, because the grades are not equivalent.
- Secondary school. One line is enough: "WAEC (SSCE), 2019: 7 credits including English Language and Mathematics". Some employers ask for English and Mathematics credits specifically, so make them easy to see. If you wrote NECO as well, say which exam each result is from.
- Not yet graduated. Write "expected 2027" beside the degree.
List your highest qualification first.
Replace the objective with a short profile
An "Objective" that begins "To secure a challenging position in a reputable organisation" could belong to anyone. Write two or three sentences on who you are, what you have done and what you want.
Example: "Accounting graduate (B.Sc., Second Class Upper) who has completed NYSC and a six-month internship in an audit firm. Experienced with Excel and ledger reconciliation. Seeking a graduate trainee or junior audit role."
Graduate trainee programmes and entry-level applications
Many banks, large manufacturers and oil and gas companies run graduate trainee schemes. These are structured entry-level programmes, usually advertised on company career pages and on job boards. Requirements differ for each scheme, but many state a minimum degree class, NYSC completion or exemption, and an age or graduation-year limit. Read those lines before applying and make the matching facts easy to find.
- Put your degree class, graduation year and NYSC status in the first half of the page.
Without work experience, lean on NYSC placement, internships, industrial training (SIWES), final-year projects and leadership in a student body. A SIWES entry reads well when it names the company, the dates and two things you did.
Referees
Referees are more usual on Nigerian CVs than in many other countries. Many employers still ask for two, and some ask on the application form instead.
- Choose two people who know your work: a lecturer, a supervisor from an internship or NYSC placement, or a former manager.
- Ask first, and tell them what you are applying for.
- For each, give name, job title, organisation, phone number and email, with their relationship to you.
- If space is short, write "Referees available on request" and keep the details ready.
A worked example: Chidinma Okafor (illustrative)
This example is made up. It has no photo, state of origin or date of birth; add them only if the employer expects them.
Chidinma Okafor
Lagos, Nigeria · +234 801 234 5678 · chidinma.okafor@example.com · linkedin.com/in/chidinma-okafor-exampleProfile
Accounting graduate (B.Sc., Second Class Upper) who has completed NYSC, with an audit internship and a year as treasurer of a student society. Careful with Excel, reconciliations and month-end reports. Seeking a graduate trainee or junior audit role.Education
B.Sc. Accounting, University of Example, Ibadan, 2020 to 2024. Second Class Upper Division, CGPA 4.31/5.00.
WAEC (SSCE), 2019: 7 credits including English Language and Mathematics.National Youth Service
NYSC, Batch A, 2024 to 2025. Discharge certificate obtained.
Corps member, Sample Microfinance Ltd, Ikeja, Lagos State
• Reconciled daily collections for 8 branches in Excel
• Prepared the monthly cash summary for the branch manager
• CDS: helped run a financial-literacy session for 40 market tradersExperience
Audit Intern, Example and Partners (Chartered Accountants), Ibadan, 2023 (SIWES, six months)
• Checked 300 sales invoices against bank statements and logged differences
• Helped prepare working papers for two small-business audits
Treasurer, Accounting Students' Association, 2022 to 2023
• Tracked dues and event spending in a single Excel workbookSkills
Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP) · Bank reconciliation · Sage 50 basics · Report writingReferees
Dr Example Name, Senior Lecturer, Department of Accounting, University of Example, +234 802 000 0000, referee1@example.com
Mr Sample Name, Branch Manager, Sample Microfinance Ltd, +234 803 000 0000, referee2@example.com
Skills that read as real
Name tools and tasks, not personality words. "Hardworking team player" tells a recruiter nothing, whereas "Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP)" does. Group them: office and data tools, role tools such as accounting software or a CRM, and working skills such as report writing or customer handling, each backed by a line of evidence elsewhere. For languages, "English (fluent), Igbo (native)" is enough. Skip percentage bars.
Finding jobs and sending your CV
Nigerian job seekers commonly use general job boards, LinkedIn, company career pages and recruitment agencies' portals. Whichever you use, keep your profile and your CV consistent, and tailor the profile and first two bullets to each role. Be careful with any advert that asks you to pay for an interview, a test or a uniform before you are hired: a genuine employer or agency does not charge applicants.
Name the file with your own name, Chidinma-Okafor-CV.pdf, and send PDF unless the advert asks for Word.
Common mistakes on Nigerian CVs
- A long "Personal Data" block with details nobody asked for.
- Hiding your NYSC status or leaving an unexplained gap after graduation.
- Copying a sample CV word for word. Recruiters see the same text many times.
More are covered in our guide to the top 10 CV mistakes.
Before you send it
Check every date and certificate name and ask someone to proofread. If you plan to apply to employers abroad, make a separate version: the photo and personal-details conventions above may not apply there. Then start building your CV free. Building is open to everyone, and you need a free account to download the PDF or Word file.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put a photo on my CV in Nigeria?
It varies. Some employers expect one and many do not mind either way. Add one if the advert asks, and keep it recent, plain-background and professional. Otherwise a CV without one is acceptable.
How do I write NYSC on my CV if I am still serving?
Write "NYSC (ongoing)" with your batch, your place of primary assignment and your expected completion date, then list what you do there. Do not claim a discharge certificate until you hold it.
How long should a CV be in Nigeria?
One page for most graduates and up to two pages for experienced applicants. Cut school detail and repeated duties rather than shrinking the font.