A CV, short for curriculum vitae, is a document that presents your relevant education, work, skills and achievements to an employer or another selection panel. In everyday Nigerian hiring, “send your CV” usually means “send a concise account of why you fit this role.” A research or academic CV can be longer and include publications, teaching and grants.
What should a job CV contain?
Start with your name, a working phone number, a professional email address and your city or state. Add a LinkedIn profile or portfolio only when it helps the application. Then show a short professional summary, relevant skills, work or project experience, education and useful certifications.
For each job, include your title, employer and dates. Explain what you did and what changed because of it. “Prepared weekly stock reports for 12 outlets” is more informative than “responsible for reports.” Use a number only if you can verify it.
Jobberman Nigeria’s CV guide recommends a clear, tailored CV with recent experience first. Europass likewise advises applicants to select facts relevant to the vacancy, use simple language and place recent experience above older experience.
Is a CV the same as a résumé?
People often use the terms interchangeably in Nigerian job adverts. The important instruction is the employer’s requested content and file format. In some international settings, “CV” means a longer academic record and “résumé” means a shorter job-focused document. Read the advert instead of assuming the same definition everywhere. Our CV versus résumé guide explains when that distinction matters.
How long should it be?
There is no universal page limit. A graduate may have enough relevant evidence for one page; an experienced candidate may need two. Research applications can require more. Keep information that helps the reader decide whether you meet the role’s requirements, and remove repetition. Jobberman’s Nigerian guidance suggests one to two pages for most ordinary job applications, but the vacancy instructions take priority.
What should you leave out?
You normally do not need a full home address, religion, marital status, date of birth, NIN, BVN or bank details on a job CV. Do not invent a qualification or a result. If an employer asks for additional information at a later stage, verify the employer and the reason for the request before sharing sensitive data.
A quick CV check before you apply
- Does the first half of the page show why you fit this specific role?
- Are job titles, employers and dates accurate and consistent?
- Can someone understand your results without guessing what you did?
- Do your phone number, email and links work?
- Does the downloaded PDF or DOCX open cleanly on another device?
A CV gets you considered for an interview; it does not guarantee one. Build a truthful version, then tailor a copy for each role. You can start a CV in MantaJobs and compare it with the vacancy before sending.