A CV for a job in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt should answer a few practical questions quickly: what you studied and how well, where you stand with national service, and who can vouch for you. This page shows how to answer each of them on the page, and which personal details you can usually leave out.
Bachelor’s degrees in Nigeria are usually awarded with a class, such as First Class or Second Class Upper. If your degree has one, write it in full on the same line as the degree title, for example “BSc Economics, Second Class Upper”. Never round it up: copy the class shown on your certificate.
Give the full name of the university followed by its usual abbreviation in brackets, as in the list further down this page, and the city if the name does not already say it. A polytechnic qualification is presented in the same way, with its exact title.
If you are still studying, write the level you have reached and the month and year you expect to finish. Leave out the courses you took in your first year unless they are directly relevant to the job.
Graduate job adverts may ask about your National Youth Service Corps status. If the advert mentions it, answer plainly on your CV: completed, currently serving, exempted or excluded. One short line under Education, or in a small section of its own, is enough.
If you have served, the place of primary assignment can count as experience. Describe what you actually did there, such as teaching a subject, keeping records or helping with a community project, rather than only naming the posting.
Secondary school results are worth a single line, not a table. If you include them, name the examination and the body that set it, such as WASSCE (WAEC) or SSCE (NECO), and the year you sat it. A list of every subject and grade takes space that your degree and experience need more.
Once you have a degree and some work behind you, you can drop the school line altogether. Keep it while it still supports a first application.
At the top of the CV, your name, the role you want, a phone number with the country code and a professional email address are what matters. A city is enough for your location; a full home address is not needed.
Date of birth, marital status, religion and state of origin tell an employer nothing about your skills. Include them only if an application form or advert asks for them. In PixeCV, date of birth and marital status are optional fields that stay off the page while they are empty.
The same goes for a photo: if the advert does not ask for one, a template without a photo keeps attention on your experience. The gallery has a Photo filter to show either kind.
An advert may ask for referees with the application, or only once you are shortlisted. Always ask a person before you name them, and choose people who know your work: a lecturer, a supervisor from your service year, or a former manager.
For each referee, give their name, job title, organisation and a way to reach them. In PixeCV, add them under Other sections with a section title of your own, such as “Referees”. If space is short, you can write “References available on request” instead.
Fictional example
Junior Data Analyst
Economics graduate who turns sales and survey data into clear weekly reports, with a careful eye for errors and a habit of explaining figures in plain English.
When you are in Nigeria, the Education section suggests 23 Nigerian universities and colleges first, and the city fields 37 Nigerian cities. You can still type any other name.
Payment methods and prices offered in this country are shown here when available.
Yes, if your degree has one. Write it in full next to the degree title, exactly as it appears on your certificate or statement of result.
If the advert asks for it, add one clear line: completed, currently serving, exempted or excluded. Your service year can also appear as experience if you did relevant work.
Only if the advert or application form asks for it. It says nothing about your skills, so leave it out otherwise.
Yes. PixeCV works in your phone’s browser: you can write, edit and preview your whole CV there.
