CV format in Nigeria

How long should a Nigerian CV be?

The document is called a CV, and its length depends on your career stage. Babcock University Career Services tells students to keep to one page. The job board Jobberman says one to two pages at most, and the job board MyJobMag says two to three pages is acceptable for professionals. Academic and senior public-sector CVs run longer, and no source sets a limit for them.

No Nigerian source states a paper size or a date format, and the examples in the sources give years only. Jobberman advises opening with your name as the header instead of the words “Curriculum Vitae”. See also how long a CV should be.

What personal details go on a CV in Nigeria?

It depends on the sector. For private-sector jobs, Babcock and Jobberman list your name, phone number, a professional email, and your city and state. Jobberman says to leave out religion and state of origin unless the posting asks, and to keep your full home address off CVs uploaded to job boards. MyJobMag adds age, marital status and national identification numbers to that list.

Public employers collect much more. UNILAG’s staff CV template asks for place and date of birth, gender, marital status, the number and ages of children, nationality at birth, home address, and state of origin with LGA. Yaba College of Technology takes the NIN slip as a separate upload. The Federal Character Commission compiles federal shortlists “on State by State basis” with each candidate’s LGA of origin, which is why these forms ask for both.

The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 doesn’t mention CVs, but it classes religious belief, ethnic origin and health as sensitive personal data and limits organisations to the data they need. Those duties fall on employers, so applying them to your CV is an inference.

Should you put a photo on a CV in Nigeria?

No Nigerian career office, employer or recruiter source found sets a photo rule for private-sector CVs, and Babcock’s contact header has no photo. Babcock also warns that applicant tracking systems can’t see columns and graphics. UNILAG’s staff CV template has a passport-photograph slot, so add a photo when a template asks for one. OneCV’s photo templates have room for one.

How do you show NYSC status and O’Level results on a CV?

Employers check NYSC status, so make it easy to find. Section 12 of the National Youth Service Corps Act makes it “the duty of every prospective employer to demand and obtain” a graduate’s Certificate of National Service or exemption certificate before hiring. Federal adverts and KPMG Nigeria screen on it, and Yaba College of Technology asks for the certificate as an upload.

Miva Open University says the letter of exclusion, one of the three documents the NYSC issues, goes mostly to part-time and distance-learning graduates, and that employers accept it in place of the discharge certificate. No source says in words to put NYSC on the CV. One line with your status still saves the screener a question.

Show other gates the same way. KPMG Nigeria asks graduate trainees for at least a Second Class Upper and five O’Level credits including English Language and Mathematics “obtained in not more than two sittings”, and federal adverts require registration with bodies such as the NMCN, MDCN or PCN. Jobberman says to list secondary school only if you have no higher education, so keep O’Level results to one line under your degree.

• If you served, give the Certificate of National Service and the year.
• If you were exempted, give the exemption certificate and the year.
• If you were excluded, give the letter of exclusion.

How many referees should a Nigerian CV have?

Public-sector and university employers want named referees, usually three. Yaba College of Technology says candidates “must nominate three (3) referees”, and Wigwe University asks for three for academic posts.

Private-sector advice conflicts, even within Jobberman. Its 2025 guide says most employers request two to three referees and recruiters dislike “references available on request”, while its older CV mistakes page and MyJobMag say referees can wait until asked. Naming two or three, and telling them first as Jobberman advises, fits the newest recruiter advice and the public-sector rules.

How do you send a CV and cover letter in Nigeria?

Applications go through online portals, by email or on paper. The federal civil service, Yaba College of Technology and UNILAG use portals, and UNILAG asks applicants to type into its fields instead of pasting bullet points from Word. Email adverts often want the job title in the subject line, as Wigwe University’s do. The Federal Character Commission says federal bodies recruiting online must still accept hard copies.

Public posts ask for a signed letter of application. For private employers, Jobberman says to always include a cover letter unless told otherwise, and MyJobMag says it can go in the body of the email or as an attachment. See the cover letter format guide.

Writing your Nigerian CV in OneCV

OneCV’s templates are set up for A4, and page breaks show in the live preview as you type. Any heading can be renamed, so References can read Referees and Summary can read Profile. Put your NYSC certificate under Certificates, as the example does. For a public-sector application, add Date of Birth, Nationality or Marital status with “Add details”. A field you don’t add doesn’t appear.

Start in the CV maker. The free plan includes one CV, one cover letter, all 105 templates and unlimited PDF downloads with no watermark, with no card needed. The ATS resume checker shows the text a parser reads from your PDF.