How to CV Writing: A Practical Guide to Creating a CV That Gets Noticed

A CV is often the first opportunity you have to make an impression on a potential employer. Before you get an interview, a recruiter may have already decided whether your application deserves closer attention based on your CV.

Yet many job seekers struggle with how to CV writing, especially when they are unsure what information to include, how much detail to provide or how to make their experience relevant to a particular vacancy.

Writing a good CV is not about using complicated language or filling several pages with information. It is about presenting your qualifications, experience and skills clearly enough for an employer to quickly understand what you can offer.

This guide explains how to write a practical CV for job applications in Nigeria, whether you are a fresh graduate, an experienced professional or someone changing careers.

What is a CV?

A curriculum vitae, commonly called a CV, is a document that summarises your professional background. Depending on your career stage, it may include your education, employment history, skills, certifications, achievements, professional memberships and other relevant information.

The purpose of a CV is not to tell your entire life story. It should provide enough relevant information to convince an employer that you are worth considering for the position.

That means your CV should be adjusted when applying for different types of jobs.

1. Start with your contact information

Your name and contact details should be easy to find at the top of the CV.

Include:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• City and state of residence
• LinkedIn profile, if relevant
• Professional portfolio or website, where applicable

Avoid using an email address that sounds unprofessional. An address based on your name is usually a safer option.

You generally do not need to include sensitive personal information such as your bank details, National Identification Number or other information unrelated to the recruitment process.

2. Write a strong professional summary

Your professional summary should quickly tell the recruiter who you are and what you bring to the table.

A good summary is usually three to five lines long and should reflect the job you are applying for.

For example, instead of:

“I am a hardworking graduate looking for a challenging opportunity.”

Try something more specific:

“Detail-oriented accounting graduate with internship experience in financial reporting, reconciliation and Excel-based record management. Seeking an entry-level accounting role where I can apply my analytical and financial management skills.”

The second version gives the employer useful information immediately.

3. Tailor your CV to the job

This is one of the most important parts of CV writing.

Do not assume that one generic CV is suitable for every application.

Read the job description carefully and identify the skills, qualifications and responsibilities the employer emphasises. Then make sure your CV clearly demonstrates the relevant parts of your background.

If a company is hiring a digital marketing executive and the job description mentions SEO, Google Analytics, content creation and social media, those relevant skills and experiences should be easy to identify in your CV if you genuinely possess them.

Tailoring does not mean inventing experience. It means presenting your real experience in a way that is relevant to the vacancy.

4. List your work experience properly

For experienced professionals, employment history will usually be one of the most important sections of the CV.

List your most recent position first and work backwards.

For each role, include:

Job title
Company name
Location
Employment period

Then describe your responsibilities and achievements.

However, avoid turning the section into a long list of duties.

Compare:

Weak:
“Responsible for social media management.”

Stronger:
“Managed social media content across three platforms, increasing monthly engagement through a structured content and publishing schedule.”

The second statement communicates both responsibility and impact.

Where possible, use numbers to demonstrate results.

5. Focus on achievements, not only responsibilities

Recruiters want to know what you accomplished, not simply what your job description contained.

Ask yourself:

• Did I increase sales?
• Did I reduce costs?
• Did I improve a process?
• Did I manage customers?
• Did I complete projects?
• Did I increase engagement?
• Did I solve a recurring problem?
• Did I train or supervise others?

Even if your achievement seems small, it can demonstrate initiative and competence.

For example:

“Processed approximately 50 customer requests daily while maintaining accurate records and meeting service deadlines.”

That tells the employer much more than simply saying you “handled customers.”

6. Include education and relevant certifications

List your educational qualifications, starting with the most recent.

Include:

• Degree or qualification
• Institution
• Graduation year or relevant period

You can also include professional certifications that are relevant to the job.

For fresh graduates with limited employment experience, education, academic projects, internships, SIWES, NYSC experience and relevant training can take a more prominent position.

7. Choose the right skills

Avoid filling your CV with generic phrases such as “hardworking,” “honest” and “team player” without evidence.

Instead, include specific and relevant skills.

For example:

• Microsoft Excel
• Data analysis
• Customer relationship management
• SEO
• Graphic design
• Financial reporting
• Project coordination
• Sales prospecting
• WordPress
• Content writing

The skills you list should match your actual abilities and, where possible, be supported by evidence elsewhere in your CV.

8. Keep the CV easy to read

A recruiter should not have to struggle to find important information.

Use clear headings, consistent formatting and readable fonts. Leave enough white space between sections and avoid unnecessary graphics, excessive colours or decorative elements that distract from your information.

For most entry-level and mid-career applications, a concise CV is preferable to a document that is unnecessarily long.

Experienced professionals with extensive relevant achievements may need more space, but every section should still earn its place.

9. Consider Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Some organisations use Applicant Tracking Systems to help process large numbers of applications.

An ATS may scan a CV for information relevant to the vacancy before a recruiter reviews it.

To make your CV easier for both systems and people to understand, use standard section headings such as Professional Experience, Education, Skills and Certifications.

Also, use relevant keywords naturally when they accurately describe your qualifications and experience.

Do not stuff your CV with keywords that do not reflect your actual skills.

10. Proofread before submitting

A simple spelling or grammatical error can make an otherwise strong CV appear careless.

Before sending your application, check:

• Names and dates
• Phone number
• Email address
• Job titles
• Company names
• Spelling
• Grammar
• Formatting
• Employment dates

It can also help to ask another person to read the CV because you may overlook mistakes after reading your own document several times.

Common CV mistakes to avoid

Some mistakes appear repeatedly in job applications.

Avoid submitting a CV that:

• Contains false information
• Uses an unprofessional email address
• Is full of spelling errors
• Includes irrelevant personal information
• Lists responsibilities without achievements
• Uses the same generic profile for every job
• Is difficult to read
• Contains exaggerated skills
• Has unexplained inconsistencies in dates or job history
• Includes references without being requested

Also avoid copying another person’s CV word-for-word. Your CV should accurately represent your own experience.

How long should a CV be?

There is no universal rule that every CV must fit on exactly one page.

For a fresh graduate with limited experience, one or two pages will often be enough. A professional with several years of relevant experience may reasonably require more space.

The better question is not “How many pages should my CV have?” but “Is every section relevant to the job I am applying for?”

If you can remove a paragraph without losing important information, it probably does not need to be there.

Final thoughts

Learning how to CV writing is really about learning how to communicate your professional value.

A good CV does not guarantee an interview, but a poorly written one can prevent a qualified candidate from getting that opportunity.

Start with accurate information, make your strongest qualifications easy to find, tailor the document to each suitable vacancy and use specific evidence to demonstrate what you can do.

Most importantly, remember that your CV is not simply a record of where you have worked or what you studied. It is a marketing document designed to answer one important question for the employer:

“Why should we consider this candidate for the role?”

Make sure your CV answers that question clearly.