Dear Nairalanders,

Please I need help on how to write a good Curriculum Vitae. I have seen some formats and I'm not totally satisfied on how the items/points were arranged.

Is there a layed down format/rules for writing a CV or can any arrangement just be o.k?

The format is not always the issue but the content and presentation. The general format is your 1 Bios-name,address,phone,dob,email 2 profile/objective pls it should be detailed and at the same time succint coz this your first selling point. 3 Education/Qualification also bring out your selling point for science note to include some relevant course and grade, and your project summary. 4 Skill/Work experience note here that some skill and experience are transferable. 5 Hobbies/Interests. pls use it only to your advantage coz instead of writing rubbish omiting it serves you better. 6 Reference. Cheers

First Identify the kind of job you need the CV for. The first mistake many people make is that they wish to create a CV to suit any job that comes along. A CV has to be targeted. When you get the job target right other steps then follow.

You can check out http://ngjobsncareers.com/category/career-devt

Different types of resumes apply for different types of professions. As you acquire more work experience, you'll be needing to continuously revise your CV.
For freshers, you'll probably need to follow a format like this:
Heading: Full name. 1. Career Objective. 2. Personal Information. 3. Education. 4. Experience (NYSC or Internship), 5. References. Usually not more than 2 pages.

For experienced hires, you need to follow a different format, like what I outlined below:
Heading: Full Name. 1. Education & Skills. 2. Project participation. 3. Work experience. 4. Personal information. 5. References.

These days, the fact that you're a moslem or christian is not so relevant anymore in a CV. Just your name, age, nationality, is usually fine. If they need further information, ideally it would be asked at the interview.

Final note: Always keep your CV short and sweet. No long rambling descriptions. Always ensure you list key projects you have worked on, for experienced hires. Your day to day tasks may not be very relevant. I know of some oil companies that require just a page for CV. A 5-page CV does not necessarily flatter you, only ends up boring the recruiter.

Hope I've been able to help a bit.

I find it really hard to write CVs so i go to this site for help http://www.cv-shop.com/ give them a go

As we all know a CV is suppose to contain a detail breakdown of our educational background, qualification attained, work experience, personal biography, work history etc, that are the basic necessary detail needed to create a CV. what most people don’t know is that the CV must be tailored to the standard, operation type and employment requirement of what the company needs in terms of the position they are advertising, because the qualification a CV presents that is not align with their needs will not be considered.
http://career.com.ng/things-to-consider-when-writing-a-cv/