I have observed that writing a CV in Nigeria is something people put off for as long as possible and when they eventually get to it, they have the impression that so long as important elements such as work experience, educational qualifications and bio-data are in place, a CV is complete.

I beg to disagree. I believe that your CV is an account or narration of yourself. It is YOU talking about YOU in YOUR very own words and in the best way possible. It starts from who you are, to all the places you have been and how you have contributed to those places; your achievements, how you spent your time, and even personal details like your marital status and so on. Bearing this in mind, every detail and information provided must be meticulously considered and articulately presented. Put your most flattering qualities or accomplishments up front and then move gradually to less flattering qualities.

In writing your CV in Nigeria, presentation is everything! Your content, layout, template, font type, font size, line spacing, bullets and borders are all crucial in achieving a great looking CV. If someone has 3 years of experience and another has 6 years of experience, and they are both applying for the same job, the ONLY thing that differentiates them is the way they both present their work experiences.

The basic elements of your CV in Nigeria should be profile, work experience, achievements (if any), trainings (if any), educational qualifications, bio-data, hobbies and referees. Please note that no particular format or template is cast in stone, every template can be amended to suit a particular requirement at any given time.

Profile
I would rather a profile to an objective. An objective is simply a goal while a profile is a brief description that summarizes your qualities, vis-a-vis where you are coming from and where you hope to be. It shouldn’t be more than two sentences or three short sentences at most.