Common CV Mistakes Nigerian Graduates Make (and How to Fix Them)

Overview

Generic CV advice misses patterns specific to Nigerian graduate CVs. Here are the recurring mistakes, and practical fixes for each.

Most of these are about specificity, not formatting.

• Generic objective statements ("seeking a challenging role") waste the most valuable space on the page.
• Listing "Microsoft Word" or "good communication skills" as standalone skills reads as padding, not substance.
• Unexplained employment or activity gaps are better briefly, honestly addressed than left silent.
• A CV trying to look longer than one page, when the content doesn't support it, tends to read as padded.
• See How to Write a CV With No Work Experience for the fuller structural guide this narrows down.

Generic objective statements — "Seeking a challenging role in a reputable organisation" says nothing a recruiter can act on. Replace it with a specific line naming your actual skill and direction.

Padding the skills section — listing "Microsoft Word" or "good communication skills" as standalone bullet points reads as filler, since these aren't differentiating claims. Specific, demonstrable skills (with a project to back them) carry real weight; generic soft-skill claims don't.

Silent gaps — an unexplained year between graduation and now reads worse than a brief, honest line about what happened (further study, a genuine job search, a skills course).

Sources & methodology

Where this guide's claims come from

This guide reflects Paleon's own observation of recurring patterns in Nigerian graduate CVs, not a formal study.