You’ve done everything right. You spent hours on Jobberman, LinkedIn, and every job board you could find. You’ve sent out your CV to dozens, maybe even hundreds, of companies across Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. You see a vacancy that perfectly matches your skills and experience, your heart leaps, you apply with confidence, and then… silence. Days turn into weeks, and the crushing weight of that silence feels like a personal rejection. It’s a frustrating cycle that countless Nigerian professionals and fresh graduates know all too well.
You start to question everything. Is it my school? Is it my grade? Is there just too much competition? While the Nigerian job market is undeniably competitive, the reason for the silence might be simpler and more fixable than you think. It might not be you; it might be your Curriculum Vitae (CV). Your CV is your one and only representative in the initial screening stage. It’s your 10-second pitch to a recruiter who has hundreds of other applications to review. If it doesn’t make an immediate, powerful impact, it gets tossed into the “no” pile without a second thought.
The truth is, many talented Nigerians are being let down by a document that fails to communicate their true value. Recruiters aren’t ignoring you; they are ignoring a CV that is unclear, unprofessional, or irrelevant. In this detailed guide, we will break down the real reasons why your CV isn’t getting the attention it deserves and provide actionable, Nigeria-specific advice to transform it from a document of frustration into a powerful interview-generating tool.
Reason 1: Your CV is Not Tailored to the Job
This is, without a doubt, the number one mistake job seekers make. You’ve created a single, generic CV that lists all your experiences, and you send this same document for every single application, whether it’s for a bank teller, a digital marketer, or a project manager. This “spray and pray” approach is incredibly inefficient and screams a lack of genuine interest to any recruiter.
Why it Fails in the Nigerian Context
Nigerian recruiters are looking for the best fit. When they post a job for a “Financial Analyst,” they are looking for specific skills like financial modeling, proficiency in Sage or QuickBooks, and knowledge of IFRS standards. If your CV leads with your experience in social media management from three years ago, you’ve already lost their attention. They don’t have the time to dig through irrelevant information to find the one or two bullet points that match their needs. They need to see a clear alignment between the job description and your CV within seconds.
How to Fix It
- Dissect the Job Description: Before you even think of applying, print out the job description and highlight the key skills, responsibilities, and qualifications the employer is looking for. These are your keywords.
- Create a Master CV: Have a comprehensive CV that lists everything you’ve ever done. This document is for your eyes only.
- Customize for Each Application: For every job you apply for, create a new version of your CV from your master copy. Re-order the sections to prioritize the most relevant experience. Rewrite your “Professional Summary” to mirror the language in the job description. If they are looking for a “results-driven Sales Executive,” your summary should introduce you as exactly that.
- Mirror the Keywords: Ensure the keywords you highlighted from the job description appear naturally throughout your tailored CV—in your summary, skills section, and work experience descriptions.
Yes, it takes an extra 15-20 minutes per application, but would you rather send 100 generic CVs with zero replies or 10 highly tailored CVs that land you three interviews? The choice is clear.
Reason 2: You Haven’t Optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
You might be thinking, “What is an ATS?” You’re not alone. Many job seekers in Nigeria are unaware that their CV is first read by a robot, not a human. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software used by a vast majority of large and medium-sized companies to manage the thousands of applications they receive. The ATS scans your CV for specific keywords and phrases to determine if you are a suitable match for the role. If your CV isn’t formatted correctly or doesn’t contain the right keywords, it gets automatically rejected before a human recruiter ever sees it.
How ATS Filters Out Your CV
The ATS is programmed to look for information in a specific way. It struggles to read complex formatting, images, tables, and columns. It also ranks candidates based on how well their CVs match the keywords from the job description. If your CV is a beautifully designed graphic with your photo and skill bars, there’s a high chance the ATS sees it as a blank or jumbled document.
How to Fix It
- Keep the Formatting Simple: Use a clean, professional, and single-column layout. Avoid using tables, text boxes, columns, headers, footers, images, or logos. Stick to standard, web-safe fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
- Use Standard Section Headings: Don’t get creative with titles. Use standard headings like “Professional Summary,” “Work Experience,” “Education,” and “Skills.” The ATS is programmed to look for these specific titles.
- Integrate Keywords Naturally: As mentioned in the tailoring section, your CV must include keywords from the job description. Don’t just stuff them in a list. Weave them into your work experience bullet points. For example, instead of “Responsible for managing projects,” write “Managed cross-functional projects from initiation to completion, utilizing Agile methodologies to ensure on-time delivery.”
- Submit the Right File Type: Unless the application portal specifies otherwise, always submit your CV as a .docx or .pdf file. These are the most ATS-friendly formats.
Reason 3: You Focus on Duties, Not Achievements
Another common CV pitfall is creating a work experience section that reads like a job description. You list your duties and responsibilities, but you fail to show the impact you made. A recruiter already knows what a “Sales Manager” is supposed to do. What they want to know is how well you did it.
The Difference Between a Duty and an Achievement
- Duty: “Responsible for managing the company’s social media pages.”
- Achievement: “Grew the company’s Instagram following by 300% (from 5k to 20k) in 6 months by implementing a targeted content strategy and influencer collaboration, leading to a 45% increase in web traffic from social media.”
The second example is far more powerful. It doesn’t just say what you did; it shows the result of your work using numbers and specific outcomes. It proves your value.
How to Fix It
- Use the STAR Method: For each role, think about your accomplishments using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. What was the situation? What was your task? What action did you take? What was the quantifiable result?
- Quantify Everything Possible: Numbers are your best friend on a CV. They are concrete and grab attention. Look for things you can measure: percentages, money saved, revenue generated, time saved, number of people managed, or processes improved. Instead of “Improved efficiency,” write “Implemented a new workflow system that reduced project completion time by 15%.”
- Start with Action Verbs: Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb. Instead of “Was part of a team that…”, write “Collaborated with a team to…”. Words like “Managed,” “Led,” “Increased,” “Developed,” “Negotiated,” and “Launched” are much more dynamic.
Reason 4: Unprofessional Formatting and Silly Mistakes
Imagine a recruiter has finally opened your CV. They have just 10-15 seconds to form an impression. If that first glance is met with a wall of tiny text, a rainbow of colors, or glaring spelling errors, they will close it immediately. Unprofessionalism in your CV suggests a lack of attention to detail, which is a red flag for any role.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
- Typos and Grammatical Errors: This is the cardinal sin of CV writing. It shows carelessness. There is absolutely no excuse for spelling mistakes in the age of spell checkers.
- An Unprofessional Email Address: Your email address from your university days like “[email protected]” or “[email protected]” has to go. Create a simple, professional email address, preferably `[email protected]`.
- Poor Readability: Using a font that is too small (below 10pt), having insufficient white space, or writing long, dense paragraphs makes your CV difficult to read. Recruiters will not strain their eyes to read your document.
- Inconsistent Formatting: Using different font sizes for similar headings, mixing up bullet point styles, or having inconsistent date formats (e.g., “Jan 2022 – Dec 2023” in one section and “12/2020 to 05/2021” in another) looks messy and unprofessional.
- Excessive Length: For most professionals in Nigeria with less than 10 years of experience, a CV should not exceed two pages. For fresh graduates, it should be strictly one page. Recruiters do not have time to read your life story.
How to Fix It
- Proofread, Proofread, Proofread: Read your CV aloud to catch awkward phrasing. Use a tool like Grammarly. Then, ask a friend or mentor with a good eye for detail to review it for you. A fresh pair of eyes can spot errors you’ve missed.
- Keep It Clean and Simple: Use a standard font between 10-12pt for the body text and 14-16pt for headings. Ensure there are clear margins and enough space between sections. Use bullet points to break up text.
- Maintain Consistency: Stick to one format for your dates, job titles, and company names throughout the document. Be meticulous about this.
- Get a Professional Email: It takes two minutes on Gmail or Outlook and is a non-negotiable part of your professional branding.
Conclusion: Take Control of Your Job Search
The silence you face in your job search isn’t a verdict on your potential. More often than not, it’s a reflection of a CV that is failing to do its job. Your CV isn’t just a piece of paper; it’s your marketing document, your ambassador, and your key to opening the door to the career you deserve.
By shifting your approach from creating a generic, duty-focused document to crafting a tailored, achievement-oriented, and ATS-optimized CV for every single application, you will dramatically change the game. You will move from being ignored to being noticed. You will stop waiting for calls and start scheduling interviews.
Take the time to invest in this crucial document. Review it against the points we’ve discussed. Be ruthless in your editing. The effort you put into your CV today is a direct investment in your professional future. Stop letting a bad CV hold you back and start showing Nigerian recruiters the true value you bring to the table.