Graduation. Done and Dusted! The exciting yet daunting moment when the celebration ends, and reality sets in. You’re no longer a student but a budding professional ready to carve your path in the competitive job market. It’s the beginning of your journey to make your mark, and the first step is crafting a fresh graduate CV that truly stands out.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to write a fresh graduate CV that captures attention and showcases your potential. You’ll discover a CV example tailored specifically for fresh graduates in Nigeria and gain access to a ready-to-use CV template that will help you land your first job. Carefully read through.
Table of contents
Why Do Fresh Graduates Need To Write A CV?
Fresh graduates need to write a CV because it serves as their primary tool for entering the job market. A well-crafted CV allows them to present their education, skills, and any relevant experiences to potential employers. Since most fresh graduates have limited work experience, a CV highlights their academic achievements, internships, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities, showcasing their potential and readiness to contribute to a professional environment.
In a competitive job market like Nigeria, a strong CV is essential for standing out among other candidates. It helps graduates make a positive first impression, demonstrating their qualifications, enthusiasm, and suitability for the roles they are applying for. Essentially, a CV is a fresh graduate’s ticket to securing interviews and landing their first job.
READ ALSO: Chevening Scholarships For Foreign Students 2024 | Ongoing Application
How Can I Write A Fresh Graduate CV
Personalizing your CV to suit a particular job description is the first step to creating outstanding applications. Employers love entries that cut through the noise and pinpoint their CVs to the exact skills they seek. Therefore, you should tailor it to match the job description perfectly.
First, understand the job role entirely and all its requirements. Next, customize the CV by identifying keywords, certain skills, and abilities essential to the role. Start with a sketch by jotting down relevant leadership experiences, achievements, and similar roles related to the job you are applying for.
Here’s the standard fresh graduate CV format in Nigeria:
Step 1. Include a personal statement
Start your CV with a personal statement that introduces you and explains your background. When you include a personal statement at the top of your CV, it is one of the first things that an employer or recruiter will notice. Employers frequently skim resumes, so start with a strong opening statement to get their attention. It should comprise three items:
- What you have to offer
- Where you would like your career to go
- Who you are as a person
You should also tailor your statement to fit the job you’re applying for. Mention some specifics about the job or the company so the employer knows you’ve done your research and you specifically want to work for them.
Example:
“I am a recent graduate from UCLA with a degree in graphic design. I am passionate about turning people’s creative visions into a reality and I’m looking to establish myself at a large, reputable design agency where I can continue to perfect my skills.”
SEE ALSO: How To Apply and Win Federal Government Student Loan 2024/2025 | Nigerian Students
Step 2. Focus on your education
Because you are a fresh graduate, you probably don’t have much work experience yet. This means you want your graduate CV to be mostly about your education. Make the first section of your CV dedicated to your education, detailing any schools you attended in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
List any specific classes you took related to the job you’re looking for, along with your grades (assuming they were excellent). For each linked course or degree, include any skills or accomplishments you gained from it.
Example:
If you are a recent English degree graduate and are applying for a job as a journalist, your CV might contain: English Honors 401GPA: 3.9
- Won a national essay award for an article on state policing
- Learned to research and craft essays at a higher level
- Worked closely with my professor to edit and hone my final pieces
Step 3. List any work experience
Even if you don’t have much work experience yet, you may have some. If you do, even if it is unrelated to the position you are applying for, you should include it. Keep it concise, including only the job title, the dates you worked there, and some of your responsibilities. If you can attach these obligations to the position you’re seeking, that’s even better.
For instance, while applying for a sales position, you could highlight your public speaking expertise as a substitute teacher. The previous employment experience is not particularly relevant to the current position, however, some skills carry over. If you don’t have any employment experience, skip this section and instead focus on providing more details in the other sections.
4. Only list relevant hobbies and interests
Include a section for hobbies or interests, it might be useful in some cases. If your hobbies are relevant to the position you’re going for, including them can help you demonstrate your unique experience and skills. This is especially important if the other sections of your CV are short and you need to fill in some gaps.
When applying for a job as a software engineer, you might highlight your portfolio. If coding is one of your passions, it makes sense to include it on your resume. Or suppose the company hiring the web developer offers recreational drones.
READ ALSO: How To Study Abroad As A Nigerian In 2024 | Requirements, Schools
5. Keep it simple
When creating your CV, keep it basic. Don’t go into too much detail about each of your achievements or skills. Instead, simply mention the highlights. Employers do not have a lot of time to study each applicant’s resume, thus your CV should just be one page long. Keeping things basic also applies to the style of your CV. Too often, graduates attempt to make their CVs stand out by employing an innovative design scheme.
A little creativity is acceptable, but overdesigning may detract from the message of your CV. Instead, utilize simple fonts and color palettes throughout.
There are many CV templates online that will help you present yourself professionally and clearly.
6. Add references
Including some references at the bottom of your graduation CV can make you appear more credible to potential employers. Try to include at least two, one from academia and one from work experience. If you don’t want to publish their contact information on your CV (for example, because you’re still at work), simply add “available upon request.”
What your references should look like:
Dr. Jane Doe
- Position: Professor of Marketing
- University: Brunel University
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (123) 987-6543
- Relationship: Academic Advisor
Sarah Johnson
- Position: Colleague and Team Lead
- Company: Sales Executive, Sky
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (123) 555-7890
- Relationship: Former colleague
You may want to see 15 Cheap Online Colleges Without Application Fee In 2024
7. Edit your CV
Before you send your fresh graduate CV off to an employer or recruiter, it’s a good idea to go through the CV for errors. The first round should be looking for any typos or mistakes. Check each sentence to confirm that your spellchecker did not miss anything. After that, wait a day or two before looking at your CV again. When you return to it after a hiatus, you may wish to make some changes. Looking at something after a break can often reveal mistakes you overlooked the first time. Another fantastic idea is to read your CV aloud.
Reading aloud can help you determine whether the language makes sense and flows naturally. Finally, you can share your résumé with your friend or lecturer to proofread. They may discover errors you overlooked or offer suggestions for how to improve them.
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Writing A Graduate CV
With such a small window of opportunity to impress potential employers, mistakes can be costly. Here are a few examples of things you should avoid when writing a graduate CV:
1. Poor formatting
Recruiters require easy access to vital information, so format your CV accordingly. ‘The format of your CV creates the recruiter’s first impression of your application. So if it isn’t nice, they start thinking you’re not very good, and no matter how wonderful the material is, it’s difficult to win them over from there,’ says Graham Philpott, head of careers consultancy at the University of Reading. \
Your CV should be concise so that it may be readily comprehended. The template you chose should be visually appealing but not overly complicated.
2. Failing to tailor your application
‘Your CV is a salesperson, and all marketing must be tailored to its audience if it is to be successful. The details in your CV must be relevant to the company and role you’re applying for. ‘Recruiters can easily spot a generic CV – it may be time-consuming, but putting in that extra effort to tailor your CV to the specific role will really pay off.
Don’t be scared to be merciless in eliminating irrelevant experiences. ‘Tailoring your CV also communicates that you have taken care and attention to your application. This demonstrates that you desire the job and are proud of the work you provide, both of which the recruiter will enjoy.
3. Spelling errors
An error-free CV is vital in showcasing your precision and attention to detail, so check everything – even your contact details. Minimize the risk of mistakes by taking your time – never leave writing your CV to the last minute. Make use of spell-checking tools like Grammarly to check for spelling errors.
4. Lying
By all means, try not to lie to sound qualified. The facts on your CV are easy to corroborate so never assume that recruiters won’t make enquiries to do so. Claiming to have completed a particular certification when you haven’t, lying about your current job title, or embellishing a period of work experience won’t do you any favors.
READ ALSO: How To Apply For Stanbic IBTC University Scholarship | Nigerian Undergraduate Students
5. Incorrect contact information
When writing your CV, make sure your contact information is current. Include an active email address that you check often. Use the phone number you’re most likely to answer. List the address of your current residence.
How Long Should A Graduate CV Be?
For fresh graduates with limited work experience, a one-page CV is often sufficient. This allows you to focus on your education, relevant coursework, internships, skills, and other experiences demonstrating your potential. Your CV is your first opportunity to present your qualifications, skills, and experiences to potential employers. While you might have limited work experience as a recent graduate, a well-crafted CV can still play a crucial role in your job search.
Fresh Graduate CV Format In Nigeria | PDF Download
FAQs On How To Write A Fresh Graduate CV
For fresh graduates with limited work experience, a one-page CV is often sufficient.
The essential components of a CV summary for fresh graduate include a brief introduction, key skills and qualifications, and a mention of their career goals or aspirations.
If applicable and relevant to the desired role, a recent graduate should add professional certificates or completed training programs in their CV summary to highlight their commitment to professional development and the acquisition of specialized abilities.
Conclusion
Writing your CV as a recent graduate is required to break into the competitive job search business. By emphasizing all necessary education, talents, and experiences, you can distinguish yourself.
Remember that your personal statement should be appealing and passionate; this is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Customize all word content with keywords from the job description, describe all qualifications, and make sure the design is readable. Now, go ahead and construct an excellent CV to land your ideal job!
