Nigerian CV vs UK CV Differences: What to Remove and Why

If you are applying for UK jobs with a CV written for Nigerian employers, the biggest Nigerian CV vs UK CV differences are about what you leave out. Many Nigerian CVs open with date of birth, state of origin, LGA, marital status, religion, a passport photo and two or three referees with phone numbers. A UK CV usually contains none of these. This guide walks through each item side by side, explains why UK recruiters don't expect it, and shows what to put in its place.

None of this is about pretending to be someone you're not. It's about matching the conventions of the market you are applying to, so the reader can focus on your skills and experience.

Nigerian CV vs UK CV differences at a glance

Section	Common on Nigerian CVs	Usual on UK CVs
Date of birth / age	Often included	Leave out
State of origin and LGA	Often included	Leave out
Marital status, children	Often included	Leave out
Religion, gender	Sometimes included	Leave out
Passport photo	Common	Leave out
Referees	Two or three listed in full	Usually omitted; give on request
Address	Full street address	Town or city, sometimes postcode area
Length	Often three pages or more	Usually two pages
Opening section	Career objective	Short personal profile
Right to work	Not mentioned	A brief line helps if relevant

Nigerian conventions also vary by employer. Some banks, public sector bodies and multinationals in Nigeria have their own expectations, which we cover in Nigerian CV format by employer. The rest of this post focuses on converting for the UK.

What to remove, item by item

1. Date of birth and age

In the UK, age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, and employers generally avoid asking about it before they need to. Including your date of birth gives the reader information they don't want and can't fairly use. You can read the government's summary of protected characteristics on GOV.UK's discrimination page.

What to do: delete it. Also consider whether your graduation years or WAEC/NECO dates are needed. Your degree year is fine; secondary school results are usually unnecessary if you have a degree.

2. State of origin and LGA

State of origin and local government area matter in some Nigerian recruitment contexts, such as federal character considerations. UK employers have no use for them, and they take up space at the top of the page where your strongest information should be.

What to do: remove both. Nationality is also not normally listed. If an employer needs to know about your immigration status, they will ask, and you can address eligibility with a right-to-work line (see below).

3. Marital status, children, religion and gender

These are also personal details that UK employers don't expect on a CV, and several relate to protected characteristics. Leaving them out is standard, not evasive.

What to do: delete the whole "Personal Data" or "Personal Information" block if it only contains these items. Keep just your name and contact details.

4. Passport photograph

Photos are not expected on UK CVs, except in fields like acting or modelling where appearance is part of the role. A photo also takes space and can confuse some applicant tracking systems that read text from the file.

What to do: remove the photo. If you want a face attached to your name, a professional LinkedIn profile linked from your contact line is the usual place for it.

5. Referees

Nigerian CVs often list referees in full, including a pastor, a lecturer or a senior family friend. In the UK, referees are normally requested later, often after an offer, and are usually former line managers or, for graduates, an academic tutor.

What to do: remove the referee section. You can write "References available on request" if you have space, but many UK CVs simply omit it because it is assumed. Prepare your referees separately, tell them you're applying, and make sure at least one can speak about your recent work.

This is one point where countries differ: in Australia, listing referees is more common. See Australian CV referees if you are applying there too.

What to change, not just delete

Contact details

A UK-style contact line looks like this:

Chinedu Okafor London (relocating from Lagos, available from March) | +44 7700 900123 | chinedu.okafor@email.com | linkedin.com/in/chineduokafor

Keep your location honest. If you are still in Nigeria, say so, and include your Nigerian number in international format (+234...). Don't list a UK address you don't live at.

Career objective to personal profile

"To work in a challenging environment where I can utilise my skills" tells the reader nothing. Replace it with three or four lines about what you do, your level, and what you are looking for.

Before: Career Objective: To secure a position in a reputable organisation that will enhance my skills and contribute to organisational growth.

After: Profile: Accountant (ICAN) with four years' experience in audit and financial reporting at a mid-sized Lagos firm. Prepared monthly management accounts for eight clients and led the move from spreadsheets to cloud accounting software. Seeking a finance analyst role in the UK.

Only include achievements and numbers you can explain in an interview.

Length and structure

Aim for two pages. A typical UK order is:

1. Name and contact details
2. Personal profile
3. Key skills (optional, 6 to 10 items that genuinely reflect your experience)
4. Work experience, most recent first, with bullet points focused on results
5. Education and professional qualifications
6. Additional information (languages, relevant volunteering, certifications)

Trim duties you performed years ago, long lists of seminars attended, and hobbies that don't add anything.

Education and qualifications

UK readers recognise degree classes such as First Class and Second Class Upper, so you can keep these. Spell out Nigerian acronyms the first time: "ICAN (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria)". For NYSC, write it as work experience or a short line: "National Youth Service Corps, compulsory one-year national service, posted to..." and describe what you actually did.

If an employer asks how your qualifications compare with UK ones, UK ENIC provides official statements of comparability for a fee. You don't need one to apply for most jobs, but some regulated professions and public sector roles may ask.

Right to work

UK employers must check that staff have the right to work in the UK. A short, accurate line near your contact details can save confusion:

• "Right to work in the UK: Graduate visa, valid until 2026"
• "Will require visa sponsorship"

Be truthful here; employers verify this. Visa rules change, so check GOV.UK's visa and immigration pages for current information. This post is general guidance, not legal or immigration advice.

How the advice differs in other countries

If you are applying beyond the UK, the core removals still mostly apply:

• US: a resume is often one page for early-career applicants, and photos, date of birth and marital status are left off.
• Canada: similar to the US; personal details and photos are omitted. Our guide to Canadian resume format for newcomers covers the conversion in detail.
• Australia: personal details are left off, but referees are listed more often than in the UK.
• Nigeria: keep a separate version with the personal details some employers still expect, and adapt it per employer.

Keeping a master CV plus country versions is easier than editing one file back and forth.

Your conversion checklist

Work through this before you send your first UK application:

• Date of birth and age removed
• State of origin, LGA and nationality removed
• Marital status, children, religion and gender removed
• Photo removed
• Referees removed (prepared separately)
• Full street address replaced with town or city
• Phone number in international format
• Career objective replaced with a specific profile
• CV cut to around two pages
• Nigerian acronyms spelled out once
• Right-to-work line added, accurately
• File saved as PDF or Word with a clear name, such as Chinedu-Okafor-CV.docx
• Every claim is something you can discuss in an interview

Once the format is right, tailor the content to each job advert using its real wording where it truthfully matches your experience. If you want a second opinion on how closely your CV lines up with a specific advert, the QuickApplyPilot CV checker gives an estimated match score. It's our own estimate, not an employer's ATS result, so treat it as a prompt for edits rather than a prediction.