A few days ago, I asked people to send their CVs to Fokona Moderator.
What I saw shocked me.
If I open your CV today…
There is a 90% chance I will not read it to the end.
Not because I’m wicked.
Not because I don’t want to help you.
But because most Nigeria CVs are written to impress… not to solve problems.
And that is the real problem.
Let Me Explain with a simple Story…
Imagine Mama Ngozi that sells tomatoes in the village.
If you go to her and say:
“Mama, I went to primary school… I like dancing… I am hardworking…”
Will she give you money?
No.
But if you say:
“Mama, I know how to arrange your tomatoes in a way that customers will buy faster and you will sell out before evening.”
She will listen to you immediately.
That is how employers think.
Most CVs look like this:
- Name
- Address
- Primary school
- Secondary school
- University
- Online courses
- Hobbies: dancing, singing, traveling
- Skills: teamwork, leadership
Finished.
Now ask yourself:
How does this help the company make money or grow?
It doesn’t.
Let me tell you the Truth Nobody Will Tell You
Most CVs are rejected in 10 seconds.
Not because you are not good…
But because you don’t know how to present value.
Employers are not looking for:
Long stories
Your life history
They are looking for:
Solutions
Results
Value
Let me tell you something clearly…
There is no company I ever applied to that rejected me.
and…
Not because I was the best…
But because I understood something others don’t.
Here’s What I Removed From My CV
- No primary school
- No secondary school
- No long story
Only:
- Name
- Phone number
- Address
That’s all.
I focused more on the company… not myself.
Before applying, I ask:
- What problem does this company have?
- Where are they losing money?
- What are competitors doing better?
This Is How I Structured My CV
Page 1: Their Problems
Page 2: My Solutions
Page 3: Expected Results (with timeline)
For Example:
If I’m applying as an SEO expert, I will do this:
- Check their website speed
- Check their Google ranking
- Check their competitors
Then I will say:
“Your website is slow, that’s why people leave.”
“Your competitors rank for 500 keywords, you rank for only 15.”
“and This is what I will do to fix it.”
Now tell me the truth…
Who will they call?
- The person begging for a job
- The person already solving their problem
Stop Begging, Start Proving
Some people still write:
“Sir please help me… God will bless you… I will do anything…”
Let me be honest with you:
Employers don’t need sympathy
Employers need solutions
Let me tell you a Funny Story…
Back in school, a Lecturer once called me to helped mark exam scripts.
Some students didn’t answer questions…
They wrote:
“Sir please help me… I will pay you… God will bless you…” 😂
That same mindset is still in many CVs today.
You are praising…
Instead of proving.
Let me tell you The Secret That Will Change Your Life..
Stop applying for jobs.
Start solving problems.
Because the moment you become a solution…
You don’t chase opportunities
Opportunities start chasing you
One More Smart Strategy (Most People Don’t Know This)
When I send my CV…
I don’t send it to only one email.
I send it to multiple people in the company.
Why?
Because sometimes:
One person can block your opportunity
Next time you want to write your CV:
Don’t write to impress
Write to solve
Even Mama Ngozi Will Understand that…
- Employers don’t care about your story
- They care about results
- Show them how you will help them grow
- Speak their problem
- Offer your solution
Your CV is not a biography.
Your CV is a business proposal.
My name is Iking Ferry
And I don’t just teach skills…
I teach you how to position yourself so the world cannot ignore you.
Thanks sir
Good afternoon iking Ferry,
If i get your point sir , our CV should like a business proposal that can solve people problem not just writing to impress.
So why writing the CV
It should contain name , email, phone number and address
Then the problem , solution and timeframe to achieve the solution
Can we include our past experiences in various organizations we have work with and firstly before applying for a job ,we should do research about the organization, how can we achieve the research
Powerful evergreen information. Thank you for sharing this.
Absolutely,this is teue among many Nigerians today, especially those of us,looking for remote jobs,or hybrid jobs today. This bad CV, usually makes us loose opportunities,same with,how we send our CV for job opportunities.
Apt
You just nailed it