Hello Corporate Professionals,

It’s September, the 9th month of 2025.

You’ve made it once again!

Guess what?

The Nigeria Society of Engineers Professional Training Programme was a resounding success in July!!! We made history once again with our brilliance, professionalism, and excellence.

I felt really proud. 💃🏾✨

Now, let’s continue our corporate “gossip,” shall we? 😏

In Chapter 2, we talked about the importance of gaining experience and adding skills to grow in the corporate space.

In this chapter, we’ll talk about the HOW of climbing the corporate ladder especially for those of you frantically applying to every job ad you see on social media and on job platforms.

Let’s be honest for a minute…

Do you really think your CV stands a chance among the hundreds (if not thousands) of applications that flood recruiters’ inboxes?

You might have the experience or the skills, but if your CV doesn’t capture attention, you won’t even get a foot in the door.

Let’s break it down.

First, your CV should grab at least 70% of a recruiter’s attention during review. So how do you achieve that?

The 3 Secrets to a Great CV

1. The Template

The design and format of your CV matters. A clean, professional template gives off a great first impression before a single word is read. Good news? Google is your friend! There are tons of free CV templates online. No excuse to send a poorly structured CV.

Tips:

• Choose simple but professional templates.
• Avoid noisy designs or multiple colours.
• Use clear section headers and consistent font size.

2. The Outline

As a recruiter myself, I shake my head way too often at disorganized CVs.
Messy CVs gets deleted.
Confusing CVs gest ignored.
You don’t want that. A good CV is like telling someone your story without meeting them in person. So make it count.

Your CV should include:

1. Your Full Name
2. Contact Details (Phone number, email address, location)
3. Professional Summary: A short 3-4 line overview of your core strengths and value.
4. Work Experience: Past and current roles with key achievements.
5. Skills: Mention the tools, soft skills, technical proficiencies, etc you have.
6. Educational Background: Highlight your most relevant degrees.
7. Additional Information: Certifications, trainings, volunteer work.
8. Referee(s): Two is fine.

3. The Information

Now that you have the right format and structure fill it in intelligently.

Here’s how:

• Use past tense when describing past roles.
• Arrange years from most recent to oldest (reverse chronology). E.g, 2025, 2023, 2021 and so on
• Add relevant skills, certifications, and achievements. They are key for shortlisting!

A Gentle Warning!!

NEVER lie on your CV. It will come back to bite either during the interview or through background checks (yes, companies do check).

When You Land the Interview…

Now that your CV got you through the first gate, don’t blow the opportunity.

• Be articulate when introducing yourself. Start with your experience, what you did in previous roles, skills you gained, and any achievements or trainings before answering their questions.
• Listen carefully to each question. Then try to tie your answers back to real life experiences or scenarios from past jobs.

For example:

Q: How would you resolve issues between colleagues?
A:

“During my time at Stacy & Co. as an Office Admin, I experienced a similar issue. I first spoke to both individuals separately to understand their sides, did some internal checks, and eventually resolved the issue amicably. It taught me the importance of clear communication and fairness.”

If you don’t have a direct work example to use, create a scenario, but never give vague answers. Specificity shows confidence and experience.

Be intentional because in today’s job market showing up prepared is already winning half the battle.

Until I write again.
Still winging it,
Wing Woman