Job seekers have been advised to provide evidence of their abilities on their CVs instead of simply describing themselves with phrases such as “excellent leadership skills.”
Rachel Adegbe made the point while speaking at Employee Concourse in Abuja on Saturday, where she discussed how applicants can make their CVs more effective.
Adegbe said recruiters need to see evidence of what candidates have actually done, particularly when an applicant claims to possess a specific skill.
She criticised the common practice of simply listing personal qualities without explaining how those qualities have been demonstrated.
“On your CV, you don’t put something like, excellent leadership skills,” Adegbe said.
According to her, many applicants can make the same claim, so candidates need to explain what makes their experience different.
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She gave an example of a candidate who could state that they had leadership skills but could strengthen the claim by explaining how they coordinated a team and what resulted from that work.
Adegbe said evidence makes it possible for recruiters to assess the connection between a candidate’s claimed skills and actual experience.
She also advised candidates to think carefully about the content of their professional profiles.
According to her, a professional profile should provide a brief explanation of who the applicant is, what they have, what they know, what they can do and the value they can bring to an organisation.
She said a CV should then provide details about the candidate’s skills, what they did with those skills, the results achieved, experience and qualifications.
Adegbe also encouraged job seekers who describe themselves as inexperienced to reconsider what they count as experience.
She noted that graduates can draw from activities such as NYSC, team leadership, group work and freelance assignments when demonstrating their abilities.
The emphasis, according to her, should be on showing that a candidate can contribute when given an opportunity.
She advised applicants to prepare examples before interviews because recruiters may ask them to demonstrate how they handled particular situations.
Adegbe introduced the STAR approach as a way candidates can organise their examples.
The method requires an applicant to explain the situation, the task involved, the action taken and the result achieved.
She encouraged job seekers to build an “evidence bank” of such examples before attending interviews.
Adegbe’s advice suggests that candidates should move beyond simply telling recruiters what they believe about themselves and instead demonstrate their abilities through specific examples and results.
For applicants preparing their next CV, the message is straightforward: rather than simply claiming a skill, show where and how you used it.