You’ve seen the CV templates. State of origin. Local government area. Religion. Marital status. Number of children. In Nigeria, this is just how a CV looks — it’s normal, expected, sometimes even required by the form itself. Then you go to apply for a role at an international company, and you freeze. Do you keep that information in? Strip it all out? Will leaving it out make you look like you’re hiding something, or will including it make you look unfamiliar with how international hiring actually works? If you haven’t already settled on the right layout for your situation, our guide on which resume format is right for you is worth checking first.

Nobody explains this clearly, so let’s actually break it down.

Why This Information Is Standard in Nigeria

Nigerian CVs historically include this information for a mix of cultural and practical reasons — state of origin ties into the federal character principle used in public sector hiring, religion and marital status have traditionally been seen as basic personal details similar to age or gender, and many older CV templates simply inherited this structure from decades of standard practice. It’s not unusual or suspicious in a local context. It’s just how the form has always looked.

Why International Recruiters See It Differently

In the US, UK, EU, and most Western hiring markets, including this information is not just unnecessary — it’s actively discouraged, and in some cases legally risky for the employer to even see. Anti-discrimination laws in these markets are structured so that hiring decisions can’t be influenced (or appear to be influenced) by religion, marital status, family origin, or similar personal characteristics. Because of this:

• Recruiters are trained to disregard CVs that include this information, or in stricter environments, HR teams may return or flag CVs that include it
• Some companies use software that automatically screens out unnecessary personal data for compliance reasons
• Including it can read as unfamiliarity with the norms of the market you’re applying to — even though it has nothing to do with your actual qualifications

This isn’t a judgment on Nigerian CV culture. It’s simply a different regulatory and cultural context, and CVs are one of the few documents where these contexts collide directly.

What to Actually Do

Cut entirely for international applications:

• State of origin / local government area
• Religion
• Marital status
• Number of children
• Age (unless specifically requested)
• A photo (standard in Nigeria, generally discouraged or even against policy in US/UK/EU hiring)

Keep:

• Name
• Location (city/country is usually enough — full home address isn’t necessary either)
• Phone number and professional email
• LinkedIn or portfolio link if relevant

Nuance worth knowing: if you’re applying to a Nigerian subsidiary of an international company, or a role based in Nigeria but reporting into a global HQ, norms can vary. When in doubt, mirror the format of the job posting itself — if it’s written in a Western CV style (no personal details requested), assume the international norm applies even if the role is physically based in Nigeria.

The Real Reason This Matters More Than It Seems

This isn’t just a formatting nitpick. A CV with unnecessary personal details can unconsciously signal to an international recruiter that a candidate hasn’t researched how hiring works in that market — even when the underlying experience and skills are exactly what they’re looking for. It’s a small, fixable thing that costs nothing to change and removes an easy, avoidable reason for your CV to be set aside before anyone even reads your experience section.

A Two-Version Strategy

If you regularly apply to both Nigerian and international roles, it’s worth maintaining two CV versions rather than trying to make one version work everywhere:

• Nigeria-market CV: follows local convention, includes the details expected locally
• International CV: stripped of personal identifiers, formatted to match US/UK/EU norms, focused entirely on experience, achievements, and skills

This takes slightly more upkeep, but it removes the guesswork every time you apply, and it signals — correctly — that you understand exactly who you’re writing for.

Personal details aren’t the only thing that trips up international applications — if you’re also navigating a career break, our guide on how to explain employment gaps on your resume covers the other common friction point.

Should Nigerians List State of Origin, Religion, or Marital Status on an International CV?

You’ve seen the CV templates. State of origin. Local government area. Religion. Marital status. Number of children. In Nigeria, this is just how a CV looks — it’s normal, expected, sometimes even required by the form itself. Then you go to apply for a role at an international company, and you freeze. Do you keep that information in? Strip it all out? Will leaving it out make you look like you’re hiding something, or will including it make you look unfamiliar with how international hiring actually works? If you haven’t already settled on the right layout for your situation, our guide on which resume format is right for you is worth checking first.

Nobody explains this clearly, so let’s actually break it down.

Why This Information Is Standard in Nigeria

Nigerian CVs historically include this information for a mix of cultural and practical reasons — state of origin ties into the federal character principle used in public sector hiring, religion and marital status have traditionally been seen as basic personal details similar to age or gender, and many older CV templates simply inherited this structure from decades of standard practice. It’s not unusual or suspicious in a local context. It’s just how the form has always looked.

Why International Recruiters See It Differently

In the US, UK, EU, and most Western hiring markets, including this information is not just unnecessary — it’s actively discouraged, and in some cases legally risky for the employer to even see. Anti-discrimination laws in these markets are structured so that hiring decisions can’t be influenced (or appear to be influenced) by religion, marital status, family origin, or similar personal characteristics. Because of this:

• Recruiters are trained to disregard CVs that include this information, or in stricter environments, HR teams may return or flag CVs that include it
• Some companies use software that automatically screens out unnecessary personal data for compliance reasons
• Including it can read as unfamiliarity with the norms of the market you’re applying to — even though it has nothing to do with your actual qualifications

This isn’t a judgment on Nigerian CV culture. It’s simply a different regulatory and cultural context, and CVs are one of the few documents where these contexts collide directly.

What to Actually Do

Cut entirely for international applications:

• State of origin / local government area
• Religion
• Marital status
• Number of children
• Age (unless specifically requested)
• A photo (standard in Nigeria, generally discouraged or even against policy in US/UK/EU hiring)

Keep:

• Name
• Location (city/country is usually enough — full home address isn’t necessary either)
• Phone number and professional email
• LinkedIn or portfolio link if relevant

Nuance worth knowing: if you’re applying to a Nigerian subsidiary of an international company, or a role based in Nigeria but reporting into a global HQ, norms can vary. When in doubt, mirror the format of the job posting itself — if it’s written in a Western CV style (no personal details requested), assume the international norm applies even if the role is physically based in Nigeria.

The Real Reason This Matters More Than It Seems

This isn’t just a formatting nitpick. A CV with unnecessary personal details can unconsciously signal to an international recruiter that a candidate hasn’t researched how hiring works in that market — even when the underlying experience and skills are exactly what they’re looking for. It’s a small, fixable thing that costs nothing to change and removes an easy, avoidable reason for your CV to be set aside before anyone even reads your experience section.

A Two-Version Strategy

If you regularly apply to both Nigerian and international roles, it’s worth maintaining two CV versions rather than trying to make one version work everywhere:

• Nigeria-market CV: follows local convention, includes the details expected locally
• International CV: stripped of personal identifiers, formatted to match US/UK/EU norms, focused entirely on experience, achievements, and skills

This takes slightly more upkeep, but it removes the guesswork every time you apply, and it signals — correctly — that you understand exactly who you’re writing for.

Personal details aren’t the only thing that trips up international applications — if you’re also navigating a career break, our guide on how to explain employment gaps on your resume covers the other common friction point.

Curious what other Nigeria-specific CV habits create friction internationally? Interview attire norms, referee expectations, and CV length conventions are worth digging into next.