After NYSC: A Realistic Plan for Landing Your First Proper Job

The period right after service is where a lot of graduates lose a year. Not because they are not trying — usually because they are doing the one thing that does not work: sending the same CV to everything.

Here is a more effective approach.

Weeks 1–2: decide what you are aiming at

Pick two related target roles, not ten. "Sales or accounting or HR or anything" is not a plan, and employers can tell.

To choose: look at what you actually did during service and in school, look at what you were good at, and look at where the openings are. Where those overlap is your target.

Write it down as a sentence: "I am looking for a junior operations or supply chain role in FMCG or logistics in Lagos." Everything after this decision gets easier.

Weeks 2–3: build the two documents

A CV built for that target. One page. Achievements with numbers, not duties. Service year counts as real experience — describe it like a job, because it was one.

A LinkedIn profile that matches. Same headline as your target role, a real photo, and the same achievements. A lot of Nigerian recruiters search there first.

Then make a second, adapted version of the CV for your other target role. Two CVs, not one, not twenty.

Weeks 3–4: the list

Make a list of 40–60 companies you would actually want to work for in your target sector. Not job adverts — companies.

For each one, note the careers page URL. Many mid-size Nigerian companies never advertise on job boards; they post on their own site or hire through referrals.

Check the list weekly. This alone puts you ahead of most applicants.

Ongoing: apply narrow and deep

• Ten careful applications a week beats a hundred careless ones. Tailor the CV to the advert
• every time.
• Apply within 48 hours of a posting. Many roles are effectively filled from the first batch.
• Find one human at the company. A short, polite message to someone in the team — not asking for
• a job, asking one specific question about the role — dramatically raises the chance your
• application gets read.
• Track everything. A simple sheet: company, role, date applied, contact, status. Follow up once
• after ten days.

In parallel: make yourself more employable each month

Two hours a day, consistently:

• Get the one certification your target adverts keep naming.
• Build one piece of visible work related to the target role.
• Improve Excel properly if your target is anywhere near operations, finance or analysis. It is still
• the most underrated skill in the market.

Take the imperfect job

A junior role at a smaller company, a contract role, or a role slightly off your target is worth far more than another six months of applying. Experience compounds; waiting does not. You can move after a year, and you will move from a much stronger position.

Guard your money and your data

During this period you are the exact target scammers look for. No genuine employer charges for an application, a "training", or an offer letter. Read our [scam warning signs](/post/how-to-spot-a-job-scam) before you respond to any offer that arrives unexpectedly.

Expect it to take time

Three to six months is normal for a first proper role, even for strong candidates. That is not a reflection of your ability. The people who get through are usually not the most qualified — they are the ones who kept a system going when it stopped feeling productive.