How to Write a CV in Ghana: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

You've found a job you really want — maybe a national service posting, your first job after school, or a better role at a new company — and now the employer is asking for your CV while you're staring at a blank page.

Writing a CV is easier than it looks once you know what employers want to see. This guide walks you through it step by step, based on how employers in Ghana read and shortlist CVs.

The quick answer: to write a CV, add your contact details, write a short personal statement, list your work experience and national service (newest first), add your education, skills and certificates, and include two referees. Keep it to one or two pages and save it as a PDF.

What is a CV?

CV is short for curriculum vitae, a document that tells an employer who you are, what you've done and what you can do for them.

In Ghana, "CV" is the word most employers use, though you may also hear "resume". Some private companies and international firms use "resume" for a shorter, one-page version, but for most jobs in Ghana the two words mean the same thing.

Think of your CV as your first handshake: the person reading it doesn't know you yet, so your CV has to make them want to meet you.

The CV format employers in Ghana expect

Recruiters often go through dozens of CVs for a single job opening, so a clean, simple layout helps yours get read instead of skipped.

• Length: one to two pages, or up to three if you're very senior or applying for an academic role — never more, because recruiters rarely read beyond that.
• Order: use reverse-chronological order, which means your newest job or posting comes first.
• Language: use British English ("organised", "programme"), because Ghanaian schools, government offices and most employers follow British spelling, so it reads as correct and careful.
• Font: choose a standard font such as Calibri or Arial in size 10–12. Standard fonts are easy to read on screen and on paper, display correctly on any computer, and can be read by the AI tools and applicant tracking systems some employers use to screen CVs.
• File: save your CV as a PDF so it looks exactly the same on every device and program; a Word file can shift fonts, spacing and page breaks when someone else opens it.
• File name: use your full name, for example Ama_Mensah_CV.pdf. A hiring manager may download dozens of files called "CV.pdf", and a clear name makes yours easy to find, save and forward — and shows you're organised. Screening software reads the text inside your CV, so the file name is mainly for the person reading it.
• Headings: use clear section titles such as Work Experience, Education and Skills, so the reader can find what they need in seconds.

You also don't need to write "Curriculum Vitae" at the top, since everyone knows what the document is; put your name there instead, because it's the most important thing on the page.

How to write a CV in 8 steps

Follow these steps in order — each one becomes a section of your CV.

Step 1: Add your contact details

Put your full name at the top in bold, and under it add:

• A phone number that also works on WhatsApp, e.g. +233 24 000 0000
• An email address that looks professional. A free Gmail or Yahoo address is fine; what matters is the part before the @. Use your name, like ama.mensah@gmail.com, rather than a nickname like sweetbaby22@yahoo.com.
• Your town and region, for example "East Legon, Accra". You can also add your GhanaPost GPS digital address (e.g. GA-123-4567), but it's optional.
• Your LinkedIn profile link, if you have one

Your full house address and a P.O. Box aren't needed, because employers contact candidates by phone or email.

Step 2: Write a short personal statement

Your personal statement is three or four lines at the top of your CV that say who you are, what you've achieved and what job you want. It's the first thing a recruiter reads, so make every word count.

Fresh graduate example:

"Business Administration graduate from the University of Cape Coast with a year of national service in the accounts office of a district health directorate, where I processed over 300 payment vouchers without errors and prepared monthly expenditure reports in Excel. Looking for an entry-level accounts assistant or finance officer role in a bank, NGO or growing private company."

Experienced example:

"Sales supervisor with six years in FMCG across the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions of Ghana. I lead a team of eight sales reps and have grown our distributor sales by an average of 18% a year since 2021. Looking for a Regional Sales Manager role covering the Ashanti or Greater Accra Region."

Keep it honest and specific, and avoid phrases like "hardworking team player", because nearly every CV uses them and they tell the recruiter nothing about you.

Step 3: List your work experience

Start with your current or most recent job, and for each one include:

• Job title
• Company name and town
• Start and end dates (month and year), or "present" if you still work there
• Three to five bullet points about the impact you made and the numbers you moved

The most common CV mistake is listing duties — what you were supposed to do — instead of results, which show what changed because you were there. Use numbers wherever you can: money, percentages, customers or time saved.

Start each bullet with an action word such as managed, prepared, sold, trained, organised, reduced or improved.

Step 4: Add your national service and internships

Many young people in Ghana assume national service doesn't count as "real" experience, but employers see it as proof that you can show up, take responsibility and work in a team — so present it exactly as you would a job.

Write your role, where you served, your start and end dates, and the impact you made. For example:

National Service Personnel — Accounts Office, Ghana Health Service, Ho · Sept 2025 – Aug 2026

• Recorded and filed over 300 payment vouchers, with no errors found in the year-end audit
• Prepared monthly expenditure reports in Excel, cutting preparation time from five days to two
• Set up a simple tracker for staff allowance queries, which reduced repeat visits to the office by about half

If you're still a student, add internships, attachments and holiday jobs in the same format.

Step 5: Add your education

List your education with the newest first, including the school, the qualification, the start and end years, and your class of degree if it's Second Class Upper or First Class.

• BSc Business Administration (Second Class Upper) — University of Cape Coast, 2021–2025
• WASSCE — Wesley Girls' High School, 2017–2020

Add WASSCE or BECE only while you're early in your career; once you have a degree and some work experience, remove them to save space.

Step 6: List your skills

Instead of vague phrases like "computer skills", list the specific tools and abilities you can actually use, because that's what employers look for:

• Microsoft Word, Excel (formulas, pivot tables) and PowerPoint
• Google Docs, Sheets and Drive
• Social media content creation for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook
• Running paid ads on Facebook and Instagram
• Driving licence (Class B)
• Languages: English, Twi, Ga

Local languages are a genuine advantage for sales, customer service, health and community roles, so always include them.

Step 7: Add certificates and training

Certificates show that you invest in your own growth. Include things such as:

• Online courses and certificates from Google, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning or other platforms
• Computer literacy certificates, such as ICDL
• Licences required for your field, such as an NTC teacher licence or NMC registration
• First aid or health and safety training

Only list what you've completed or are actively studying for, since employers may ask to see the certificates.

Step 8: Add two referees

Most employers in Ghana still expect referees, so add two people who can speak about your work, such as a lecturer and your national service supervisor, or two former managers. For each referee, write their name, job title, organisation, phone number and email.

Important: call each referee before you list them and ask for permission, because a referee who is caught off guard by an employer's call is unlikely to give you a strong recommendation. If space is tight, you can write "References available on request" — unless the job opening asks for referees, in which case include them.

Should I add a photo, my age or marital status?

This is one of the most common questions in Ghana, and the honest answer is that it depends on the employer.

Many Ghanaian CVs still include a photo, date of birth, hometown and marital status, and some local employers are used to seeing them. Most modern companies and international organisations don't need these details, though: they don't show whether you can do the job, they can lead to unfair judgements based on age, looks or family situation, and they share private information before you know whether the employer is serious about you. Leaving them out keeps the focus on your skills.

Our advice:

• Photo: add one only if the job opening asks for it. You don't need a professional photographer — a phone photo works well if you follow the simple rules below.
• Date of birth, marital status, religion, hometown: leave them out unless the job opening asks for them.
• Ghana Card number and other ID numbers: keep these off your CV. They are private, and employers ask for them later in the hiring process, once they're ready to move forward with you.

How to take a good CV photo with your phone

1. Stand in front of a plain, light-coloured wall — white, cream or light grey works best.
2. Face a window in daylight so the light falls evenly on your face, and avoid harsh overhead bulbs or direct sun.
3. Hold the phone at eye level and straight, about an arm's length away for a selfie, or ask a friend to take it from one metre away.
4. Wear what you'd wear to an interview: a plain shirt or blouse without busy patterns.
5. Frame yourself from the chest up, look into the camera and give a natural, relaxed smile.
6. Skip filters and beauty effects, and crop the photo to a square before adding it to your CV.

How to tailor your CV to each job

Sending the same CV to every job opening is one of the main reasons good candidates don't hear back. You don't need a new CV each time; a few small changes are enough.

1. Read the job opening carefully and underline the skills and requirements it mentions.
2. Use the same words. If it says "customer service", don't write "client care": more employers now use AI tools and applicant tracking systems to scan CVs for exactly those words, and a recruiter skimming quickly looks for them too.
3. Move the most relevant information higher. If the job needs Excel, put Excel near the top of your skills.
4. Follow every instruction. If the job opening asks for "a CV of no more than two pages, with two referees, in one PDF", do exactly that, because many applications are rejected simply for ignoring instructions.

These changes take about 10 minutes per application and noticeably improve your chances.

10 CV mistakes that cost you the interview

1. Spelling and grammar errors — read your CV out loud, then ask a friend to check it.
2. A CV that's more than two pages long.
3. "Curriculum Vitae" written as the heading instead of your name.
4. An email address built on a nickname instead of your name.
5. A wrong or switched-off phone number, which happens more often than you'd think.
6. Listing duties without any results.
7. Referees who don't know they're your referees.
8. Lying about qualifications or experience — employers do check.
9. A file that looks messy when opened. Your CV should be clean and look good on any device, which is easiest to guarantee with a PDF.
10. Gaps or missing dates in your work history with no explanation.

Your CV checklist before you hit send

• My name is at the top, big and bold
• My phone number and email are correct
• My personal statement fits this job opening
• Experience is newest first, with start and end dates, results and numbers
• National service and internships are included
• Skills are specific, not vague
• Two referees who know I'm applying
• One or two pages only
• No spelling mistakes
• Saved as a PDF with my name in the file name

Build your CV in minutes with CVchale

Now you know how to write a CV, but putting it all together while juggling applications, data bundles and deadlines still takes time. CVchale does the hard part for you, and getting started is free:

1. Open CVchale — tap the "Build my CV" button below.
2. Answer simple questions about your education, national service and work.
3. Let the AI polish it, turning plain sentences into strong bullet points that show your impact.
4. Download a clean PDF in a Ghana-ready format, ready to send.

CVchale works on your phone and can also write the application letter that goes with your CV.

Frequently asked questions