CV for Fresh Graduates in Kenya: How to Write a CV with No Experience

A fresh graduate CV in Kenya should lead with your education and industrial attachment, then show projects, volunteering, campus leadership and skills. Keep it to one or two pages and present every activity as proof of what you can do for an employer.

Everyone starts with no experience. The trick is knowing what counts as experience. It is more than you think.

What counts as experience for a graduate

Employers hiring graduates know you have not held a full-time job. They are looking for evidence that you can learn, work with others and finish things. All of these count:

• Industrial attachment – most Kenyan degree and diploma programmes require one. Treat it like a job.
• Internships – paid or unpaid, including government internship programmes.
• Final-year project or research – show the problem, the method and the result.
• Volunteering – church, community groups, NGOs, medical camps, tree-planting drives.
• Campus leadership – student council, class representative, club officials, sports captain.
• Part-time and casual work – shop attendant, M-Pesa agent, tutoring, boda dispatch, farm work, hustles. These show reliability and people skills.
• Online courses and certifications – free or paid, if relevant to the job.

The best order for a graduate CV

1. Contact details
2. Profile (three lines)
3. Education (moved up because it is your strongest section)
4. Attachment and internships
5. Projects
6. Volunteering and leadership
7. Skills
8. Referees

This differs from the standard CV format for Kenya, where experience comes before education.

Writing your profile with no experience

Focus on your qualification, your strongest skills and the type of role you want.

Recent Bachelor of Science in Information Technology graduate from a Kenyan public university. Completed a three-month attachment supporting 200+ users at a county government ICT office. Skilled in network troubleshooting, Python and customer support. Seeking a junior IT support role.

Writing your education section

Graduates can give more detail here than experienced candidates.

Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) – [University], 2026 Second Class Honours, Upper Division Relevant units: Financial Accounting, Taxation, Auditing, Management Accounting

KCSE – [School], 2021, Mean Grade B+

Include KCSE if it is strong or the advert asks for it. Add relevant units only if they match the job.

Writing your attachment like a real job

Use the same format as a full-time job, with action verbs and numbers.

Finance Attachment – [County Government Department], Nyeri May 2025 – August 2025

• Posted over 300 payment vouchers into the finance system with no reversal errors
• Assisted in preparing monthly bank reconciliations for three accounts
• Filed and indexed procurement records for an internal audit review
• Answered supplier payment queries at the front desk

Turning projects into evidence

Your final-year project is proof that you can plan, research and deliver. Present it in two or three lines.

Final-Year Project: Mobile Clinic Appointment System

• Built an Android app with Firebase that let a community clinic book patients by SMS
• Tested it with 25 users; cut walk-in queue times during the pilot

Group projects count too. Say what you did.

Volunteering and leadership

Show responsibility and impact.

• Treasurer, Accounting Students Association (2024–2025): managed a KES 120,000 annual budget and organised two career fairs with over 400 attendees.
• Volunteer, community medical camp, Kitui (2024): registered and triaged about 150 patients over two days.

Skills that employers search for

List skills the advert asks for first. Be specific.

• Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, formulas), Word, PowerPoint
• QuickBooks, Sage, or the software used in your field
• Data analysis tools, coding languages, design tools
• Languages: English, Kiswahili, others
• Driving licence (if relevant)

Avoid listing "computer literate". It is too vague in 2026.

Common graduate CV mistakes

• Writing a four-page CV with every short course since Form One
• Listing primary school (KCPE) details – usually unnecessary once you have KCSE and a degree
• Including date of birth, ID number, tribe or a photo
• Using one generic CV for every job
• Leaving out attachment because "it was not a real job"

See more in our full list of CV mistakes.

Tailor every application

Graduate roles attract many applicants. A CV that mirrors the advert's words stands out. Read the advert, note the skills it asks for, and make sure your CV shows evidence of each one, from attachment, projects or volunteering.

KaziMatch can help here. Our AI tailors your CV and cover letter to a specific job from your real experience, including attachments and projects, and never invents work you did not do. Start with a free fit check, and look for entry-level roles on the jobs board.

For interview preparation, read our interview questions and answers guide.