“I have no experience, so what do I even put on my CV?” is one of the most common questions Kenyan students and fresh graduates ask when they start job hunting. The good news is that every employed professional once faced the same blank page, and there’s a proven way to write a CV as a student that doesn’t rely on years of work history.
This guide covers exactly how to do a CV for a student in Kenya, with a full worked example, so you can apply for internships, attachments, and entry level roles with confidence.
Why Student CVs Are Different (and Why That’s Fine)
A student CV is judged differently from a professional’s CV. Recruiters hiring interns, attachees, or graduate trainees aren’t expecting a long employment history. They’re looking for signals: are you organized, coachable, and capable of learning fast? That means the sections you emphasize shift compared to an experienced professional’s CV, even though the overall structure stays similar.
How to Write a CV as a Student: Section by Section
1. Contact Information
Full name, phone number, a professional-sounding email, and your city. If you have a LinkedIn profile, even a basic one, include it. Skip your ID number and a photo unless specifically requested.
2. Personal Statement
This is a three to four line introduction covering your field of study, your strengths, and what kind of opportunity you’re looking for. For example: “Final year Business Administration student at Kenyatta University with hands on experience in customer service through part time roles and campus leadership. Seeking a marketing internship to apply analytical and communication skills in a fast paced environment.”
3. Education
For students, education usually comes near the top since it’s often your strongest section. Include:
- Degree or diploma program, institution, and expected or actual graduation date
- KCSE grade (mean grade and relevant subject grades)
- Any academic awards, dean’s list mentions, or notable projects
4. Key Skills
List six to eight skills relevant to the role you want, mixing technical skills (Excel, data entry, basic coding, graphic design) with soft skills (communication, teamwork, time management). Where you can, connect a skill to a specific example rather than listing it alone.
5. Experience (Broaden What Counts)
This is the section that trips up most students, and it’s exactly why a curriculum vitae example for students with no experience looks different from a typical CV. “Experience” for a student CV can include:
- Industrial attachment or internship placements
- Part time or holiday jobs, even outside your field
- Volunteer work, community service, or church or mosque leadership roles
- Class projects, group assignments, or a final year project with a real outcome
- Leadership roles in student clubs, sports teams, or campus organizations
Write these the same way you’d write a job entry: role or activity, organization, dates, and two to three bullet points on what you did and what came of it.
6. Referees
Two to three people who can speak to your character or ability. Good options for students include a lecturer, a project supervisor, an attachment or internship supervisor, or a club patron. Always ask permission before listing someone as a referee.
Curriculum Vitae Examples for Students: A Full Worked Sample
Here’s a complete example CV for a student with no formal work experience, showing how the sections come together.
BRIAN OTIENO Nairobi, Kenya | 07XX XXX XXX | brian.otieno@gmail.com | linkedin.com/in/brianotieno
Personal Statement Third year Computer Science student at the University of Nairobi with a strong foundation in web development and a track record of leading student tech projects. Seeking a software development internship to apply and grow practical coding skills in a professional setting.
Education BSc Computer Science, University of Nairobi (2023 to Present, expected 2027) KCSE: B+ (Mathematics A, Physics A-)
Key Skills Python and JavaScript, basic database management, Microsoft Office, team collaboration, problem solving, public speaking
Experience Team Lead, University Coding Club Project (2025)
- Led a 4 member student team to build a class attendance tracking web app as a final course project
- Presented the project to a panel of lecturers and industry judges
Customer Service Assistant, Local Retail Shop, Nairobi (2024, part time)
- Handled daily customer inquiries and cash transactions during school holidays
- Trained two new part time staff on point of sale procedures
Volunteer, Community Digital Literacy Program (2023)
- Taught basic computer skills to 20 secondary school students over an 8 week program
Referees Available on request from academic and volunteer supervisors: [Name, Title, Organization, Phone, Email]
Notice that none of this is a formal job. It’s still a complete, credible CV because each entry shows initiative and a concrete outcome.
How to Write CV for Students Applying to Different Opportunities
The same base CV should shift slightly depending on what you’re applying for.
- Internships and attachments. Emphasize coursework, class projects, and any technical or practical skills tied to the industry.
- Part time or holiday jobs. Emphasize reliability, customer service, and any prior part time work, even informal ones like babysitting or small business support.
- Scholarships or graduate programs. Emphasize academic achievement, leadership roles, and extracurricular involvement over paid work.
- Graduate trainee programs. Emphasize academic performance, leadership, and any project or attachment experience closest to the sector you’re targeting.
Common Mistakes Students Make on Their CVs
- Leaving the experience section blank instead of broadening it. An empty section signals nothing; a section filled with class projects and volunteer work signals initiative.
- Writing a personal statement with no direction. “Looking for any opportunity” reads as unfocused. Naming a specific field or role type reads as intentional.
- Overloading the CV with primary and secondary school detail. Once you’re at diploma or degree level, KCPE details can usually be dropped.
- Using a casual email address or phone greeting. First impressions on a CV matter as much as they do in an interview.
- Making it too long. One page is usually enough for a student CV. Two pages maximum if you genuinely have enough relevant content.
Final Word
Learning how to write a CV for students in Kenya comes down to one shift in thinking: experience doesn’t have to mean formal employment. Attachments, class projects, part time work, and volunteering all count, as long as you present them with the same structure and specificity you’d use for a paid job. Build from the template above, keep it honest and specific, and tailor it to each opportunity you apply for.
FAQ
How do I write a CV with no work experience as a student? Replace formal work history with attachments, internships, class projects, part time jobs, and volunteer or leadership roles, written with the same structure as a job entry: role, organization, dates, and outcomes.
What should a student put under skills on a CV? A mix of technical skills relevant to your field of study and soft skills like communication, teamwork, and time management, ideally each backed by a real example elsewhere in the CV.
How long should a student CV be? One page is ideal. Two pages maximum if you have enough genuinely relevant content to fill it.
Should I include my KCSE results on my CV? Yes, especially early in your career. Include your mean grade and any standout subject grades relevant to your field.