How to write a CV with no experience for your first job

What employers look for when you have no experience

• Relevant education: the course, the units that relate to the job, projects and your results.
• Transferable skills: communication, teamwork, problem-solving, computer skills and customer care, each backed by a real example.
• Reliability: roles where people trusted you, such as class representative, treasurer, team captain or church volunteer.
• Initiative: things you started or improved on your own, such as a small business, a club, an online course or a community project.
• Fit and motivation: a summary that shows you understand the job and why you want it.

The best CV structure when you have no experience

1. 1

   Contact details

   Name, phone, professional email and town. Add LinkedIn if you have a complete profile.

2. 2

   Career objective or summary

   Three sentences: what you studied, your strongest skills with proof, and the type of role you are applying for.

3. 3

   Education

   Put it near the top. Include your course, institution, years, grade or class, relevant units and final project. Add school results (KCSE, WASSCE, NSC) too.

4. 4

   Experience (any kind)

   Attachment, internship, volunteering, part-time or casual work, family business and leadership roles. Write them like real jobs, with achievements.

5. 5

   Projects

   Academic, personal or community projects that show practical skills.

6. 6

   Skills, certifications and languages

   Practical skills, short courses (online counts) and languages.

7. 7

   Referees

   A lecturer, an attachment supervisor and a community or church leader who knows you.

Turning everyday activities into CV experience

You almost certainly have more experience than you think. Here is how to describe common activities in a professional way:

• Family shop or farm → “Served 50+ customers a day, handled cash and M-Pesa payments and restocked shelves in a family retail shop.”
• Church or mosque volunteer → “Coordinated 15 youth volunteers for monthly community clean-ups.”
• Class representative → “Represented 90 students in faculty meetings and organised revision timetables.”
• Sports team → “Captained the university football team, organising training for 25 players.”
• Online course → “Completed Google Data Analytics Certificate; built a sales dashboard in Google Sheets.”
• Tutoring → “Tutored 6 secondary students in mathematics; 5 improved by at least one grade.”

How to write a CV objective with no experience

Your objective should be specific to the job and honest about where you are in your career. Mention your qualification, two strengths and the role you want.

Skills to put on a CV with no experience

Choose skills that match the job advert and that you can prove with an example in your CV:

• Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint (or Google Docs and Sheets)
• Customer service and communication
• Data entry and accuracy
• Cash and mobile money handling
• Social media management
• Report writing and presentations
• Teamwork and leadership
• Languages you speak fluently

Mistakes to avoid on a first CV

• Writing a two-page CV full of filler. One strong page is better.
• Listing hobbies such as “reading and travelling” that say nothing about the job.
• Using a childish email address.
• Copying a generic objective from the internet.
• Leaving out your attachment or volunteering because it was unpaid. Unpaid experience still counts.

Walkthrough: the sample CV with no full-time experience

The graduate CV above never mentions a full-time job, yet it gives an employer plenty of reasons to interview. The summary is specific (degree class, attachment areas and the exact roles wanted). The attachment is written like a job, with numbers: a 300-vendor database cleaned and four public tenders supported. The student leadership role shows trust and responsibility: a KES 250,000 budget and a career fair for 600 students.

Education includes the final project title, which is a great interview talking point. Skills are practical and verifiable, and the two referees, a lecturer and the attachment supervisor, can each vouch for a different side of the candidate.

Let AI help you write your first CV

If you are unsure what to write, describe yourself in your own words, in English, Swahili or a mix, and our AI turns it into a structured CV with a strong objective and achievement-focused bullets. You can also paste a link to the job you want, and AI writes a CV aimed at that job. Then use the live ATS score to polish it before you download.

Frequently asked questions