Updated 2026-11-14
A good CV for jobs in Kenya is easy to check against the advert. Put your strongest relevant evidence near the top, use clear headings, and make dates, qualifications and job titles consistent with your application form and certificates.
Never pay anyone for a job. Genuine public recruitment is free.
There is no single official Kenyan page limit for every CV. Use the length needed to show relevant qualifications and experience clearly. Remove unrelated detail instead of trying to meet a fixed number of pages.
Start with the job advert, not with an old generic CV. List the requirements and duties that you can truthfully evidence, then use the same clear terms in your profile, skills and experience sections. Do not claim a qualification, membership or experience you do not have.
For national Public Service Commission applications, the online recruitment system requires applicants to provide personal details, academic and professional qualifications, experience, membership of professional bodies, referees and other relevant information before submission. It says incomplete applications will not be considered. PSC online recruitment instructions also say applicants can amend an application before the advert closure date and should keep the application feedback report.
Other employers may ask for a CV as one item in a larger application. For example, a 2026 National Quality Control Laboratory notice asks for a detailed CV with three referees, an application letter, ID and relevant academic and professional certificates. Read the NQCL application instructions. Follow the advert you are applying to, even when it differs from your usual CV.
| CV section | What to include | How to present it |
|---|---|---|
| Contact details | Full name, phone number, professional email address and location | Put these at the top. Check that the phone number and email work. |
| Target title and profile | The role you want and a short summary of your relevant qualification, experience and strengths | Tailor it to one advert. Do not use unsupported claims such as "best" or "expert". |
| Key skills | Skills that the advert asks for and that you can demonstrate | Use a short, readable list. Include relevant technical tools, professional skills and languages only where truthful. |
| Work experience | Employer, job title, dates, relevant duties and results | List newest first. Use bullets that show what you did and the outcome where you can verify it. |
| Education and professional qualifications | Award, institution and completion year, plus licences or professional memberships where relevant | Put the qualifications required by the advert where they are easy to find. |
| Referees | Names and contact details when the advert asks for them | Confirm that each person agrees before listing them. Use the number and type of referee the advert specifies. |
A public-sector advert can be very specific. In its 2025-2026 recruitment notice, KeRRA requested an updated CV naming at least three professional referees, together with a signed letter, certificates and national ID. The deadline in that notice was 13 January 2026, so it is past, but it is a useful example of why you should check each current advert. See the KeRRA notice.
Make the CV as short as it can be while still proving that you meet the advertised requirements. A new graduate or early-career applicant can usually keep it very focused. An experienced applicant may need more space for roles, projects, registrations, publications or leadership work that the advert requires.
Length is not a substitute for evidence. A recruiter or board should be able to find your qualification, relevant experience, professional membership and referees without searching through long personal history.
Use this as a structure, then replace every bracket with your true details. Adjust the order when an advert prioritises a particular qualification, licence or portfolio.
| Order | Sample content |
|---|---|
| 1. Header | [Full name] | [Phone] | [Email] | [Town or county] |
| 2. Target role | Application: [Exact job title] - Ref: [Reference number] |
| 3. Professional profile | [Qualification or profession] with [relevant experience or training]. Experienced in [two or three job-related areas]. Seeking the [job title] role to contribute [relevant strength]. |
| 4. Key skills | [Skill from advert] | [Tool or system] | [Relevant professional skill] | [Language, if relevant] |
| 5. Experience | [Job title], [Employer], [Month/Year to Month/Year]. - [Relevant responsibility or achievement]. - [Relevant responsibility or achievement]. |
| 6. Education and professional qualifications | [Award], [Institution], [Year]. [Professional qualification, registration or membership], [Year or current status]. |
| 7. Relevant additional evidence | [Portfolio link, projects, publications, volunteer work, internship or training], only if relevant to the role. |
| 8. Referees | [Name, title, organisation, phone, email]. Add the requested number and type of referees. |
Use a professional portfolio only when it helps prove work such as design, media, writing, software or projects. An Africa Nazarene University vacancy, for example, requested a professional portfolio, CV, certificates, testimonials and three referees, including one current or former employer. Its stated deadline was 5 October 2026 and is past. That example shows that supporting-document requirements can change by employer and role. See the ANU vacancy instructions.
Only submit information you can support. The PSC warns that giving false or misleading information to the Commission has legal consequences. Read the PSC notice and instructions.
Check the specific advert and application portal. The PSC online system requires personal, academic, professional, experience, membership and referee information before submission. Some employers also ask for a separate detailed CV. The NQCL notice is one example that asks for one with three referees.
Follow the advert. KeRRA's 2025-2026 notice requested at least three professional referees. NQCL requested three referees, while ANU requested three and specified that one should be a present or previous employer. Ask each referee for permission and use current contact details.
Do not put documents inside the CV unless the advert directs you to do so. Submit the ID, certificates and clearance documents exactly as requested. The KeRRA notice requested ID and certificates with the application and said specified clearance documents would be required before an offer letter for successful candidates.
Keep a master CV, but make a separate targeted version for each job. Change the profile, skills and the experience bullets you highlight so they answer that advert's requirements truthfully.