Updated 2026-11-15
You can use the free Kenyan CV template below by copying it into a document editor and saving it as Word or PDF. This page provides editable text, not a hosted download, and copying it requires no Cazini account or payment. Replace the placeholders with your details, tailor the content to the vacancy, and follow the employer's instructions for file type and attachments.
Copy the template between the start and end labels. The bold labels should become ordinary section headings in your document; remove any section that does not apply to you.
Template starts
[FULL NAME]
[Phone number] | [Professional email] | [Town, County]
[LinkedIn or portfolio link, if relevant]
PROFILE
[Your occupation, qualification or area of training] with experience in [relevant work, attachment or projects]. Skilled in [skills requested in the advert], demonstrated through [specific task or result]. Seeking a [target role] position where I can contribute to [relevant employer need].
RELEVANT SKILLS
WORK EXPERIENCE
[Most recent job title] | [Employer] | [Town]
[Month and year started] to [Month and year ended, or Present]
[Earlier relevant role] | [Employer] | [Town]
[Dates]
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
[Highest qualification] | [Institution] | [Completion date or expected completion]
[Relevant project, specialisation or grade, where useful]
[Earlier relevant qualification] | [Institution] | [Completion date]
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND MEMBERSHIP
[Relevant certification, licence or membership and current status]
REFEREES, IF REQUESTED
[Name] | [Job title and organisation] | [Working relationship]
[Current phone number and email, shared with permission]
Template ends
For an attachment, internship or volunteer placement, use the experience section but label the arrangement accurately. Do not present a college project as paid employment.
Kenya's official Labour Market Information System, KLMIS, describes chronological, functional and combination CV formats. Choose by the evidence you need to show, not by the most decorative design.
Chronological: Lead With Work History
A chronological CV foregrounds employment history. Use this approach when your recent roles clearly support the job you want, placing experience before the detailed skills section in the template.
Start with your current or most recent role and work backwards. This ordering also matches the employment-history instructions in PSC.2.
Functional: Lead With Relevant Skills
A functional CV foregrounds skills and experience. KLMIS identifies it as particularly suitable for career changes or employment gaps.
Group evidence under relevant skills, such as customer service, records management or equipment maintenance. Keep employers and dates clear rather than using the format to obscure your background.
Combination: Show Skills and Work History
A combination CV includes both skills evidence and chronological employment history. The template above follows this approach.
Keep the skills section selective so it does not repeat every experience bullet. KLMIS notes that this format can be longer because it covers both areas in detail.
Fresh Graduates and Applicants Without Work Experience
Move education above experience if your qualification is your strongest evidence. Rename the experience section "Projects, Attachment and Volunteer Experience" where that better describes your background.
Use wording that identifies what you actually did. For example, adapt "Prepared stock records during attachment and checked delivery documents against received items" only if it accurately describes your work.
TVET Applicants
Name the trade, qualification and equipment or processes you can use. Explain practical tasks completed during training or attachment instead of listing broad claims such as "technical skills".
Distinguish supervised training from tasks you have performed independently. Include relevant certification or licensing status without implying that an incomplete qualification has been awarded.
Career Changers and Returning Workers
Lead with transferable skills supported by examples. A shop assistant moving into administration might highlight record-keeping, customer enquiries and document handling rather than unrelated sales language.
Keep employment dates accurate. If you include a career-break entry, a brief neutral description is enough; you do not need to disclose private health or family circumstances.
NGO Applicants and Experienced Professionals
Select evidence that matches the vacancy's work, such as programme reporting, community engagement, procurement or supervision. State your own contribution rather than taking credit for an entire team's results.
Replace "responsible for reports" with a truthful explanation of what you prepared, who used it and what it helped them do. Use measurable results only when you can substantiate them.
Paste the template into your editor as plain text if copied formatting looks untidy. Use a simple reading order, clear headings and ordinary bullet points, with contact details in the main document.
Before relying on any editor or CV builder, check that it supports the export format you need and whether export requires payment or an account. This template has no embedded watermark, but an external service may apply its own conditions.
For straightforward text compatibility:
These checks improve readability; they do not guarantee acceptance by an applicant tracking system. Use a recognisable filename such as `YourName_Role_CV.pdf`, and check the saved file on your phone before sending it.
A CV does not replace a required application form. For PSC online applications, register or use your existing PSCIMS account and complete the vacancy-specific application; the official login page is listed under Sources.
PSC.2 asks for academic qualifications beginning with the highest, relevant professional or technical qualifications, relevant courses lasting at least one week, professional-body membership, and employment history beginning with the current or most recent role. Gather these details before applying, even if your general CV is more selective.
Keep the distinction clear:
PSC.2 instructs applicants not to attach certificates and testimonials. However, the PSC notice for the Open University of Kenya Vice-Chancellor vacancy required a detailed CV and supporting documents, including identification and certificates. Follow the current advert and application instructions, not a blanket rule copied from another vacancy.
When browsing county government vacancies, check each employer's requirements separately.
Kenya's Data Protection Act includes principles of data minimisation, accuracy and security. As a practical privacy measure, leave ID or passport numbers, signatures, certificate scans, health details and your full residential address out of a general CV unless specifically needed for a verified application.
Do not upload these details to an unverified template site. Where an employer requests identification separately, supply it through the verified application route rather than adding it to every CV you circulate.
Use current job listings to identify a target vacancy, then match your evidence to its requirements. Confirm the recipient, requested attachments and stated closing time, and retain your submission confirmation.
Recruitment fees for a job, shortlisting or a promised "slot" are fraud. PSC states that it does not charge for placements, promotions, approvals or advisory services and warns about fraudsters demanding money for shortlisting or appointments. Read Cazini's ethical hiring guidance before responding to payment demands.
Where Can I Download a Free CV Template in Kenya?
Copy this page's template into a document editor and save it as Word or PDF. There is no hosted attachment here and no Cazini registration requirement. Check export conditions before using an external builder.
How Many Pages Should a Kenyan CV Be?
Follow the advert's length limit, if given; otherwise, prioritise relevant evidence and remove repetition. Do not shrink the text to force a shorter document. KLMIS notes that combination CVs can be longer because they include skills detail and work history.
Should I Include a Photo, KCSE and KCPE?
Leave out a photo unless requested. Include KCSE when it supports your application or the advert specifies school qualifications or subject grades. Usually omit KCPE unless requested, while completing any required education fields in the application form.
Should I Send Word or PDF?
Follow the advert's file-format instructions. Otherwise, a text-based PDF is a practical way to preserve layout, while Word is suitable when an editable file is requested. Check that the exported text can be selected and copied.
Do I Need Referees and Certificates?
Include referees when requested and ask permission before sharing their details. PSC.2 says not to attach certificates and testimonials, but some PSC vacancy notices require them. Follow the exact vacancy's instructions.
You can copy the template on this page into a document editor and save it as Word or PDF, without registering on Cazini. This page provides the template text rather than a downloadable attachment. If you use a CV builder elsewhere, check whether exporting the finished file is free before entering your personal details.
Follow any length limit in the advert; otherwise, keep the CV short enough that relevant qualifications and experience are easy to find. Remove repeated duties and unrelated detail rather than shrinking the text. KLMIS notes that a combination CV can be longer because it includes both skills detail and work history.
Leave out a photo unless the employer requests one. Include KCSE details when the advert specifies a school qualification or subject grade, or when they help explain your education as an early-career applicant. Usually leave out KCPE unless it is specifically requested, and give any additional education details in the employer's form where required.
Use the file type specified in the advert. If none is specified, a text-based PDF is a practical choice for preserving your layout, while Word suits an employer asking for an editable document. Check that you can select and copy the text, and do not submit a photograph of a printed CV.
Include referees if the advert asks for them, and get their permission before sharing their contact details. Certificate rules depend on the application: PSC.2 says not to attach certificates and testimonials, while some PSC vacancy notices expressly require supporting documents. Follow the instructions for the exact vacancy rather than treating either approach as universal.