A CV has one job: to make someone decide, in seconds, that you are worth reading properly.
What it needs
- Name and contact. A phone number with WhatsApp and a professional email address.
- Location. County and town.
- Experience. Employer, role, dates and what you actually did.
- Education. Qualifications, institution and year.
- Professional memberships and certifications, with dates.
What to leave out
ID number, marital status, number of children, religion, ethnicity. None of it helps the decision.
Professional bodies carry weight
ICPAK, LSK, IHRM, IEK and similar memberships are recognised markers in their fields. State them clearly with your registration status.
Note that from 31 July 2026, HR practitioners must be registered and licensed with IHRM — so if you work in HR, that registration is now a requirement rather than a credential.
Getting past screening
Larger employers use systems that read plain text:
- Simple format, no tables or columns
- Use the exact words from the job advert
- Avoid graphics and design-heavy layouts
Technology applications
Portfolio links, GitHub and demonstrable products matter more than the CV format. Include them prominently.
NGO and development applications
Formal qualifications stated precisely, project experience with named donors or programmes, monitoring and evaluation skills, and clear written English — reporting is a core deliverable.
Describe the work, not the title
"Finance Officer" says little. "Managed monthly reconciliation across four bank accounts, prepared quarterly donor reports for a KES 80 million programme, and supervised two assistants" says a great deal more.
Use numbers wherever you have them.
Length
Two pages is standard in Kenya, and NGO applications often expect more project detail.
Keep it current
A complete profile means employers find you in their searches, even when you are not actively looking.