How to build a professional CV when you have little experience

Many graduates in Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Garowe or Nairobi feel stuck: every advert asks for experience, and you cannot get experience without a job. The good news is that a first CV is not judged like a senior one. The person reading it knows you are starting out. They want to see three things: that you understand the job, that you can learn, and that you are serious.

What employers look for in a first CV

• Clear contact details: your name, a phone number with the country code (+252, +254…), a professional email address and your city.
• Relevant education: what you studied, where and when, and anything in it that matches the job.
• Proof of skills: things you have actually done, not a list of adjectives.
• Signs of reliability: projects you finished, responsibilities you were trusted with, time you gave to your community.
• Good written English: short sentences, no spelling mistakes, the same format from top to bottom.

Start with a short, specific profile

The three or four lines at the top decide whether the rest is read. Say what you are, what you can do and what you are looking for. Leave out words anyone could write about themselves.

Make your education work for you

When you have little work experience, education goes near the top. Give the degree, the university and the years. Then add what makes it useful for this job: your final-year project, two or three relevant courses, a practical placement, or a good grade if it really is good.

Projects, volunteering and the family business count

Experience is anything where you had a responsibility and did real work. You do not need a contract for it to count. Common examples:

• University or personal projects: a website, a small app, a research report, a business plan.
• Volunteering: awareness campaigns, clean-up days, helping at vaccination days, teaching younger students.
• Youth groups and associations: organising events, managing money, writing reports.
• Work in the family shop or business: selling, keeping records, dealing with suppliers. Many employers value this.
• Internships and short placements, even two or three weeks.

For each one, write two or three short lines that start with an action: organised, recorded, taught, designed, sold, reported. Add a number when you have a true one: how many people, how many weeks, how many items.

Skills: specific and honest

List the skills the job asks for that you really have, and name the tools: Microsoft Excel, KoboToolbox, Canva, report writing, customer service, Figma. "Computer skills" and "MS Office expert" say little, and an interview can quickly show the difference. Add your languages with an honest level, for example Somali (native), English (fluent), Arabic (basic).

What to leave out

Many CVs in the region still include details that do not help and can hurt you. Leave them out unless the advert clearly asks for them:

• Clan or tribe, religion and marital status. They have nothing to do with your ability.
• Date of birth, age and ID or passport numbers.
• A photo, unless the advert asks for one. If it does, use a clear, recent photo in professional clothes.
• Referees' phone numbers without asking them first. "References available on request" is enough.

Common mistakes that get CVs rejected

• Three or four pages for a first job. One page is best; two at most.
• An email address like coolboy2003@… Create a simple one with your name.
• Copying a template and forgetting someone else's details or job titles inside it.
• Claiming skills, certificates or jobs you do not have. Employers check, and trust is hard to win back.
• Sending the same CV to every job. Read each advert and put the most relevant things first.

Tailor it to each job

1. 1Read the advert twice and underline what they ask for: tasks, skills, education.
2. 2Move the parts of your CV that match to the top of each section.
3. 3Use the advert's own words where they are true for you (if they say "data collection", do not only write "surveys").
4. 4Check spelling, dates and your phone number one last time, then save it as a PDF named with your name.