A strong CV is the first step to getting hired in South Africa. This guide shows you how to build one that recruiters actually read.
The structure that works
- Personal details: full name, phone number, email address, city and province.
- Professional summary: 2β3 lines about who you are and what you do best.
- Work experience: most recent job first, with your title, company, dates and 2β3 achievements per role β not just duties.
- Education and qualifications: highest qualification first, including institution and year.
- Skills: match them to the job advert β technical skills, languages and tools.
- References: “Available on request” is enough at this stage.
Tips for the South African job market
- Keep it to 2 pages. Recruiters spend seconds on the first scan.
- Use the exact words from the job advert β many employers filter CVs by keywords.
- Numbers beat adjectives: “Increased sales by 20%” says more than “hard worker”.
- Save and send your CV as a PDF so the layout never breaks.
- Never pay anyone to apply for a job. Real employers never charge application fees.
Before you send it
Read the advert once more, check your spelling, and make sure your phone number and email are correct. One wrong digit can cost you an interview.