5 min read
Most recruiters look at a CV for less than a minute before they decide. Some look for ten seconds. That sounds harsh, but it is also good news: you do not need a fancy CV. You need a clear one that answers their questions fast.
This guide walks you through it section by section.
When a South African recruiter opens your CV, they are usually checking a short list:
If those answers are easy to find at the top of page one, you are already ahead of most people applying.
Keep to this order. It is simple, and recruiters are used to it.
Put your full name at the top in bold. Under it, give one cellphone number you actually answer, one email address, and the area you live in (for example, "Soshanguve, Pretoria"). You do not need your full street address.
Use a sensible email address. If yours is something like sexyboy99, make a new free one with just your name.
In South Africa it is normal to add a few short lines here. Only include what helps:
You do not need your religion, marital status, number of children, weight or health. Leave them off.
This is a quick summary of who you are and what you want. Make it specific to the job.
Weak: "I am a hardworking, honest, reliable person who works well under pressure."
Better: "Warehouse assistant with two years' experience in picking, packing and stock counts. Forklift licence, Code 8 driver's licence. Looking for a permanent warehouse or dispatch role in the East Rand."
Everybody says they are hardworking. Facts prove it.
Start with your most recent job and work backwards. For each one, give:
Use numbers where you can. "Served around 150 customers a day" is far stronger than "served customers". "Trained three new staff members" shows you can be trusted.
Include piece jobs, contract work, family business and informal work. Selling at a stall, doing garden services or helping in a spaza shop all count. Call it what it was, honestly.
List your highest qualification first. For most people that means matric (National Senior Certificate), the school, and the year. If you did not finish matric, list the highest grade you passed.
Then add any tertiary study, trade tests, learnerships, short courses and certificates: first aid, forklift, food safety, computer skills, security grades (PSIRA) and so on. If a certificate is relevant to the job, put it where it can be seen.
A short list of practical skills: "MS Excel (basic)", "cash handling", "stock control", "customer service", "welding (MIG)". Only list what you can actually do if they test you.
Give two or three people who have seen you work: a past supervisor, manager, lecturer or someone you volunteered for. Include their name, job title, company and phone number.
Always ask them first, and tell them what jobs you are applying for. A reference who says "who?" on the phone can undo all your hard work. Family members are not references.
If you would rather keep their details private, you can write "References available on request", but have the list ready to send the same day.
If you are starting out or have fewer than about five years of work, one page is usually enough. Two pages is fine if you have more experience that is relevant. More than two pages is almost never needed. Recruiters do not read page four.
A good CV does not get you the job. It gets you the call. Your job is to make that call easy for them to make.