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CV Writing Guide for the South African Job Market

A practical, no-fluff guide to writing a CV that gets interviews — tailored for SA employers.

What SA employers actually want

South African employers are practical. They want to know quickly: what have you done, where have you done it, and can you do it for us? A good SA CV is clear, concise, and honest. Avoid fluff, avoid jargon, and never lie — background checks are standard practice at most medium and large companies.

The right structure

Contact Details

Name, email, phone, city. No home address needed. LinkedIn is a bonus.

Professional Summary

3–4 sentences. Who you are, what you do, and what you bring. Tailor it per application.

Core Skills

A short list of 8–12 relevant skills. Match these to the job description keywords.

Work Experience

Most recent first. Company, job title, dates, and 3–5 bullet points of achievements per role.

Education

Degree, institution, year. For recent grads, include relevant modules or distinctions.

Certifications

Include any relevant industry certs — especially for finance, IT, HR, and engineering roles.

Common SA CV mistakes

  • ✕ Including a photo — not required and can introduce unconscious bias
  • ✕ Listing duties instead of achievements — say what you accomplished, not just what you did
  • ✕ Using the same CV for every job — always tailor your summary and skills section
  • ✕ Going beyond 2 pages — unless you're a senior executive, keep it tight
  • ✕ Spelling errors — run spellcheck and have someone else read it

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