A practical guide for writing a clear CV, choosing a template, saving as PDF, and preparing the rest of your job application pack.
Start with your name, phone number, email, city or province, target role, profile, work experience, education, skills, certificates, and references or 'available on request'.
Keep it honest and easy to scan. Most employers want clear evidence more than long paragraphs.
Do not add your ID number by default. Avoid long personal details, salary expectations, copied buzzwords, spelling errors, and fake experience.
Do not send sensitive documents to unknown employers.
Use school projects, volunteering, informal work, family business help, achievements, attendance, languages, computer skills, and practical strengths.
Lead with education and skills, then add any evidence that shows reliability.
Use Clean ATS for online applications, First Job for matriculants and students, General Worker for practical roles, and Professional Modern for office or experienced roles.
If unsure, use the template recommender before building.
Use 3 to 4 lines. Say what role you want, your strongest skills, your experience level, and what kind of value you bring.
Make the profile match the job advert instead of using one generic paragraph everywhere.
List Matric, TVET, university, learnerships, short courses, licences, and certificates that support the role.
Use clear headings, short bullets, consistent dates, and simple formatting that prints cleanly.
Use the browser print option to save your CV as a PDF. Check the preview before sending.
Then match your CV to the job advert, prepare a cover letter, write your application email, and track the application.
