Resume Star › CV builder for South Africa

Free CV maker for South Africa

A ready-written CV for your job, set up for South African employers, as an A4 PDF.

South African CVs carry a bit more than UK or US ones: a short personal details section, your matric and other qualifications, your driver's licence, the languages you speak, and usually two or three references.

Resume Star starts you with a CV already written for your job. Add your details, choose a design, and download an A4 PDF that is ready to email or upload.

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How to write a CV for South Africa

  1. Keep it to two or three A4 pages. Two pages suits most jobs. Senior roles can go to three.
  2. Add a short personal details section. Your name, phone, email, town and nationality or work permit status. Include your driver's licence code (for example Code B or Code EB) if you have one. Many employers ask for it.
  3. Keep your ID number off the CV. Under POPIA, share your ID number only when an employer asks for it during the application. It isn't needed to get an interview.
  4. List your qualifications clearly. Your National Senior Certificate (matric), then any degree, diploma or NQF-level certificate, with the institution and year.
  5. Name the languages you speak. English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho and others. Being multilingual is a real asset for customer-facing jobs.
  6. Include references. Two or three referees with their job title, company and phone number are common on South African CVs.

What to include and what to leave out

Include
  • Personal details: name, contact details, town, nationality or permit
  • Career summary
  • Work experience, most recent first
  • Matric and other qualifications
  • Driver's licence and languages
  • Two or three references
Leave out
  • ID number
  • Photo, unless the employer asks for one
  • Religion
  • Salary history

Start from a CV written for your job

Each template comes with sample wording for the role. Replace it with your own details, and rename, reorder or remove any section.

Over 50 more templates to pick from after you sign up.

Frequently asked questions

What should a South African CV include?

Personal and contact details, a short career summary, your work experience, your matric and other qualifications, your driver's licence and languages, and two or three references.

Should I put my ID number on my CV?

It's better not to. Give it when an employer asks for it during the application, for example for a background check.

Is Resume Star free in South Africa?

Yes. Build your CV and download unlimited A4 PDFs free. If it helps you get hired, you can pay a one-time fee on the honour system.

Hiring practices vary between employers and industries. When a job advert asks for something specific, follow the advert.

Build your CV with Resume Star

Start from a sample written for your job, replace the details with your own, and download a polished PDF in minutes.

Create my CV →

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