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CV format for South Africa

Aim for two to three pages for a South African CV: contact details, a short profile, experience, qualifications with their NQF levels, skills and references. Give your ID number only when an application form asks for it, and demographic details only where an employer requests them for employment equity.

Build my CVCheck my ATS scoreUpdated 4 October 2026

By Rajesh Kumar · How these pages are made

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South African CV format at a glance

Length
Two to three pages; one to two for school-leavers and graduates.
Qualifications
Name the NQF level (e.g. "National Diploma, NQF 6"); matric results for young applicants.
Driver's licence
State the code if relevant (Code B, Code EB, Code C1).
ID number
Only if the application form asks; POPIA counts any identifying number as personal information.
Employment equity
Race, gender and disability details only where the employer asks for EE purposes; employees give them on the EEA1 declaration form.
References
Two or three with contact details, or "available on request".
Where to look
Pnet, CareerJunction, LinkedIn, Careers24 and ESSA (Department of Employment and Labour).

CV sample for South Africa

A made-up person, in the layout described on this page. Build yours with any CVEmber template and download it as a PDF.

South African CV sample (graduate, accounting)

Thabo Mokoena

BCom Accounting graduate · SAIPA trainee accountant applicant

Johannesburg, Gauteng · 07x xxx xxxx · thabo.mokoena@example.com

Driver's licence: Code B · Languages: English, isiZulu, Sesotho

Profile

  • BCom Accounting graduate with a year of bookkeeping experience at a small audit firm, looking for a trainee accountant contract.

Experience

  • Bookkeeping Intern, Mahlangu & Partners Inc., Johannesburg · 2025–2026 · Captured and reconciled books for 18 SME clients on Sage and Xero; prepared 40 VAT201 returns.

Qualifications

  • BCom Accounting (NQF 7), University of Johannesburg · 2025
  • National Senior Certificate (Matric) · 2021 · Bachelor's pass

Skills

  • Sage Pastel, Xero, Excel, VAT and payroll basics

References

  • Available on request

Writing qualifications with NQF levels

The National Qualifications Framework has ten levels. SAQA's register lists the National Senior Certificate (matric) at NQF level 4. Under the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework, a higher certificate exits at level 5, a diploma at 6, a 360-credit bachelor's degree or advanced diploma at 7, and an honours degree or postgraduate diploma at 8; master's degrees sit at 9 and doctorates at 10. Adding the level removes guesswork, especially for learnerships and SETA-accredited courses.

Not sure of a level? Search SAQA's register of qualifications by title or institution; each record shows the NQF level and the quality council that oversees it. Write the title exactly as registered, for example “Advanced Diploma in Business and Information Management (NQF 7)”.

Personal information and POPIA

Your CV is personal information. Section 1 of POPIA defines personal information to include any identifying number, email address, physical address and telephone number, as well as details such as race, gender, age and marital status. Share only what you need to: no full ID number, no bank details. If an employer needs your ID for a background or credit check, expect them to ask you for it and explain why.

Employment equity details

The EEA1 is the employee declaration form under the Employment Equity Act. Its own instructions say designated employers use it to analyse their workforce profile, and must keep its contents confidential and use them only to comply with the Act. Race, gender and disability belong there, not on your CV.

Learnerships and graduate programmes

Name the learnership, the SETA and the NQF level, and what you did on the job. Include matric subjects if the programme asks.

Section by section

  1. Contact: name, cell number, email, city and province, driver's licence code.
  2. Profile: three lines on your role and strengths.
  3. Experience: company, role, dates, duties and achievements.
  4. Qualifications: with institution, year and NQF level; matric for young applicants.
  5. Skills and languages: software and each language you speak.
  6. References.

Common mistakes in South Africa

  • A full ID number and home address on every CV you send.
  • Five pages covering every short course.
  • Qualifications without institution names or NQF levels.
  • Paying a “recruiter” to place you. Section 15 of the Employment Services Act says no person may charge a work seeker a fee for employment services, unless the Minister has permitted it by notice.

When you resign

The South African resignation letter covers notice under the BCEA, leave pay and your certificate of service.

Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026. Employers and portals change what they ask for, so always follow the job advert first.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

How long should a CV be in South Africa?

Two to three pages for experienced candidates; one to two for school-leavers and graduates.

Should I put my ID number on my CV?

Only if the application form asks for it. POPIA treats any identifying number as personal information.

Should I include my race or gender?

No. Employers collect it for employment equity on the EEA1 declaration form, which they must keep confidential.

Should I list my matric results?

Yes if you're a school-leaver or recent graduate; later, the National Senior Certificate line is enough.

What is an NQF level?

The level of a qualification on South Africa's National Qualifications Framework, from 1 to 10. SAQA's register shows the level for every registered qualification.

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