Selection practices

Applying for jobs in South Africa

When you first apply for a job in South Africa, send a brief profile only unless asked to do otherwise. This should be one side of A4 size containing personal details, education and a list of previous jobs in chronological order, making clear which ones are the most relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Mention that a comprehensive CV is also available. Send a covering letter expanding on your suitability for the job if the application is speculative.

Interviews for South African jobs are broadly similar to in Europe or the US, although it will obviously depend on the type of job and company you are applying to. You should research the company in advance of the interview to prepare and come up with some good questions to ask. Be punctual and dress smartly, unless the interview invitation suggests dressing otherwise.

The interview will probably last between 30-60 minutes in most cases. If you are successful, you will be formally offered the job and the company will check your references. Typically, you will be asked to provide 2-3 referees who can attest to your skills, knowledge and character.

Writing your South African CV

The key to successful South African CVs is ensuring all the important and relevant information is enclosed. Here’s some key points that should be included when writing your CV in South Africa:

• Both the short and long version of your CV must include your personal information. This includes full name, address, contact telephone, and e-mail, date and place of birth, nationality, marital status, and sex.
• A personal statement. On your comprehensive CV, it’s common to include a brief personal statement outlining career objectives/goals.
• Education information. On the brief profile, simply list your education with the highest level and most recent first e.g. university, high school etc. including name of the institution, qualifications and subjects. For the ‘Comprehensive CV’ you should supply more detail highlighting specialist subjects and disciplines. You can also include extracurricular activities, awards, honors and courses.
• Employment History – As above, the brief profile should simply give a list of previous employers in reverse chronological order – include company name, job title, dates of employment. The ‘Comprehensive CV’ should list employment history in reverse chronological order or in a functional format that highlights particular skills. Be sure to include dates of employment, full company name, position held, responsibilities and achievements
• Skills – bullet point any relevant skills you have gained through employment and education, including foreign languages (state your ability), computer literacy and any training or development you have undertaken
• Hobbies and Interests – only provide these if they are relevant to the role or demonstrate certain skills

Which language should I apply in?

South Africa is a country full of diversity with eleven official languages. The most common spoken languages are isiZulu (Zulu) and isiXhosa (Xhosa), followed by Afrikaans and English. In most urban areas, South Africans will speak English as their second language and it’s widely used in workplaces and business environments. However, naturally having a good understanding of Afrikaans or any of the other official languages will be a distinct advantage to foreign applicants.

With English being the primary business language, most companies accept applications in English unless the job application specifies otherwise.