Make your CV easy for people and systems to read.
No template or online score can guarantee an ATS result. Use a clean document, standard headings and relevant truthful language from the advert.
Safer formatting choices
- Single-column reading order
- Standard section headings
- Contact details in the document body
- Real text rather than a scanned image
- Simple bullets and consistent dates
- The file format requested by the employer
Use advert language truthfully
If the advert says “supplier reconciliation” and that accurately describes your work, use that wording. Do not hide keywords, copy the full advert or add tools you have never used.
Check the exported file
- Select and copy the text to confirm it is real text
- Open the final file on another device
- Check that dates and headings read in order
- Follow the employer’s size and format limit
Review fit, not a magic score
Our free CV-versus-advert review identifies shown and missing requirements and suggests truthful edits. It does not pretend to know an employer’s private screening settings.
Use the free CV tools
Download the editable South African CV template · Compare your CV with a job advert · Open and edit the files on a phone or computer
Turn the advice into an application.
Use the free tools, verified vacancies and editable resources built for South African job seekers.
Independently published by The SA Job Kit. Last reviewed: 8 October 2026. How we research · Report a correction