Best CV Templates in South Africa 2023

Having a fantastic CV is always a thing to consider when submitting your application for a job opening. So, most candidates get confused about the best templates they could use to prepare their CVs. 

If you’re searching for the best CV templates to use in 2023, then you are at the right place. We’ll be showing you different kinds of CVs, what makes them unique and how you can tailor the CV for your own use. 

 

What is a CV? 

CV which is an acronym for “Curriculum Vitae” is a Latin word for a document that contains all the personal and professional information a candidate requires for a job application. A CV contains professional information like skills, competencies, educational background, work experience and even certifications and also personal information such as name, contact details and personal interests. This information enables a recruiter to make a choice on who to invite for an interview or not. 

A good CV for an application contains the following: 

Contact Details

This is made up of the contact information the recruiter needs. Name, address, phone number and also email address are all part of the contact details of a good CV. 

CV Objective 

This is a summary of your career goals and objectives. This section of your CV, to a large extent, determines if you get feedback from the recruiter or not. 

Work Experience

These are the relevant experiences you've had in the field that show the recruiter that you are a good fit for the opening. It is advisable to include work experiences that are in line with the job you are going for, detailing the company you worked for and your roles and responsibilities there. 

Educational Background

This section of the CV details your schooling, up till the most recent educational qualification you may have acquired. 

Skills and Competencies 

Here, you detail the hard and soft skills you possess which make you a preferable candidate for the role. In this case, it is usually important to use the necessary keywords relevant to your skill, in case the recruiter may be using an ATS so you can beat the tracking system. 

Certifications and Awards

If you have acquired certain special awards and certifications in line with your field in the course of your career, then it is necessary to add the. This section reaffirms to the recruiter that he is getting a candidate of value from you. 

 

Types of CV Formats

There are different types of CV formats you can adopt to write your CV. They are: 

Reverse Chronological Format

This is the most common format of CV that people use. In this format, you outline your work experience and education beginning from the most recent one to the least recent one. This way, you focus on your work experiences rather than your skills. 

Functional CV Format 

A functional CV format allows you to concentrate on the skills and qualifications that you have for a job role. This becomes the focus of the first page of your CV. The advantage that this comes with is its ability to hide gap years in your career journey. 

Combination CV 

This format of CV combines the other two formats of CV writing, creating a balance between your skills and past experiences. 

 

Best CV Templates in Word 

Professional CV Template 

If you’re looking for a senior role in a more traditional organization, then a professional CV is one that will serve you well. This is what a professional CV template looks like.  Get your  professional CV template and have a smashing CV!

Student/Undergraduate CV Template 

If you’re yet to finish university, probably looking for internship and volunteering opportunities to start off your career journey, then using this template is a big plus for you. This template will help you focus on your skills since you may not have a plethora of experiences. 

For example:

Here's a student CV template to guide you. 

Fresh Graduate CV Template 

Every fresh graduate requires a good CV to start off his career journey. You can create a simple graduate CV using the template available here. 

Here’s what a fresh graduate CV looks like. 

If you're a fresh graduate, you can use this template. 

Simple CV Template

A simple CV template is one you could use for any type of job opening. It can be used to keep your CV minimalist and direct. 

Here’s what a simple CV template looks like.

Use this simple CV template for your CV. 

Modern CV Template

Getting a job in this modern age requires a modern CV. A modern CV does not necessarily need a lot of aesthetics but should be catchy enough to get the recruiter’s attention. 

A modern CV template looks this way. 

A modern CV template for your next application.

Academic CV Template

Widely used by researchers and scholars, an academic CV template is used to detail one’s educational background, professional appointments, teaching and research experiences, publications, etc. 

An academic CV template looks this way. 

Here's an academic CV template that works!

Creative CV Template

This cv template comes in handy for people in the creative space. This template helps creatives showcase their works and also their skills for recruiters to see. 

This is what a creative CV template looks like.

Download the creative CV template and tailor for your use. 

Classic CV Template

The classic CV template is best suited for people with little or no professional experience. It highlights their skills instead of their experiences since they do not have so many of them.

An example of a classic CV template:

Get a classic CV template for your next CV. 

 

Free CV Maker

If you are looking for a free CV maker, you can use the CV builder available on our website to make your CV from the scratch. You do not need to do so much, all you need to do is to input your details and the CV will be automatically generated for you to download and use.

These are some of the best cv templates you can use to land your dream job in 2023. You can download any of them and tailor them to suit whatever role you are applying for. 

Best of luck!