Writing your first CV can feel impossible when you have never had a formal job. The good news is that employers hiring school leavers, and organisations offering learnerships and internships, do not expect a long work history. They want to see that you are reliable, willing to learn and able to present yourself clearly. This guide shows you exactly how to do that on one page.
What employers look for in a school leaver
When an employer reads a school leaver's CV, they are asking a few simple questions:
- Have you completed, or are you about to complete, matric?
- Can you communicate clearly and follow instructions?
- Have you shown responsibility anywhere: at school, at home, in your community, in sport or in a part time job?
- Do you have any practical skills, such as computer literacy, languages or a driver's licence?
- Are you genuinely interested in this kind of work?
Your CV's job is to answer those questions quickly and honestly.
The best layout for a matric CV
Use this order. It puts your strongest material, your education, near the top:
- Contact details
- Personal profile (two or three sentences)
- Education
- Skills
- Experience (including volunteer work, part time jobs and school roles)
- Achievements and activities
- Languages and additional information
- References
Keep it to one page. Our guide on CV length explains why that works best at this stage.
1. Contact details
Include your full name, mobile number, a professional email address and your town or suburb. If your email address is something you created in Grade 8, such as a nickname with numbers, create a new one using your name. Do not include your ID number, full street address, or a photo unless the advert asks for them. You can provide your ID number when an employer formally requests it, for example for a learnership contract.
2. Personal profile
Two or three sentences about who you are and what you are looking for. Be specific and avoid clichés.
Recent matriculant from Mthatha with a Bachelor's pass, including Mathematics and Accounting. Experienced in handling cash and helping customers through weekend work at a family spaza shop. Looking for a finance or administration learnership where I can build practical skills while studying further.
Notice how this mentions real subjects, real experience and a clear goal. Compare that with a generic line like I am a hard working, honest person who wants to make a difference, which could describe anyone.
3. Education
This is your main selling point, so make it clear and complete. List:
- Qualification: National Senior Certificate (NSC), which is at NQF level 4. If you wrote IEB exams, you can say National Senior Certificate (IEB).
- School name and town.
- Year completed, or Expected completion with the year if you are still in Grade 12.
- Type of pass, such as Bachelor's pass, Diploma pass or Higher Certificate pass, once your results are out.
- Relevant subjects with your percentage or achievement level, especially if they relate to the job.
An example:
National Senior Certificate (Bachelor's pass), Sunnyside Secondary School, Pretoria, 2025. Mathematics 72%, Physical Sciences 68%, English Home Language 75%, Information Technology 81% (distinction).
Only list marks that help you. If your overall results were average but you did well in one or two relevant subjects, highlight those. Be accurate: employers and institutions can verify results, and a mismatch can cost you an opportunity.
If you have started further study, such as a TVET college programme or a short course, list it above your matric with the expected completion date.
4. Skills
List six to ten practical skills. Be specific rather than vague:
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| Computer skills | Microsoft Word, Excel (basic formulas and charts) and PowerPoint |
| Good communicator | Presented a Life Orientation project to the Grade 11 assembly |
| Good with money | Cash handling and daily cash up at a family business |
| Can drive | Code B driver's licence |
Other useful skills for school leavers include typing speed, social media for a business or club, basic coding, customer service, first aid and any trade related skills learned at home.
5. Experience: yes, you have some
Experience does not only mean a formal job. Think about:
- Weekend or holiday work, for example at a shop, restaurant, car wash or market stall
- Helping in a family business
- Tutoring younger learners or helping classmates
- Volunteering at a church, clinic, crèche, animal shelter or community project
- Job shadowing or school work experience programmes
- Caring for siblings or family members, which shows responsibility
- Selling items online or running a small side business
Write each one like a job: title, place, dates and two or three bullet points.
Worked example: before and after
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Helped at my aunt's shop on Saturdays. | Shop Assistant (weekends), family convenience store, Soweto, 2024 to 2026. Served customers, operated the till and cashed up at closing. Restocked shelves and tracked low stock items for weekly orders. |
| I was in the debate team. | Member, school debating team, 2025 to 2026. Researched and presented arguments in inter school competitions, building confidence in public speaking. |
| Did volunteering. | Volunteer, community soup kitchen, 2025. Helped prepare and serve meals on Saturdays and kept a simple record of meals served for the organisers. |
Each improved version says where, when, what you did and what it shows about you, without exaggerating.
6. Achievements and activities
This short section shows character and commitment. Include things like:
- Leadership roles: prefect, class representative, RCL member, team captain
- Awards: subject awards, academic colours, sports colours
- Competitions: maths or science olympiads, Eskom Expo, debating, eisteddfods
- Sport and culture: team sports, choir, drama, chess, with any level you reached
Keep it to the most relevant four or five items.
7. Languages and additional information
List the languages you speak and your level, for example: isiXhosa (home language), English (fluent), Afrikaans (basic). This is valuable in customer facing roles across South Africa. Add a driver's licence if you have one, and a learner's licence if you are working towards it.
8. References
As a school leaver, good referees include a teacher, principal, coach, youth leader or someone you have worked for. Avoid family members. Ask permission first, and list name, role, organisation and phone number, or write References available on request.
Where to use your matric CV
Once your CV is ready, you can use it for:
- Learnerships, which combine structured learning with workplace experience and lead to a registered qualification. They are linked to Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and are offered by many employers.
- Entry level jobs in retail, call centres, hospitality, warehousing and administration.
- Youth employment platforms and programmes, such as SAYouth.mobi and the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme.
- Job portals such as PNet, CareerJunction and LinkedIn, and company careers pages.
- Bursary and further study applications, which often ask for a CV too.
Be careful of adverts that ask you to pay a fee to apply for a job or learnership. Legitimate employers and learnership providers do not charge applicants to be considered.
Formatting tips for your first CV
- Use a clean, simple layout on A4, with one easy to read font.
- Save and send it as a PDF named with your name, for example Lerato-Dlamini-CV.pdf.
- Check spelling twice, then ask a teacher or parent to read it.
- Avoid colourful backgrounds, photos and graphics. They do not help, and job portals may not read them properly. Our ATS friendly CV guide explains why.
The Compact and Classic designs in our CV templates guide both suit a strong one page school leaver CV. When you finish further study, our graduate CV guide is your next step.
How CVLift can help
If you have written a first draft, CVLift can turn it into clear, professional language and a tidy layout. It uses only the information you give, so nothing is made up, and you see a partial preview before deciding to pay. Basic costs R49 and polishes your grammar and wording while keeping your voice, and Professional (R99) fully rewrites your CV and lets you choose a professional design.