Hiring foundations
How to choose a recruitment agency for your South African business
Compare recruitment partners on role understanding, process, evidence and commercial clarity before assigning a vacancy.
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Better hires.
More confident career moves.
Practical guidance for the decisions that matter. Explore advice for building your team, preparing your application and taking your next step.
Recruitment and career guides
42 guides
CVs & applications
How to write a clear, convincing CV for the South African job market
Build a CV that makes your experience easy to assess, with a practical structure, example achievement and final review checklist.
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Specialist hiring
Hiring a Microsoft Dynamics consultant: questions that clarify the brief
Define the application, delivery stage and functional or technical responsibility before assessing Dynamics candidates.
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Interviews & offers
A practical interview preparation plan for South African job seekers
Prepare relevant examples, useful questions and interview logistics with a focused plan you can work through before the meeting.
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Teams & planning
An executive search brief starts with the business mandate
Align stakeholders on leadership outcomes, decision authority and confidentiality before starting an executive appointment.
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Career decisions
How to work well with a recruitment agency as a candidate
Understand recruiter conversations, role representation and communication so you can take an active part in your job search.
Read the guideHiring foundations
Write a job description that helps the right people apply
Define outcomes, responsibilities and essential requirements with a practical job description structure for employers.
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Your first CV: showing potential when you have little work experience
Use study projects, volunteering and responsibilities to create a credible first CV without inventing experience.
Read the guideSpecialist hiring
How to assess a software developer beyond a technology checklist
Define the engineering work, use proportionate practical evidence and assess collaboration alongside coding skills.
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Use the STAR method without sounding rehearsed
Structure interview examples around situation, task, action and result while showing your own judgement and contribution.
Read the guideTeams & planning
Improve candidate experience with clarity at every stage
Make recruitment communication, interviews and decisions more consistent without adding unnecessary process.
Read the guideCareer decisions
Recruitment scam warning signs: check before you pay or share documents
Spot suspicious recruitment requests and verify a job opportunity through independent contact details before taking action.
Read the guideHiring foundations
The recruitment brief: what to agree before the search starts
Give your recruiter a complete brief covering outcomes, priorities, package, process and decision ownership.
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How to tailor your CV to a vacancy without rewriting your history
Match your CV to a job advert by prioritising relevant evidence while keeping titles, dates and experience accurate.
Read the guideSpecialist hiring
Hiring a cloud specialist: assess operational judgement as well as platform knowledge
Clarify architecture, engineering and operational responsibilities when recruiting for cloud roles.
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Questions to ask an interviewer before you accept the role
Choose questions about priorities, management, support and working arrangements that help you assess a job opportunity.
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Build a 30–60–90 day onboarding plan around real work
Prepare access, relationships and staged outcomes so a new hire can contribute with clear expectations and support.
Read the guideCareer decisions
Changing careers: turn transferable skills into credible evidence
Identify the tasks that connect your current experience to a new role and explain the gaps without overstating your readiness.
Read the guideHiring foundations
Create an interview scorecard your hiring team will actually use
Assess candidates against clear role criteria with evidence-based notes and a simple scoring approach.
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A cover letter that adds something useful to your application
Write a short, specific cover letter that connects your experience to the role, with an adaptable example.
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Hiring service desk staff: assess diagnosis, communication and escalation
Define support scope and use practical scenarios to assess service desk candidates consistently.
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Prepare for a video interview, including a connection backup
Set up your space, test the meeting link and plan for interruptions so you can focus on the interview conversation.
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Recruitment metrics that help you make better hiring decisions
Track a small set of hiring measures with clear definitions, useful context and a link to decisions you can act on.
Read the guideCareer decisions
Your first 30 days in a new job: a practical starting plan
Build relationships, clarify expectations and learn the working environment without trying to prove everything in your first week.
Read the guideHiring foundations
Reduce hiring delays by fixing the decisions around the vacancy
Identify avoidable bottlenecks in approvals, interviews and feedback without weakening the assessment of candidates.
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Make your LinkedIn profile consistent with the roles you want
Align your headline, experience and profile visibility with your job search while keeping your claims and privacy choices deliberate.
Read the guideSpecialist hiring
Hiring an IT project manager: look for decisions behind the delivery story
Assess project management candidates through scope, dependencies, stakeholder decisions and delivery evidence.
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How to discuss salary expectations with clarity
Prepare for a salary conversation by clarifying the package, responsibilities and your expectations without relying on unsupported market claims.
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A practical workforce planning conversation before you open more vacancies
Connect hiring priorities to business demand, current capability and realistic decisions about capacity.
Read the guideCareer decisions
Questions to ask before accepting a contract role
Clarify the assignment, employer, duration, working arrangement and payment basis before deciding whether contract work suits you.
Read the guideHiring foundations
Permanent or contract recruitment: start with the work you need done
Compare ongoing capability needs with defined assignments and clarify the employment arrangement before starting recruitment.
Read the guideCVs & applications
How to explain a career gap clearly and professionally
Present time away from paid employment honestly, protect your privacy and connect the conversation to your readiness for the role.
Read the guideSpecialist hiring
Hiring a business analyst: assess problem definition before documentation
Define the analysis work and test how candidates clarify needs, handle disagreement and connect requirements to decisions.
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A job offer checklist before you say yes
Review responsibilities, package, working arrangements and outstanding conditions before making a considered job offer decision.
Read the guideTeams & planning
Reference checks for employers: confirm relevant evidence, not impressions
Plan proportionate reference and qualification checks with clear questions, appropriate permission and careful interpretation.
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Build a technology portfolio that explains how you think
Choose focused technical examples, explain your decisions and protect confidential work when presenting a portfolio to employers.
Read the guideHiring foundations
Questions to ask about recruitment fees and service terms
Compare recruitment proposals by clarifying scope, payment triggers and responsibilities rather than relying on a headline fee.
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Build a job application tracker that helps you take the next step
Organise vacancies, CV versions, conversations and follow-ups with a simple tracker that keeps your job search manageable.
Read the guideSpecialist hiring
Hiring an accountant: match the role to your finance operation
Clarify reporting, controls and transaction responsibilities before assessing accounting candidates.
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How to follow up after an interview without overdoing it
Send a useful thank-you message, respect the hiring timeline and ask for an update with a clear, professional follow-up.
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Prepare for references and qualification checks
Keep your records accurate, brief potential referees and understand document requests before sharing personal information.
Read the guideSpecialist hiring
Hiring sales and business development people: define the sales motion first
Assess sales candidates against your customer, sales cycle and responsibilities rather than relying only on past revenue claims.
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