Software developer CV example

Before and after: the bullets that make it work

1. Before: Worked on the backend.

   After: Built the REST API behind a loan application portal used by about 20,000 customers a month (ASP.NET Core, SQL Server).

   Why: What you built, for whom, at what scale, and the stack in the words a screening tool looks for.

2. Before: Improved performance.

   After: Cut the portal's average page load from 4 to 1.5 seconds by caching and rewriting slow queries.

   Why: A before and after, and how you did it.

3. Before: Familiar with DevOps.

   After: Set up automated tests and a CI/CD pipeline in Azure DevOps; releases went from monthly to weekly.

   Why: "Familiar with" is weak. Say what you set up and the result.

South African details to get right

• Give each qualification its NQF level: matric (the National Senior Certificate) is at level 4, and employers use the levels to compare qualifications. If you're unsure of a level, the institution or SAQA can tell you. Source: SAQA: NQF level descriptors.
• Only list technologies you could discuss in a technical interview. A long list that falls apart under questions costs more than it gains.
• Leave out your ID number, date of birth, marital status and a photo unless the advert asks for them. Contact details, your area and your work history are enough to be shortlisted.
• Keep it in one column with plain headings (Profile, Skills, Work experience, Education). Tables, text boxes and two-column templates often confuse the software that reads CVs first.