LinkedIn advice that works in African job markets
Short, specific, evidence-first. Every article draws on what we see in real audits — and each ends with the fix.
The LinkedIn headline formula for the SA job market
Role + sector + one distinguishing credential. Why "SACPCMP registered" belongs in your headline, not buried in skills — and the five things a headline should never be.
Quantify everything: the CV bullet that gets you shortlisted
"Managed a team" vs "Led a 12-person site team across 3 concurrent projects worth R80m." Budget, headcount, sites, duration, percentage — every bullet needs a number.
The About section framework: six seconds, two results, one ask
Recruiters give your About six seconds. Open with your two strongest results, prove them with scale, close with what you want next. Kill "passionate professional" forever.
ATS keywords: mirror the advert or get filtered
If the advert says NEC3 and your CV says NEC, the ATS misses you. 75% of CVs are filtered before a human sees them — use their exact words where your experience genuinely matches.
Your top 3 skills are a positioning decision
LinkedIn shows only three before "see more". Scattered signal reads as unfocused; three aligned to your target role read as deliberate. Here's how to choose.
Recommendations that actually carry weight
Two contextual recommendations beat ten generic ones. Ask the supervisor who saw your hardest work — and give them the specific project to speak to.
Career change? Write the bridge sentence
"Moving from X to Y, bringing Z transferable skill." One sentence stops the recruiter guessing — and stops your consistency score dropping.
The photo: professional headshot, not a crop
Not a selfie. Not a wedding crop. Not nothing. What a professional headshot signals in the first six seconds — and what to do if you can't afford a photographer.
Find out which one is costing you interviews.
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