Show your experience.
Prepare your next move.
Practical guidance to help you prepare a clear CV, present your work and approach interviews with confidence.
How to apply ↓Your application essentials
Help us understand
where you fit.
Business Recruitment Services is the recruitment arm of The Human Aspect. We connect candidates with opportunities based on relevant experience, role requirements and practical considerations such as location and availability.
This guide is especially useful for architecture, interior design, engineering, draughting and BIM candidates. Always read the individual advert first: its requirements take priority over general guidance.
Be clear about your target
Name the role, location and type of work you want. Explain relocation or commuting preferences where relevant.
Make your experience visible
Match your CV and examples to the work involved. Be accurate about your skills, responsibilities and software use.
Submit a focused application
Use a clear subject line, attach your CV and include a relevant portfolio or accessible link if needed.
Make the important
details easy to find.
A recruiter should be able to understand your experience without piecing it together.
Expand each section for practical guidance.
Start with a useful snapshot
Put your name, contact number, email, city or area and target role where they are easy to find. Add your notice period or availability and relevant portfolio or LinkedIn links.
A short summary should explain your discipline, level of experience and strongest relevant capabilities. Keep your full street address and identity number off your initial CV.
Make your employment history easy to follow
List recent roles first. Include employer, job title and month/year dates, followed by a concise explanation of your responsibilities and contribution. Give more space to relevant recent experience; summarise older or unrelated work.
Explain contract, freelance and overlapping work clearly. If there is a career break, a brief factual description is sufficient; you do not need to disclose private personal circumstances.
Show evidence of your contribution
Describe what you personally delivered, the context and the result. Use accurate figures where you can support them. Distinguish your own work from the wider team’s work.
Be specific about software and qualifications
Include relevant qualifications, institutions and completion dates. If a qualification is in progress, say so. List professional registration and its category only where applicable and accurate.
For software, explain how recently and how extensively you have used it, together with the tasks you can perform. Avoid presenting a short course as equivalent to professional project experience.
Check the file before sending
- Use clear headings, selectable text and a simple reading order.
- Save as PDF unless the advert requests another format.
- Use a descriptive name such as Name_Surname_Architectural_Technologist_CV.pdf.
- Open the exported file and check dates, contact details, page breaks and spelling.
- Keep the CV concise enough to scan and detailed enough to show relevant experience.
A portfolio should
explain your contribution.
Choose relevant examples and label them clearly. A few well-explained projects can be more useful than a large collection without context.
Share only work you have permission to disclose. Remove confidential client details, label team contributions and test your portfolio link before sending it.
Architecture & architectural technology
Show a small selection of relevant projects, including technical documentation as well as design work where appropriate. Explain the project type, stage, software, your role and the work you personally produced.
For our ongoing architecture-related candidate pool, we look for at least three years of Revit use. State your years of use and recent project experience; individual vacancy requirements may differ.
Interior design
Balance the design story with evidence of delivery: layouts, detailing, material decisions, joinery or installation documentation where relevant. Explain your involvement from concept through the stages you actually worked on.
Include technical and Revit examples when the vacancy calls for them, and clearly label any student or conceptual projects.
Civil engineering & civil technicians
Highlight relevant project types such as roads, stormwater, water, sewer or earthworks. Explain your contribution to drawings, modelling, site work or coordination.
Where relevant, describe your Civil 3D experience through actual tasks, such as surfaces, alignments, profiles or quantities. Include only project information you are authorised to share.
Mechanical, electrical & BIM roles
For mechanical draughting roles requiring Inventor, describe your work with parts, assemblies and production drawings. For electrical or MEP roles, show relevant documentation and coordination experience.
For BIM roles, distinguish modelling from coordination, standards management and team leadership. Name the tools you used and the responsibilities you actually held.
Go beyond rehearsed answers.
Understand the opportunity
Review the company and role. Prepare two or three examples of relevant work, note your questions and confirm the venue or meeting link. For an online interview, test your sound, camera and connection.
Explain how you work
Describe the situation, your responsibility, the action you took and the result. Ask for clarification when needed. Discuss the role’s expectations, team structure and practical working arrangements.
Keep communication clear
Share your feedback with the consultant, raise any unanswered questions and confirm your continued interest. Keep the consultant informed of changes in availability or other offers.
Discuss salary expectations clearly and consistently. Consider the full package, responsibilities, commute and working arrangements. If you need an adjustment to participate in the interview, raise it with the consultant beforehand.
Make the interview useful for you, too.
The work
- What would success look like in the first three months?
- Which projects or responsibilities would I start with?
The team
- Who would I report to and work alongside?
- How are work reviews and development handled?
The practical details
- What are the location, hours and travel expectations?
- What are the next steps in the selection process?
Send a clear introduction
with your CV.
Use this email outline as a starting point. Replace the bracketed prompts with your own details.
info@busrecruit.co.za
Business Recruitment Services
The recruitment arm of The Human Aspect.
Before sending: attach the correct CV, test portfolio links, check the subject line and make sure your contact details are current.
To: info@busrecruit.co.za
Subject: [Role title / reference] - [Your name] - [Location]
Hello Business Recruitment Services,
I would like to be considered for [role or vacancy reference]. I have [relevant experience] and experience using [relevant software or skills].
Current location: [City / area]
Preferred work locations: [Areas / relocation preferences]
Availability / notice period: [Details]
Expected remuneration, if you wish to include it: [Range; gross monthly or CTC]
Portfolio link, where relevant: [Link]
My CV is attached. [Add one short sentence explaining your suitability for the role.]
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Contact number]
Candidate questions, answered.
Where do I send my application?
Email info@busrecruit.co.za. Use the vacancy title and reference, if provided, in your subject line. For a general application, name your target role and location.
Can I apply if there is no matching vacancy advertised?
You can send a general application explaining the roles and locations you are considering. Availability of suitable opportunities will vary; sending a CV does not guarantee an interview or placement.
Do I need a portfolio?
A portfolio is useful for design and technical roles when it demonstrates relevant work. Follow the vacancy instructions. If your work is confidential, explain the restriction and discuss an appropriate alternative.
What should I say about salary?
You may include your expected range and indicate whether it is gross monthly pay or total cost to company (CTC). Say whether it is negotiable. Current salary information can be discussed if relevant; do not include salary history for every previous role in your initial application.
Should I send identity documents, certificates or payslips now?
Start with the CV, relevant portfolio and application details requested in the advert. Do not send identity copies, banking details or payslips with an unsolicited application. If supporting documents are needed later, confirm the purpose and appropriate sharing method with the consultant.
When should I follow up?
Follow any timeline given by the consultant. If no timeline was provided, allow a reasonable period before sending a brief follow-up in the same email thread, naming the role and the date you applied. Response times vary by vacancy.
What if my circumstances change?
Let the consultant know if your availability, location preferences, salary expectations or interest in a role changes. If you accept another offer, send a short update so that active discussions can be adjusted.