Most advice you will find for this is written for Britain or America. This is the South African version, for the store jobs people actually apply for here.
What Goes on a Shoprite CV
Keep it to one page, in this order:
- Your name and contact details. Cellphone number first, then email if you have one, then the area you live in. The area matters: stores hire people who can get to work reliably.
- A two-line summary. Say what you are applying for and what you bring. "Matriculant seeking a cashier position at Shoprite. Comfortable handling money and working weekends." That is enough.
- Education. Your matric or highest grade passed, the school, and the years. If you did not finish matric, put the highest grade you completed. Many store roles accept Grade 10.
- Skills. Be honest and specific. Cash handling, customer service, stock packing, cleaning, basic computer, Microsoft Word.
- Languages. This genuinely matters in retail here. List every language you can serve a customer in.
- Availability. One line. "Available immediately. Can work weekends, public holidays and month-end." Retail managers care about this more than almost anything else on the page.
- References. A teacher, coach, pastor or someone you volunteered for is fine when you have never worked. Ask them first.
Skills You Have Without Realising It
"No experience" almost never means no skills. If any of these are true, they belong on the page:
- Helped at a family spaza or tuck shop, so you have handled cash and stock
- Looked after younger siblings, so you can be relied on and be on time
- Played in a school team, so you work in a group and take instruction
- Were a prefect or class rep, so you have taken responsibility
- Volunteered at church or a community project
- Sold anything, ever, even airtime or sweets at school
None of this is padding. A store manager reading "helped run a family tuck shop, handled daily cash-up" learns more about you than another line of "hardworking and motivated".
What to Leave Off
- Your full ID number. The official portal asks for it inside its own system, which is fine. A CV floating around WhatsApp with your ID number on it is how identity fraud starts.
- A photo. Not expected here, and it wastes space on a one-page CV.
- Your home address in full. Suburb and city is enough.
- Fake experience. Store managers phone references. Getting caught costs you the job and any future application to the group.
Build It Now, Free
Fill this in and it writes the CV for you, formatted the way employer screening software expects. It costs nothing and there is no signup.
The job you are applying for
This is what we tailor everything to. Even just a job title works.
About you
Work experience
Leave this empty if you have never worked. Your education and skills are enough.
Education
Skills and languages
Free. No signup, no watermark, and the PDF is not locked behind an account.
Where to Send It
There are three real routes, and all of them are free:
- WhatsApp: save 072 773 4335, send the word "hello" and choose "Our stores". This is the Shoprite Group's official jobs line, published on their own careers page.
- Online: apply.shoprite.jobs, the group's official store recruitment portal.
- In person: hand your printed CV to the store manager at the branch you want to work at.
Full detail on each route, including which numbers are fake, is in our Shoprite and Checkers application guide.
Nobody Should Charge You for This
There is a whole industry charging desperate job seekers R100 to R350 for a " professional CV" that will supposedly get them hired at Shoprite. It will not. The store cares about your matric, your availability and whether you can get to work. A paid CV buys you nothing that this page has not just given you free.
Worse are the ones that take the fee and vanish, or that use your ID number afterwards. If someone is asking you for money to apply for a job, run the message through our free checker before you pay anything.
Common Questions
What do I put on a CV for Shoprite if I have never worked?
Put your matric or highest grade passed, your contact details, your languages, and skills you genuinely have from school, home or church: handling money at a tuck shop, helping in a family spaza, sports teams, prefect duties, church volunteering. Shoprite store jobs are entry level and most do not require previous work experience, so an honest one-page CV with education and skills is enough.
How long should a CV be for a Shoprite job?
One page. A store manager or the group recruitment system is scanning for your name, contact number, area, education and availability. Two or three pages does not help you at entry level and often makes it harder to find those details.
Should I put my ID number on my Shoprite CV?
Not on a CV you email or hand to strangers. The Shoprite application portal at apply.shoprite.jobs asks for your ID number inside its own registered system, which is normal and safe. A loose CV with your full ID number on it is an identity theft risk. Give the number in the official portal or in person once hiring is real.
Do I need a cover letter for Shoprite?
Not for the WhatsApp or online portal route, which asks structured questions instead. A short cover letter helps if you are handing your CV in at the store, because it gives the manager a reason to remember you. Keep it under one page.
Does Shoprite charge for a CV or an application?
Never. Applying at Shoprite, Checkers and Usave is completely free through apply.shoprite.jobs or the official jobs WhatsApp line on 072 773 4335. Anyone charging you to write a CV "so you can get hired at Shoprite", or asking for a registration or background check fee, is running a scam.
Official channels verified: July 2026
Related Guides
- How to Apply for a Shoprite or Checkers Job
- How to Write a CV With No Experience in South Africa
- How to Write a CV in South Africa: The 2026 Format
- How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job in South Africa
- The "R250 Background Check" Scam