You have worked for years but your CV looks empty. You think Shoprite or a clinic won’t count domestic work, taxi driving or caring for a gogo. They do, if you translate it into their language.
What are transferable skills really?
Transferable skills are skills you learned in one job that you can use in another. You keep them.
If you handled cash fast as a taxi driver between Butterworth and East London, you can handle cash at Shoprite. If you calmed customers at Boxer in Mthatha, you can calm callers in a call centre.
Hard skills are tools like POS (Point of Sale) machines. Soft skills are how you work – time management, trust, teamwork.
Why does your informal work count as real experience?
Because you solved real problems with real money.
Domestic work, taxi driving, retail, cashier, fast food, farm work in Cathcart, caregiving, selling at rank in Komani – all build skills companies pay for.
Adverts say “2 years experience” but mean office jobs. What they need is reliable, time-smart, money-careful people. You have that.
Unpaid work counts too. Church in Hogsback, school kitchen in Makhanda, soccer coaching in Mthatha shows leadership. List it.
How does domestic work translate to formal jobs?
Don’t write “cleaning”. Translate:
- Time management – finished full house, laundry and cooking daily 8am to 3pm with no supervisor.
- Cleaning standards – know chemicals, safe storage, colour cloths, food safety.
- Trust – family trusted you with keys, children and shopping money.
- Childcare and cooking – managed ECD (Early Childhood Development) tasks like meals, routines and homework.
Formal fits: housekeeper, cleaning supervisor, kitchen assistant, ECD assistant.
Domestic work is protected by BCEA (Basic Conditions of Employment Act). Minimum is R30.23 per hour from 1 March 2026, about R5,240 per month on 40-hour week.
What if you were a taxi driver or delivery driver?
Taxi driving is small business management.
- Customer service – dealt with 20 passengers per trip, different moods, stayed calm.
- Cash handling – balanced R2,000 to R4,000 daily, gave change fast, paid owner.
- Time and navigation – kept schedule on Cathcart to Komani route, know shortcuts when N6 closes.
- Safety – checked tyres and oil, managed passenger safety, followed local taxi association rules.
Formal fits: delivery driver, logistics assistant, dispatcher, call centre agent.
On your CV write: “Minibus operator – Mthatha Taxi Association: Managed service and cash-ups for 150+ commuters daily.”
How does retail, cashier and fast food work help your CV?
Retail trains you for admin, sales and banking.
- POS and cash-ups – operated till at Shoprite, Boxer, Pep, balanced at shift end.
- Stock – unpacked, rotated by expiry using FIFO (First In, First Out), counted stock.
- Service – answered “where is mealie meal?”, handled complaints, sold airtime.
- Pressure – served 30 to 50 customers per hour on grant days with few errors.
Formal fits: sales consultant, admin clerk, bank teller, stock controller.
W&RSETA (Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority) turns till work into a qualification. For retail paths, see retail jobs.
Can caregiving and selling at the market get you hired?
Yes. These are in high demand.
Caregiving: If you cared for a parent, gogo or neighbour:
- Empathy – listened, calmed, stayed patient.
- Hygiene – kept bedding clean, washed hands, spotted fever early.
- Medication and notes – gave pills on time, kept simple records.
Formal fits: clinic assistant, community health worker, home-based carer. HWSETA (Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority) offers training for this.
Selling at market: If you sold vetkoek in Butterworth or braided hair in Gqeberha:
- Negotiation – set prices, bargained, found customers.
- Money management – bought stock, tracked profit, saved for restock.
- Loyalty – customers returned because you remembered them.
Formal fits: sales rep, cashier. No matric? See jobs without matric.
How do you write this on your CV so employers notice?
Bad: “Worked as domestic. Did cleaning.”
Good: “Household – East London (2022-2025): Managed 4-bedroom home for 5. Cooked daily, managed grocery budget R5,000/month, cared for 2 children. Trusted with keys and cash.”
Rules:
- Verb first: Managed, Served, Balanced, Cooked, Organised, Resolved.
- Numbers: “Served 30 customers/day.” “R3,500 cash-ups daily, zero shortages 12 months.”
- Tools: “Boxer POS, Speedpoint.” “Expiry checks.”
Add unpaid: “Volunteer – Church, Hogsback (2023): Organised parcels for 25 families, led 4 volunteers.”
Keep format simple so ATS (Applicant Tracking System) can read it. See our CV guide.
How do you explain informal work in an interview?
Use STAR – Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Domestic to hospitality:
Situation: “In Makhanda, family had last-minute guests.”
Task: “Two hours to prep two rooms, cook for 7, fetch kids.”
Action: “Prioritised rooms, started stew, asked child to set table, updated employer.”
Result: “Rooms spotless, dinner on time, got more responsibility.”
Retail to admin:
Situation: “Boxer Komani, SASSA day, queue long, till short R200.”
Task: “Keep customers calm and find error.”
Action: “Counted twice, checked under till, explained while counting.”
Result: “Found mis-keyed airtime voucher, balanced, cleared queue in 15 minutes.”
Keep STAR under 90 seconds.
Where can these skills take you next?
Turn experience into certificate via SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority). Learnerships let you work and study with stipend.
- SERVICES SETA (Services Sector Education and Training Authority) – cleaning, hospitality, admin.
- W&RSETA – retail, cashier, sales.
- HWSETA – home-based care, clinic support.
Check SAYouth.mobi and youth offices in East London or Mthatha. If they ask money upfront, likely a scam.
Frequently asked questions
What if I only worked informally with no payslip as proof?
Get a reference letter with name, phone and ID, even handwritten. Use church leader or principal in Cathcart or Komani too. Do an affidavit at SAPS. Note UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) does not always cover informal jobs, but references prove skills.
Can I put church volunteering and coaching on my formal CV?
Yes. Add Community Experience. Example: “Soccer Coach – Juniors, Mthatha (2024): Coached 18 players, organised transport to Komani, managed kit R1,500.” Shows leadership and budgeting.
Will employers in Gqeberha respect taxi driving as work?
Yes if you translate it. Delivery and call centres hire ex-drivers because you handle cash, pressure and angry customers. Write “Public Transport Operator – service and cash management for 150+ daily commuters” not just “Taxi driver”.
Next step
Rewrite one informal job on your CV today with verb plus number. Change “Domestic worker” to “Managed 4-bedroom home for 5, R5,000 grocery budget”.