There is no best site for everyone. The right choice depends on the language of your applications, the format recruiters expect, your budget and where you look for job offers.
This page compares kinds of tools, not brands. For each one, it says what it does well and where it falls short, then gives you a grid to judge for yourself.
The three ways to make a CV in Senegal
When you look for where to make your CV, you come across three kinds of tools. None of them suits everyone.
- The Word or PDF template, downloaded and filled in by hand: it is free, but the layout often breaks as soon as you add a line, and nothing tells you whether your CV gets through an ATS, the software that sorts applications.
- The international online tool: handy, but built for other markets, often in English, and downloading the CV is frequently paid.
- The Senegalese platform, such as LYZY: in French, with payment by Wave or Orange Money and job offers in Senegal on the same site.
These descriptions are about kinds of tools, not about any one site. A service's prices and features change: check them on its own site before you sign up.
The criteria that matter: language, format, ATS, price, applying on the spot
Rather than a ranking, here are the questions to ask any site before you spend an hour on your CV there.
- Language: is the tool in French, and can you write your CV in the language of the job offer?
- Format: does the CV come out as a PDF, with text you can select, rather than as an image?
- Readability by an ATS: a single reading column, classic section titles, no tables and no skills shown as stars.
- Price: what is free, what is paid, and can you pay with a means you have?
- Applying on the spot: do you find job offers on the same site, or do you have to look for them elsewhere?
| Criterion | Word or PDF template | International online tool | LYZY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | The one you write in | To check, often English | French and English |
| Format sent | The one you export | To check | |
| Readability by an ATS | Nothing checks it | To check | ATS ready templates marked on their page, score against a job offer |
| Price | Free | To check, the export is often paid | Free to create, final PDF paid by Wave, Orange Money or card |
| Job offers on the same site | No | To check | Yes, in Senegal and French-speaking Africa |
Where the grid says to check, the answer depends on the service: look at its pricing page and try it before you pay.
What LYZY does, and what it does not
LYZY is a Senegalese platform for building CVs. Here is what it does today:
- CV templates to fill in online, with a live preview. Many are ATS ready, and their page says so.
- Import of your old CV in PDF or Word (.docx): its content is sorted into the sections of your new CV.
- An ATS match score between your CV and a job offer, tailoring of the CV to the offer, and a CV audit. These AI features are included in the subscription, with a free trial.
- Job offers in Senegal and French-speaking Africa, published by partners. Each offer says how to apply.
- Creating your CV is free. Only downloading the final PDF is paid, by Wave or Orange Money in Senegal, or by bank card from other countries.
And what LYZY does not do:
- It does not guarantee an interview or a job: the score tells how closely your CV matches an offer, not what the recruiter will decide.
- It does not replace your own proofreading: after an import, check the dates, the job titles and your contact details.
- It does not hire: offers are published by partners, and you apply by the means each one gives.
- Not all of its templates are made for an ATS: some are more graphic, and their page says so.
Check your CV, whatever the tool
- Open your PDF and select the text: if it selects and copies in the right order, that is a good sign for an ATS.
- Your name, phone number and email must be written as text, not inside an image.
- Use the exact title of the job you are aiming for at the top of the CV.
- Give the file a clear name, for example CV-Firstname-Lastname.pdf.
- Have someone read your CV before you send it.