A profile that says what you do, and a brief that finds you

Talentack is a working directory for candidates, freelancers and small studios across South Africa. You write your role focus, the tools you actually open on a Tuesday, the projects you finished, when you are free, and who can vouch for the work. Recruiters in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria read the shortlist and send one direct brief instead of chasing a thread of emails.

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Not sure where to start? Browse solutions for hiring teams or read a few published profiles first.

What hiring managers say after the first brief

Shortlists move faster when the profile answers the question before it gets asked. These notes come from recruiters and studio leads who read Talentack profiles across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.

"The tool list is what I check first. When someone names Figma, Webflow and a CMS they actually shipped with, I stop guessing and send the brief the same morning."

Naledi Mokoena Design lead, product studio, Cape Town

"Availability windows save the whole first call. I can see who overlaps with our Berlin standup and who works hybrid from Pretoria without asking three times."

Ruan de Villiers Engineering manager, fintech platform, Johannesburg

"A summary written by the person themselves reads differently. You can tell when someone knows what they want more of, and that usually matches the work we need done."

Ayesha Patel Talent partner, agency group, Durban

4.7 / 5

Average rating from hiring managers who sent a brief in the last quarter.

82%

Of briefs get a reply within two working days when availability is filled in.

3 in 5

Shortlisted profiles were found through a skill cluster, not a keyword search.

Teams and studios that read profiles here

Kestrel Digital

Table Bay Studio

Sandton Works

Umhlanga Labs

Highveld Craft

Reading worth your time

Notes from the directory side of hiring: how profiles get read, how availability gets phrased, and what referees are actually asked.

Profile hygiene

Writing a profile that survives a recruiter's first pass

Most shortlisting happens before anyone opens a portfolio link. A look at the order recruiters read in: role focus, tools, availability, references.

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Work setup

Availability windows and the remote setup question

Time-zone overlap, hybrid weeks and backup power, phrased so a hiring manager gets an answer instead of a status update.

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References

References that hold up when a brief gets serious

Three well-briefed referees beat ten names on a list. How to pick people who can speak to outcomes, and when to refresh the list.

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New to the directory? Start with what a published profile includes, or browse how teams have used direct briefs.

What a profile on Talentack actually holds

A profile here is not a CV uploaded and forgotten. It is a working document: role focus, the tools you open every week, the projects you would show again, and the windows when you are free to take on briefs. Recruiters in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria read it the same way you wrote it, in order.

Structured role focus

One clear line about what you do, then the skill cluster and seniority band you sit in. Junior through senior, creative and technical, so a hiring manager can filter without guessing.

Tools you actually use

A short, honest list. Figma, Blender, Xero, Django, whatever the day-to-day stack is. No padding with tools you touched once on a course.

Portfolio strip

A few selected pieces with a sentence on the brief, your part in it, and the outcome. Enough context for a reader to judge fit before they open anything else.

Availability windows

State the hours, the time-zone overlap, and whether you work hybrid or fully remote. Recruiters stop asking the same scheduling question twice.

Plain-language summary

Written by you, not rewritten by anyone else. It is the paragraph that tells a reader how you think about your own work and what you want more of.

References, kept current

A short list of people who can speak to specific outcomes, refreshed when a project closes. Checked only when a brief moves forward.

Build the profile once, keep it current, and let the right brief find you. If you are hiring, start with what we offer or read how briefs move through our solutions.