The Pulse: Who and What
Users choose active CV building over passive review by a ratio of 1.4 to one. People did not want to sit back and receive feedback. They wanted to act. They wanted to change something and move forward.
Platform Usage Snapshot
- Total page views: 5,867
- Total impressions: 12,836
- Total clicks: 310
- Users hit “improve” and “tailor” more than “review” when it comes to CV tools
- Peak traffic month: June with 2,347 page views
- Device breakdown: High-end mobile devices drove 4,754 page views and 294 clicks. Desktop followed with 1,090 page views. Tablets recorded 23 page views.
Platform Traffic Overview
Derived from AdSense data for Q2 2026:
| Month | Page Views | Impressions | Clicks |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 1,651 | 1,976 | 91 |
| May | 1,869 | 4,517 | 104 |
| June | 2,347 | 6,343 | 115 |
| Total | 5,867 | 12,836 | 310 |
Monthly trend: Traffic increased each month. June recorded the highest page views (2,347) and impressions (6,343). April was the quietest month, which is expected as the quarter began.
Peak traffic days: The data does not include specific peak traffic dates.
Active View Viewable rate: The platform achieved a 0.606 Active View Viewable rate for South African traffic. This means about 60% of displayed ads were actually viewable to users.
User Input Aggregate for career guidance
- 24 profile completions were tracked on the career guidance tool between May 27 and June 22.
- Gauteng led with 12 users. Western Cape followed with 3 users. North West and KwaZulu-Natal contributed 2 users each.
- Top qualifications cited: Certificate (6), Diploma (5), Bachelor’s Degree (5).
- Bottom qualifications: Honours Degree (1), Master’s Degree (1), Grade 11 (1).
- Gauteng users hold more certificates and diplomas. Degree-level qualifications appear less frequently on the platform.
Education levels among users:
| Qualification | Number of Users |
|---|---|
| Certificate | 6 |
| Diploma | 5 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 5 |
| Grade 12 / Matric | 2 |
| Honours Degree | 1 |
| Master’s Degree | 1 |
| Grade 11 | 1 |
The job search reality: 8 users had been looking for work for 3 to 6 months. 5 users had been searching for more than two years. That is a long time to face rejection or silence.
Work preferences:
- Office-Based: 14 users
- Willing to Relocate: 14 users
- Remote Work: 13 users
- Hybrid Work: 12 users
- Willing to start a business: 6 users
Field Note: Thirteen users reported getting no responses from employers. Half of these users hold diplomas or certificates. One might assume their qualifications are the problem, but the data do not show skill gaps. The real issue lies in how they present their existing skills. This frustration drives demand for active CV revamps.
The Breakdown: Where, When and Why
Regional Engagement Map for CV Tools
- City of Johannesburg: 80 tool interactions, leading all districts.
- City of Ekurhuleni: 44 interactions, showing strong Gauteng presence.
- City of Tshwane: 41 interactions.
- Gauteng municipalities accounted for 165 tracked interactions. KwaZulu-Natal municipalities followed with 51 interactions.
- School names remain unavailable. Towns and districts serve as location markers. Province data comes from user profiles only.
Traffic and Behaviour Log
- May 5 recorded 50 backend requests, making it the highest single day for backend activity.
- June recorded the highest frontend traffic with 2,347 page views.
- May followed with 1,869 page views.
- April was the quietest month for page views, with 1,651.
- Time-of-day breakdown is unavailable.
CV Tool Usage Breakdown
- “Improve” (CV revamp): 118 requests
- “Review” (CV feedback): 154 requests
- “Tailor” (CV customisation): 87 requests
- “Create” (new CV): 16 requests
- CV tools combined (improve, tailor, create): 221 requests
- “Review” standalone: 154 requests
- Ratio of active CV tools to review: 1.4 to one, meaning people did not want to sit back and receive feedback. They wanted to act. They wanted to change something and move forward.
- Backend requests confirm the CV tool handled 391 requests. The cover letter and email tool handled 32 requests. The career guidance tool processed 3 requests.
- “Review” may function as a CV review rather than pure career guidance.
Top districts by CV tool interactions:
| District | Tool Interactions |
|---|---|
| City of Johannesburg | 80 |
| City of Ekurhuleni | 44 |
| City of Tshwane | 41 |
| City of eThekwini | 26 |
| West Rand | 11 |
| King Cetshwayo | 10 |
| City of Cape Town | 9 |
| Unknown | 9 |
| Ugu | 6 |
What stands out: Gauteng dominates platform usage. The province accounted for the highest number of both user registrations and tool interactions. This matches the province’s large population and high job-seeking activity.
Note: School and town names were not available in the data. Tracking used districts and municipalities instead.
What CV Tools Users Told Us
Feedback entries received: 38
Ratings breakdown:
| Rating | Number of Entries |
|---|---|
| 5 stars | 31 |
| 4 stars | 4 |
| 3 stars | 2 |
| 2 stars | 0 |
| No rating | 1 |
Average rating: 4.86 out of 5
User Satisfaction
- 31 five-star ratings, 4 four-star ratings, 2 three-star ratings.
- 4 reviews included written feedback.
- Lower ratings lack comments. The data cannot explain the reasons behind them.
Feedback by tool type:
| Tool Type | Feedback Entries |
|---|---|
| Improve | 13 |
| Review | 12 |
| Create | 4 |
| Tailor | 2 |
Written reviews (4 entries):
“Very easy to use, fast and reliable results. I’m happy” – Ehlanzeni
“Midrand, Halfway-Gardens” – City of Johannesburg
“Nothing like this.” – City of eThekwini
“The service is good” – Zululand
District feedback breakdown: The City of Johannesburg led with 14 entries. City of Ekurhuleni and City of eThekwini each had 3 entries. 10 entries had a blank district field.
Sessions with lower ratings: 6 sessions received ratings of 4 stars or lower. These were spread across 4-star (3 sessions) and 3-star (3 sessions) ratings. No 2-star or 1-star ratings were recorded.
What this tells us is that users are generally satisfied. The high 5-star rating suggests the tools are meeting expectations. However, the written feedback is limited in detail. We cannot fully explain the lower ratings without more written comments.
Who Filled Out Career Guidance Profiles
Twenty-four people completed the career guidance profile between 27 May and 22 June 2026. That is roughly one new profile per day. The tracking started late, so this number only captures the final four weeks of the quarter.
User Input Aggregate:
- 24 profile completions tracked this quarter
- Gauteng led with 12 users (50.0%)
- Western Cape followed with 3 users (12.5%)
- North West and KwaZulu-Natal each contributed 2 users (8.3% each)
- Free State and Limpopo each contributed 1 user
- Top qualifications cited: Certificate (6 users), Diploma (5 users), Bachelor’s Degree (5 users)
- Bottom qualifications: Grade 11 (1 user), Master’s Degree (1 user), Honours Degree (1 user)
- 2 users cited grade 12 or Matric
- Gauteng users hold more certificates and diplomas. Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal users show more degree-level qualifications.
API vs Frontend Gap
- Backend requests tracked: 428 total across the quarter.
- Frontend tool interactions tracked: 461 total across Q2.
- API log for the career guidance tool covers May 27 to June 22 only.
- Usage logs cover the full Q2 period.
- These systems track different actions. Do not add them together.
The AK035 CV Tool accounts for 96.5% of all backend spend and requests. Cover letter drafting is the secondary use case, with the Career Guidance Tool making minimal impact on backend activity.
Research Output
Do users prefer to build new CVs or improve existing ones?
Users choose “Improve” (118 requests) over “Create” (16 requests) by a ratio of more than 7 to 1. People already have CVs. They want to fix what they have, not start from scratch.
Which province drives platform activity?
Gauteng users account for the highest number of career guide users (12 out of 24) and the most CV tools interactions (City of Johannesburg alone had 80). The province is our primary audience.
Are users satisfied with the tools?
Average rating of 4.86 out of 5 across 38 feedback entries suggests strong satisfaction. Written reviews describe the tools as “easy to use” and “good.”
Is the Career Guidance Tool being used?
Minimal use. This tool has not gained traction compared to the CV tools.
What is the gap between frontend and backend activity?
Frontend usage logs show 463 entries, while backend API logs show 428 requests. These are different systems measuring different activities. The numbers cannot be compared directly.
Do users prefer to build new CVs or improve existing ones?
Data shows “improve” and “tailor” together outnumber “create” by 12.8 to one. Assuming users want to start from scratch ignores that most job seekers already have a document they are trying to fix.
Can we trust the 24 career guidance profiles to represent all users?
No. These 24 users self-selected into a specific tool. Their education levels and job search durations do not necessarily reflect the broader audience of 5,867 page views.
What is the biggest frustration for job seekers?
Thirteen users report getting no responses from employers.
Are people finding jobs quickly?
Eight users searched for 3 to 6 months. Five users searched for over 2 years.
How do users access the platform?
High-end mobile devices generate 81% of page views. Assuming all users have low-end devices is wrong. They use capable phones but still need free, simple tools.
Do users want to move for work?
Fourteen users will relocate. Fourteen users prefer office-based work. Thirteen users want remote work.
Areas for Next Quarter
- Encourage more written feedback.
Owner: Lungelo Shandu. Target: Increase written review count from 4 to at least 15 entries by end of Q3 2026. Add a prompt after tool use asking users: “What worked well? What could be better?” - Promote the Career Guidance Tool.
Owner: Lungelo Shandu. Target: Increase tool usage from 3 to 15 requests by end of Q3 2026. Create a short explainer video showing how the tool helps with career decisions. Test a simple landing page that explains what the tool offers. - Strengthen Gauteng engagement.
Owner: Lungelo Shandu. Target: Partner with 3 community organisations in Gauteng to introduce the tools to job seekers who may not find the platform organically. Measure referral traffic and tool usage from these partnerships. - Capture feedback reasons for lower ratings.
Owner: Lungelo Shandu. Target: Add an optional text field for all ratings under 5 stars by August 31. - Close the data gap between frontend usage logs and backend API tracking.
Owner: Lungelo Shandu. Target: Align both systems to capture 100% of tool interactions from day one of Q3.
Data Notes
- Report period: Q2 2026 (April, May, June)
- Data sources: phpMyAdmin, AdSense and OpenRouter
- API usage logs and usage_logs are separate systems. API tracks backend request counts by date. Usage logs track frontend tool interactions by session and district. These numbers cannot be combined.
- School names and town names were not available. District and municipality data were used instead.
- Excluded from this report: AI model names, provider details, and revenue figures.
- Backend figures and other stats will mismatch due to the difference in input tracking from tools, and reports are based on final figures and outputs.
Visit our main page for our CV tools, online career guidance and job-seeking resources: ak035.co.za
View our reports: ak035.co.za/reports