Resume rules in Sierra Leone

What employers in Sierra Leone expect on a Curriculum Vitae, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.

Call it a CV for Sierra Leone or a resume for Sierra Leone: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in English.

This is research, not legal advice. Employment and data protection law changes, state and provincial rules matter in federal countries, and practice varies by industry and seniority. Each entry shows when it was looked up and how confident we are. Where nothing reliable was published it says Not found rather than a guess.

Law and practice, side by side

The label on the right is what local hiring expects. The two lines under it are the law and the habit, which often disagree.

Photo: Optional

Optional; not standard practice

What the law says: No legal requirement found

Date of birth: Optional

Optional; can omit

Marital status: Optional

Optional; can omit

Sex or gender: Uncommon

Uncommon; avoid unless relevant

What the law says: Equal pay for equal work per Employment Act 2023

Nationality: Optional

Optional

National ID number: Optional

Optional

The rest of the entry

Local name of the document
Curriculum Vitae
Language to submit in
English
Typical length
Not specified; 1-2 pages typical
Signature and date
Not required
Religion, ethnicity or caste
Protected under Employment Act 2023
Health, disability or pregnancy
Not found in employment law
Other customary attachments
For work permits: valid passport, proof of qualifications, police clearance and medical reports where requested
Employer may not ask for
Sexual orientation (banned since 2023), race, religion, gender, marital status, disability
Named statutes
Employment Act 2023; Industrial Relations and Trade Union Act 2024; Work Permit Act 2023 (all in English)
Anti-discrimination statutes
Employment Act 2023
Local language source
English only

Where this came from

Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Confirmed.

Notes: Krio is lingua franca but English is official language. Employment Act 2023 is very recent (May 2023). Sexual orientation discrimination banned as of 2023. Limited published guidance on CV format conventions.

Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this

4 sources we opened