Writing a CV (Curriculum Vitae) or resume, is not specific to France compared to other countries, but a few sections may only appear within a French CV. Here is a list of the basics you should know to write a CV for a French recruiter !
What should be in your CV
Personal Information
- Your photo
- Name
- Home address
- Phone number
- Email address
- LinkedIn profile (with a clickable link if you’re sending a PDF of your CV)
Education
- French people are very big on degrees, so if you have one or more, do mention it!
- Mention the French equivalent of your degree, e.g. A-level or Abitur would be the French Baccalauréat
- If this is your first job, mention your grades, favourite subjects, title of a research paper that you did and could be relevant to the job you’re applying for
Professional Experiences
- Start with your most recent experience first!
- Mention the name of the companies, the dates you worked there, the geographical area you were based
- Add a little description of the role you held and the tasks you performed and begin with active verbs
Skills
- Skills in a CV range from general IT (MS Office, G-Suite etc…) to courses you may have taken (first-aid, fire marshall, etc.)
- Regarding IT, only mention the software that you actually handle. E.g: if you write “Microsoft Office”, it is very possible that you’ll be asked to perform some tasks using the software, so don’t get too creative
- Mention if you have a driving licence and what kind of vehicles you can drive
Language
- As a foreigner, you can really stand out here. Keep in mind that French people are often monolingual, so highlight your language and specify your level
Hobbies
- French recruiters are used to seeing this in a CV, don’t forget it, it could make the difference for you to be chosen or not
- Mention the sports you practise, the instruments you play, how you busy yourself outside of work
- Keep in mind that French recruiters love a nice work-life balance, on paper
Tips
- Mention your soft skills (team-player, good listener, efficient facing a deadline,…)
- Enhance your presentation with some design, but don’t go too crazy
Mistakes to avoid
- Spelling mistakes ➡ make sure you correct all of your mistakes before clicking send
- Gaps in your history ➡ make sure that the any gaps in your CV are explained in your cover letter
- Sending a .doc file ➡ you should turn your .doc file into a PDF before you send it
- Don’t mentioning everything ➡ Don’t put your full work history on your CV, only select the most relevant experiences to the job you are applying for
- Multiple pages ➡ a French CV must fit onto one page only
- Chunky text ➡ Lighten up your CV and bold the most important words.
