Jobs in France: Interview Techniques

When preparing for an interview, it is a good idea to do background research on the company, its culture and current emphases relative to your own skills and experience. Dress appropriately. French business attire is conservative.

Since the French place a good deal of emphasis on hierarchy, you should be familiar with the titles of your interviewers before the meeting. It is an asset to have an acquaintance in common. It serves, to break the ice at the beginning of the meeting, and it can be extremely helpful in business interactions.

When responding to questions, be yourself. It is bad form to brag about your great deeds, or be defensive about your failures. You may well be asked rather personal questions, such as your plans to have a child. (For mothers-to-be, an eighteen-week maternity leave costs the company a temporary replacement.) During the interview, you should ask questions too, about any special job requirements, such as the need to drive, or travel, or speak a foreign language. Men are expected to wear dark tailored suits; women also wear well-tailored suits, and a minimum of make-up and jewelry.