Jobs in France: Job Application Guidelines

A job application in France should begin with a one page, handwritten cover letter (your handwriting may be used for character analysis). Include your resume with a photograph attached, but no other enclosures.

Your resume itself should be relatively short, with a maximum of two pages. If you are a new job seeker, it may be even shorter. Begin with personal information: name, address, phone, and e-mail. Personal data, such as birth date, marital status and children are optional.

Begin the section on education with your most recent study, and then list all schools attended, ending with your high (secondary) school. Give the name and location of each, your areas of study, degrees and dates of attendance. Also, mention any additional courses, internships or specialized training.

In the “Work Experience” section, list for each position the dates, the name, location, size and type of company, and your title(s) and responsibilities. If you have many years of work experience, the education section follows your employment history.

At the end of the resume, you should list special competencies (such as level of expertise in foreign language, and computer skills), professional affiliations and volunteer experience, if relevant. State that references are “available on request.”