French Resume: How to Write Your French CV (Examples)

Writing a French resume is scary if French isn’t your first language. But don’t worry. There are some simple steps you should take to get it right.

I’ll equip you with everything you need to know not to make a gaffe. So read my article with your eyes wide open, and learn how to write your resume in French!

This guide will show you: 

• French CV examples better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a French CV that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a French resume.
• How to describe your experience on a French resume to get any job you want.

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French Resume Template

You prefer to read in French? Have a look at another guide about comment faire un CV written in French. 

Now, here’s the job-winning french resume formula:

1. Clean Up the Structure

When writing a French resume, you must know that you’re also writing a French CV or curriculum vitae. There’s no difference between these two. However, you shouldn’t be fooled by the name. Translating your current resume into its French equivalent won’t do. You must be aware of the differences, and I will help you with that.

First, look at what should stay the same, which is the resume layout:

• Pick a modern resume template that gives that professional and smart vibes, but don’t fear a dash of colour. You still want to stand out, and a petite tweak like this can help you achieve that.
• Go for a legible font that’ll be easy on the recruiter’s eyes, like Garamond or Calibri. They spend only a few seconds reading your resume, so make sure the experience is as pleasurable as possible. Keep the size between 10 and 12 points. For the section names, you can go slightly bigger.
• Set the resume margins at 1 inch and line spacing between 1 and 1.15.
• Remember to left-align the text. Justification will ruin the structure of your paragraphs.
• Choose reverse chronological order to put the most recent information first.
• Use bullet points to introduce your entries under each section.
• Write your resume on one page or two pages maximum. Otherwise, you risk being ignored by recruiters.

Once you have it sorted, let’s move on to sectioning your French resume. The resume parts in American and French resumes are the same, so divide yours into the following sections:

• Coordonnées (Contact details)
• Profil (Personal statement)
• Expérience Professionnelle (Experience)
• Formation (Education)
• Compétences (Skills).

Those are the must-haves on your French CV. But be mindful of the space to leave room for additional information, like Informatique (Computer skills), Langues (Language skills), or Centres d’intérêts (Hobbies) that you’d want to add near the end.

2. Create a Simple Header

There are many ways your French CV can end up a debacle. One is mentioning your age in your personal information (Coordonnées)一you should limit the number of details you give. That applies to a photo, too. 

Stick to the simple info so that the recruiter can contact you easily. Include

1. Full name
2. Address (Optional)
3. Phone number with a country code
4. Email address
5. LinkedIn handle (Optional)
6. Position you’re applying for

And this is how a resume header in a French resume should look:

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3. Add a Personal Statement

The personal statement (Profil) is an introduction to your application, and it can be either a resume summary (Résumé) or a resume objective (Objectif). They both should make an exciting presentation for the reader.

Use the summary if you have work experience and relevant achievements to support your application. If you don’t, use the objective to write about your aspirations and interest in the position.

Here’s how to write a resume summary:

• Prioritize your strengths and match the skills to the job ad.
• Speak about your qualities and qualifications.
• Mention the position and company you’re applying to.
• Say what you want to accomplish with your application.

Check out the below example to put a face to those rules:

If you’re going for the objective, follow the exact instructions, but remember that you must align your goals with the employer's vision of a perfect candidate.

Look at the objective sample to sum it up:

4. Write About Your Professional Experience

This section is the clique leader. You’ve got to tread with confidence to impress. And it’s easier than you might think.

Prove to the recruiters that you have professional experience (Expérience Professionnelle) and that you’ll bring results with you. This is how you can do that:

• List your jobs in reverse chronological order—from most recent to least.
• Include dates, your position, the company, and its location. Make your position in bold to highlight it.
• Write up to 5 bullet points describing your duties.
• Start each with an action verb that’ll add dynamism to your statements.
• Add quantifiers (+30, 25%, $4000) for more impact.
• Ensure the responsibilities you write about match the ones listed in the job description.

Look at the work section example for a French CV:

Focus on transferable skills if you’re writing a no-experience resume or have some experience not relevant to the job. You can use your volunteering or internship experience to show the skills you’ve gained and which of your qualities were the most prominent on the job.

5. Mention Your Degree

If you don’t want the recruiters to go full-on blasé, write about your educational background (Formation) with care. 

First and foremost, make your recruiter’s life easier. Find the equivalent of your current degree and translate accordingly. Including the highest one suffices, especially if you have years of experience.

Secondly, include the dates of attendance, degree name in bold, and school name and location. 

Find the following guide to what to write in the education section in a French resume:

See how your education entry should look like based on the below example:

If you’re only beginning your career, the education section will be the most important section to you. Ensure it also consists of some of your academic achievements, like the grade or any prestigious certifications you’ve earned.

6. List the Most Relevant Skills on Your French Resume

It’s time for an exposé.

You need to lay bare your skills (Compétences) to the hiring manager so they can decide whether you're what they've been looking for all along. You can do this by listing the most relevant skills in your French resume. Here’s how:

• Read the job description carefully, looking for keywords that refer to the qualities your potential employer requires.
• Make a master list of the skills you know you have. Use both your hard and soft skills.
• Crosscheck with the job description, and on your French resume, list only those that match. 
• Include up to 10 skills.

One more thing—

Separate your computer skills (Informatique) or software (Logiciels) from the key skills section.

This is how it should look:

7. Include Additional Sections

The last thing on your French resume checklist is to include additional sections, such as language skills (Langues) or hobbies (Centres d’intérêts). Let me describe these sections une par une:

• Langues: add information about your language speaking skills, be it through an official certificate you hold or just a fluency level (A1–C2).
• Centres d’intérêts: say whether you have hobbies or interests that are relevant to your position, meaning whether you use or develop the skills needed at your job.

See the below example:

On a finishing note, I’m highly encouraging you to attach a cover letter to your French resume. Recruiters do want to read them to better understand your application. Read more in our French guide and learn comment faire une lettre de motivation (with examples).

A great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Key Takeaway

Everything you need to know about how to write a French CV in a nutshell:

• Set the layout first and make it legible for the recruiter.
• Create proper sections to stay on one or two pages maximum.
• Write a brief personal statement that encourages the reader to read on.
• Concentrate on your achievements in the work experience section.
• Include an equivalent of your degree in the education part.
• List your skills that are relevant to the job ad.
• Leave some space for the additional information.

Et voilà! That’s how you write a French resume.

Please tell me—

Do you have more questions about how to write a French resume? What’s the most challenging part of writing a French CV?

Give a shout in the comments! Let’s get the conversation rolling.

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