Bonjour !
You would like to work or find an internship in France. You have found the perfect company and the perfect job, but you have a problem, what is your resume supposed to look like? Are French recruiters looking for something special? This article will help you know how to make your resume match French expectations.
We all love classics …
First, let’s talk about the format. Your resume must be one-page long. French recruiters are no big fans of long texts, so you must be concise.
Start by introducing yourself. Write your name, your age, your address, your phone number and don’t forget your e-mail address. To personalise your resume a little, you can add a little description explaining who you are and what you are looking for. In France, you can add your photo on your resume, but it is definitely not compulsory. It’s kind of a debate because some people are sure that adding a picture may help the recruiter have a better idea of who you are while others cannot stand the idea of adding one. I have never had a photo of myself on my resume and it didn’t have a harmful impact on my opportunities to find a job.
As a cherry on the cake, finish by talking about your language knowledge. There are plenty of ways to present this:
- by level (A1–A2 until C2)
- with a description (beginner – intermediate – advanced)
- sorting by language proficiency (reading – writing – speaking – listening)
- and many more…
You can also add the names of your language certificates to give more credibility to your application.
If you have some, add a part for your work experience. Every single work experience counts. It can be an internship or a summer job. We all think that it is not really relevant to add work experience that is not related to what we are looking for, but it is relevant. Every work experience can give the recruiter an idea of what you have learned. For example, I worked in a fast-food restaurant and it is really different from being a translator but I have learned to communicate with clients and my co-workers, I have also learned to manage a team and I also had the opportunity to help customers by speaking English or Spanish, those are skills that can be useful as a translator, so it is great to include it in your resume. Of course, having experience in your field is great but as a student, it can be hard to have some. For these two subsections, organize your work experience and diplomas from the most recent to the earliest experience.
… but sometimes we need to spice things up
Now that you have an idea of how a classic French resume is structured, you can make some changes to stand out.
As a student, you might lack work experience and the classic structure might be a disadvantage to you. That’s why some people choose to sort their resume by theme.
Let’s imagine, you’ve had three jobs to gain work experience:
- you’ve worked as a cashier for one month three years ago,
- you translated documents for a friend,
- you got an internship in a company specialising in communication.
You may wonder: What is the link between these three experiences that I can use?
- As a cashier, you have learned to deal with clients, be part of a team and you spoke to French people.
- As an intern, you learned about communication and being part of a team and you spoke different languages.
- When translating for your friend, you acquired knowledge about translation, about being autonomous and you have learned about the subject the document was about.
Instead of having three little blocks which show the years you didn’t work, which may give the impression you lack certain skills, you can create two blocks: one called Communication and another one called Languages. In each part, you will explain the skills you have acquired related to the theme and cite the names of the companies you have worked for.
This sorting can also be used if you have a lot of work experience because instead of removing some of your experience, you will be able to summarize and not exceed the one-page length.
You can also add a part about your interests. French recruiters love to know what you spend your time doing outside of school because they can have an idea of your personality and make sure that you will easily get along with your co-workers. Here are a few ideas:
- Playing football means you know how to work in a team.
- Know how to play an instrument means you have discipline.
- Drawing means you are creative.
Every hobby can be attractive to a recruiter because they may have the same hobby as you or it can sound positive. If you don’t write it in your resume, the recruiter may ask the question during the interview so think about it, at least.
I hope this article helped you get an idea of what your resume should look like. Don’t forget that you and your personality are the main reasons why recruiters will be interested in your profile, so don’t be afraid of showing it.
Bonne chance!
Do you want to learn more about resumes, check these three other articles:
https://latraductiondeaaz.wordpress.com/2023/03/23/beware-dont-let-your-resume-become-a-red-flag/
Written by Ophélia Laurencine
La Traduction de A à Z 