The essentials

  • One page maximum for under 10 years' experience, two pages above that ;
  • Write in French if the offer is in French ; in English if the offer is in English. Never mix ;
  • Include name, city, email, phone, LinkedIn — skip age, marital status and full address (no longer recommended in 2026) ;
  • The photo is now optional — keep it only if professional and recent ;
  • Always pair with a lettre de motivation (cover letter) — even if not requested.

Key differences from anglo-saxon CVs

A French CV is not just an English CV with French translations — the conventions differ on several specific points:

  • Length: French recruiters expect one page for under 10 years' experience. The US-style 2-3 page resume is read as bloated ;
  • Layout: more visual, often with sidebar columns, colour blocks and infographic-style skill bars ;
  • Personal section: minimal in 2026 — name, city (not full address), professional contact only ;
  • Hobbies: centres d'intérêt is still common at the bottom — choose 2-4 specific items, not generic ;
  • References: not included on the CV itself ; provided on request ;
  • Photo: declining trend, optional, never selfie-style.

If you're applying through LinkedIn, your French CV should largely match what's on your LinkedIn profile — recruiters cross-check.

What to include in 2026

Header

  • Full name — last name in capitals (still common, e.g. Jane SMITH) ;
  • Job title you're applying for, or current role ;
  • City and country of residence (no full street address — outdated and a privacy risk) ;
  • Phone number with international format if applying from abroad ;
  • Email — professional one, not college nicknames ;
  • LinkedIn URL, optionally GitHub, portfolio, professional Twitter/X.

If your work permit status isn't obvious from your name or country, mention it briefly: "Citoyen UE — autorisé à travailler en France" or "Titulaire d'une carte de séjour".

Professional summary (accroche)

Two to three lines summarising your profile and what you bring to the role. This goes at the top under the header. Concrete and specific — "Marketing manager with 6 years' experience scaling B2B SaaS in France and Germany" beats "results-driven professional".

Experience (Expérience professionnelle)

Reverse chronological. Each entry includes:

  • Dates (month and year, e.g. septembre 2022 — présent) ;
  • Job title ;
  • Company, city ;
  • 3-5 bullet points of quantified achievements — French recruiters are particularly responsive to numbers ("a augmenté le CA de 25% en 18 mois") rather than vague responsibilities ;
  • Tools and methods used.

Education (Formation)

Reverse chronological. List the highest qualifications only:

  • Degree title ;
  • Institution and city ;
  • Year of graduation ;
  • For non-French degrees, add the French equivalent in parentheses (e.g. "BSc Computer Science — équivalent Licence en informatique"). The Enic-Naric (France Éducation International) provides official equivalences.

Skills (Compétences)

Two sub-blocks usually work best:

  • Languages: be honest with CEFR levels (A1 to C2) — most French employers know the framework, and overstating gets exposed in the interview ;
  • Technical / professional: tools, software, certifications. List them flat, not in skill bars (which can look juvenile in 2026).

For language self-assessment in French, use the standard scale: notions (basic), niveau intermédiaire, maîtrise professionnelle, courant, bilingue or langue maternelle. Better still, mention your CEFR level (B1, B2, C1...) — universally understood.

Interests (Centres d'intérêt)

Two to four lines at the bottom — specific is better than generic. "Photographie argentique, marathon (3 finishers)" works ; "sport, lecture, voyages" is filler.

What to leave out (changed since 2020)

French CV norms have shifted with the rise of GDPR and anti-discrimination law. Several details that older guides recommend are now considered outdated or counterproductive in 2026:

  • Age and date of birth — actively discouraged. France Travail and most HR consultancies recommend leaving it out ;
  • Marital status (situation de famille) — same. Recruiters can't ask, and listing it invites discriminatory bias ;
  • Number of children — same reason ;
  • Nationality — only mention if relevant for visa/work permit clarification ;
  • Full street address — privacy risk ; city and country are enough ;
  • Photograph — increasingly optional. Keep it only if professional and recent. Anti-discrimination researchers (notably the 2015 study by HALDE) showed photos significantly bias hiring outcomes ;
  • Religious or political affiliations — never include unless relevant to the role.

For anonymous applications (some large employers run "CV anonymisé" processes for entry roles), an HR system strips these fields automatically. Including them in your CV in 2026 reads as old-fashioned at best, problematic at worst.

The lettre de motivation

Almost every French job application includes a lettre de motivation (cover letter), even when not explicitly requested. Written in formal French, structured in three or four paragraphs:

  1. Why this company: show you understand what they do and why you want to join, specifically ;
  2. Why you: 2-3 quantified achievements relevant to the role ;
  3. Why now: how this role fits your career trajectory ;
  4. Closing: politely request an interview.

French formal letters end with a particular formula — "Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame/Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées" — that may feel pompous to anglo-saxon ears but is entirely standard. Skip it in English-language applications, where "Best regards" or "Kind regards" is the norm.

Format conventions

  • Your contact details top-left, the recipient's top-right ;
  • Date and city below the header ;
  • Subject line: "Objet : Candidature au poste de [job title] - [Reference if any]" ;
  • One A4 page maximum ;
  • Sent as a separate PDF, named with your full name and the role.

Some traditional French companies still occasionally ask for handwritten cover letters and even subject them to graphology analysis. This is a fading practice mostly limited to old-school sectors (insurance, traditional industry) — most modern companies expect a typed PDF.

Adapting your CV from anglo to French

Translation tips

  • Don't machine-translate — French recruiters spot it instantly. Use a native speaker or a professional translator ;
  • Job titles often don't have a clean French equivalent — use the closest French title plus a one-line description ;
  • Translate company names where useful: "Bank of America (banque commerciale américaine)" ;
  • Adapt dates: French style is "mars 2022 — octobre 2024" ;
  • Use French quote marks « » in formal contexts.

Useful tools and resources

  • France Travail (candidat.francetravail.fr) — free CV templates and guidance from the public employment service ;
  • Canva, CVDesignR, Resume.io — visual CV builders with French templates ;
  • LinkedIn — switch your profile language to French and let it serve as a parallel CV ;
  • Apec (apec.fr) — career service for managers and engineers, free CV review service for members.

After sending your CV

Once your CV is sent, expect:

  • An acknowledgement email within a few days (sometimes automated, sometimes from a real person) ;
  • A phone screen with HR if shortlisted, usually 15-30 minutes ;
  • One or two manager interviews, often involving meeting the team ;
  • Sometimes a technical exercise or take-home assignment ;
  • An offer (proposition d'embauche) if successful — typically a CDI for permanent roles, or a CDD for fixed-term.

Total process can take 4 to 8 weeks. If you don't hear back after 2-3 weeks, a polite follow-up email is acceptable. For more on the broader job search, see our guide to finding a job in France.