Skip to content
Check resume

Country guide

French CV format: how to write a CV for France

A French CV opens with the job you want and a two-line pitch called the accroche. This guide covers the layout, what French law says about photos and personal data, the cover letter, and applying from abroad.

Check your resume for freeBuild your resume

What is the standard CV format in France?

A French CV is one page for a junior candidate and at most two pages for experienced ones. It starts with contact details, a job title and a short accroche, then work experience from the most recent job, education with its French equivalent, languages and IT skills. A photo is optional, and no information on the CV is required by law.[1][2][3][4]

French CV rules at a glance

What French employers usually expect in a CV and application
TopicUsual in France
Name of the documentCV (curriculum vitae). The cover letter is the lettre de motivation.
LengthOne page for graduates and junior profiles; two pages can be justified with about ten years of varied experience.
Top of the pageContact details, the job title you are applying for and a short accroche summarising your goals or key skills.
PhotoOptional. Service Public lists it as something you may add, not something you must provide.
Personal detailsName, address, phone with international code and email. Marital status, age and nationality are optional.
Legal contentNone. No text sets mandatory mentions on a CV, but the information must be accurate.
LanguageFrench, with your mother tongue and your reading, writing and speaking level in French.
Cover letterLettre de motivation of no more than one page, adapted to the company and the posting.
EuropassThe EU's free CV editor, available in 31 languages.
Applicant trackingUse the precise job titles and keywords of the posting; France Travail stresses them for online CVs.

[1][2][3][4][9]

Layout and structure of a French CV

EURES, the EU's job mobility network, describes the French CV in five blocks: civil status and contact details, a title stating the position you want (its example is 'Trilingual sales assistant – French-English-Spanish'), work experience, education, and languages and computer skills, followed by an optional section often called interests.

France Travail, the public employment service, recommends placing a short accroche right next to your contact details and choosing one of three structures: chronological (most recent job first), thematic (grouped by skills, suited to career changers and graduates) or mixed. On two-page CVs, the first page must carry everything that matters for the job.

Rewrite the title and accroche for each application; the job-specific resume optimizer rebuilds them around one job ad.[1][3][4]

Photo and personal data: what French law says

Article L1132-1 of the French Labour Code (Code du travail) states that no one may be excluded from a recruitment process because of, among other grounds, their origin, sex, age, family situation, pregnancy, physical appearance, surname, place of residence, health, disability, or their ability to express themselves in a language other than French. Article L1221-6 adds that information requested from a candidate may only serve to assess their ability to do the job and must have a direct and necessary link with it. The candidate must answer such requests in good faith.

Service Public, the government's official information site, puts it simply: there are no mandatory mentions on a CV, a photo is optional, and you do not have to disclose your health, a pregnancy, or your union, political or religious convictions. It adds that false information on a CV can lead to dismissal for misconduct.

In practice the choice is yours. If you add a photo, use a recent, professional portrait; the AI headshot generator creates one from your own selfies. Age, marital status and nationality can be left out without explanation.[1][2][5][6]

Sample skeleton: a French CV

A one-page structure with placeholder data. Keep the title and accroche at the top; replace every line with your own details.

Sample CV (Example with placeholder details, not a real person)

État civil (contact details)

[First name SURNAME]

Lyon, France · +33 6 xx xx xx xx · your-name@example.com

linkedin.com/in/your-name

Titre (title)

Customer Success Manager – French, English, Spanish

Accroche

Five years managing B2B software accounts in Spain and the UK. Used to renewals, onboarding and multilingual support. Available from January.

Expérience professionnelle

03/2022 – today · Customer Success Manager, [Company A], Madrid (Spain) · SaaS

· Ran onboarding for new mid-market clients and wrote the team's renewal playbook

09/2019 – 02/2022 · Account Executive, [Company B], Manchester (UK)

Formation

2019 · Master's in International Business, [University] (French equivalent: Master)

Langues et informatique

Spanish (mother tongue) · English (C1) · French: reading C1, writing B2, speaking B2

Salesforce, HubSpot, Excel

Mais aussi…

Two-month language stay in Montpellier · volunteer football coach

Example with placeholder details, not a real person

The sample data is illustrative only.

The application package: lettre de motivation

EURES describes the French cover letter as no more than one page, usually typed and increasingly sent by email. It should explain why you are interested in the company and show how your profile matches the requirements. The classic layout puts your name and contact details at the top left, the place and date at the top right, then the company's address and contact person, a subject line with the job reference, the body, and your signature at the bottom right.

When the company name is not given, EURES suggests adapting your CV and letter to the words used in the advert. The cover letter builder writes the letter in the same design as your CV, and the JD keyword matcher lists the terms of the posting your documents are missing.[1]

Where to find jobs in France

The public employment service runs francetravail.fr, where EURES notes you can create a candidate area, post your profile and search vacancies from abroad. APEC helps managers and young graduates, temporary employment agencies do not charge job seekers, and EURES also points to company career pages and France Travail's La Bonne Boîte site for targeting employers directly. Private boards such as Indeed, HelloWork and Welcome to the Jungle list many roles.[1]

How to write a CV for France in six steps

Use these steps for a first French CV or to adapt a resume written for another country.

  1. 01

    Start from the job ad

    Note the exact job title, the required skills and the words the employer uses. They become your CV title and the keywords of your accroche.

  2. 02

    Write the title and accroche

    Put the target position at the top, then two or three lines on your profession, experience and what you bring. Rewrite them for every application.

  3. 03

    Choose the structure

    Chronological for a steady career, thematic for a career change or first job, mixed for varied experience. Keep one page unless you have around ten years of experience.

  4. 04

    Describe experience with results

    For each job: dates, position, company, sector and place, then what you achieved.

  5. 05

    Translate education and languages

    Give the French equivalent of your degree, your mother tongue and your level in French for reading, writing and speaking.

  6. 06

    Check and send as PDF

    Run the free resume checker, add a one-page lettre de motivation and send both as clearly named PDFs.

Templates that suit French applications

Each layout keeps a clear title area for your target job and works with or without a photo. Compare them all in the template gallery.

Applying from abroad: language, diplomas and work permits

EURES recommends having your CV, cover letters and reference letters translated into French and carrying copies of your qualifications with sworn translations. On the CV itself, give the dates of your qualifications and their equivalent in the French system. Resume translation converts your CV into French while keeping the layout.

France has no legal equivalence between foreign and French diplomas. The ENIC-NARIC France centre issues statements of comparability (attestations de comparabilité) for diplomas obtained abroad and explains the procedures for regulated professions.

Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland can move and work freely. For other nationals, Service Public states that an employer who wants to hire a non-European employee must first obtain a work authorisation, although some visas and residence permits exempt the employer from this step. EURES advises third-country nationals to ask their French consulate.[1][7][8]

Common mistakes on a French CV

  • Leaving out the job title and accroche, so the recruiter has to guess which position you want.
  • Using vague titles such as 'technician' instead of the precise wording of the posting.
  • Listing a foreign degree without its French equivalent.
  • Stretching a junior CV to two pages, or burying the key points on page two.
  • Sending the same CV and letter to every employer.
  • Embellishing dates or diplomas: employers may check them, and false information can justify dismissal.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a photo on a French CV?
No. Service Public lists a photo as optional, and the Labour Code forbids excluding a candidate because of physical appearance, origin or age, among other grounds. Whether to include one is your choice; if you do, use a recent, professional portrait.
How long should a CV be in France?
One page if you are a graduate or have little experience. France Travail says two pages can be justified once you have about ten years of experience in varied roles, and EURES sets two pages as the maximum. On two pages, put everything important on the first.
Should I put my age and marital status on a French CV?
You do not have to. EURES lists marital status, age and nationality as optional, and Service Public confirms there are no mandatory mentions on a CV. Under Article L1221-6 of the Labour Code, anything an employer asks must have a direct and necessary link with the job.
Should I translate my degree for a French employer?
Yes, explain it. EURES advises giving the equivalent of your qualifications in the French education system on the CV and carrying sworn translations of your diplomas. France has no legal equivalence between foreign and French diplomas, but the ENIC-NARIC France centre issues statements of comparability that help employers understand the level of your degree.
Can I use a Europass CV in France?
Yes. Europass is the European Commission's free CV editor in 31 languages and suits applications in several EU countries. For a French employer, make sure it still shows a precise job title, a short accroche and your most recent job first, as France Travail describes.

Sources

Statements about rules and official guidance rely on these pages. We opened and read each source ourselves on the date shown.

  1. [1]Living and working conditions: France · European Commission, EURESeures.europa.eu/living-and-working/living-and-working-conditions-europe/living-and-working-conditions-france_en ·
  2. [2]Curriculum vitae (CV) : candidature à une offre d'emploi · Service Public (Direction de l'information légale et administrative)www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F33336 ·
  3. [3]Comment rédiger un CV efficace et percutant · France Travailwww.francetravail.fr/candidat/vos-recherches/preparer-votre-candidature/cv-lettre-de-motivation-e-mail/comment-rediger-un-cv-efficace-e.html ·
  4. [4]Le CV sur 2 pages, bonne ou mauvaise idée ? · France Travailwww.francetravail.fr/candidat/vos-recherches/preparer-votre-candidature/cv-lettre-de-motivation-e-mail/cv-sur-2-pages--une-bonne-idee.html ·
  5. [5]Code du travail, article L1132-1 (non-discrimination) · Code du travail numérique, Ministry of Labourcode.travail.gouv.fr/code-du-travail/l1132-1 ·
  6. [6]Code du travail, article L1221-6 (information requested from candidates) · Code du travail numérique, Ministry of Labourcode.travail.gouv.fr/code-du-travail/l1221-6 ·
  7. [7]Autorisation de travail d'un salarié étranger en France · Service Public (Direction de l'information légale et administrative)www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2728 ·
  8. [8]Équivalences de diplômes · Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France Diplomatiewww.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/services-aux-francaises-et-aux-francais/preparation-d-un-retour-en-france/emploi/equivalences-de-diplomes ·
  9. [9]About Europass · European Commission, Europasseuropass.europa.eu/en/about-europass ·

Keep reading

Applying in France? Check your CV first

Upload your CV for a free check of structure, contact details and length, then tailor the title and accroche to the job you want.

Check your resume for freeBuild your resume
Try it free

Tailor your resume to the job you want