Description:

Job application forms are not as common in France as they are in the United Kingdom. In France it is more common to send a Curriculum Vitae and a letter of application.

 

By following some specific steps and adopting best practice when applying for a job in Pays de la Loire we hope your application will stand out and your chances of employment will be increased.

 

Find out about the job you are searching for

 

a)      If the name of the employer is given in the job offer or if you are submitting a speculative application.

 

Search for information on the employer so that you can adapt your Curriculum Vitae and your letter of application. Finding out more information about your prospective employer will also better prepare you for an interview.

 

• Information to search for - Sector of activity, total staff numbers, turnover, the name of a specific contact, market share, future objectives

• Where can you search for this information? - Use the internet by consulting the employer’s website and by using search engines.  Alternatively, look at the job applications directory on Pages Jaunes or at the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry .

b)      If the name of the employer is not given

 

 

Draw up your application using the terms used in the job offer as well as adapting your CV and/or your covering letter.

 

 

Adapt your Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Your CV should be no more than 2 A4-size pages in length and will generally have the following headings:

 

• Personal details - Surname, first name, address, telephone number (with the international code) and e-mail address. Marital status, age and nationality (if you are a national from the European Economic Area) are optional.

• Job title - State the job sought and consider including your strong points, for example: “Multilingual Commercial Assistant: French, English, Spanish and Greek”.

• Professional experience - Write a paragraph for each job you have held in the past. Include the dates of service, the job performed, the name of the company, its type of business and its location, details of your responsibilities, the tasks performed and the results obtained. You can submit a CV in reverse order (giving the last job first), a chronological CV (giving the first to the last job, used less and less), CV by skills (with several jobs) or a mixed CV (giving skills with the names of the companies and the dates).

• Training - Give the dates when you obtained your qualifications as well as the equivalent in the French education system.

• Language and computer skills - For languages provide details as your mother tongue as well as exact details of your level in French for reading, writing and speaking.

• Other/Other interests - Make sure you mention if you have already lived in France.

For more information, go to the Pole Emploi website and more particularly the “Action guides”.  

 

Letter of Application

The covering letter should be no more than one page in length and is usually typed (these days applications are often sent via e-mail).  The covering letter allows you to show why you are interested in the company and the job available.  It should also show how your profile matches the requirements of the job.  A covering letter should follow the following format:

 

• Top left: your surname, first name, full address and telephone number (with the international code) and e-mail address.

• Top right: the place from which the letter is sent and the date.

• A few lines further down(on the left is the UK convention): the company’s address and the name of the person to whom the letter being sent.

 

• A straightforward salutation: for example, ‘Messieurs’ if it is a company ‘Monsieur’ or ‘Madame’ if the prospective employer is an individual.

• The subject of the letter and/or the reference, for example: Re: Product manager - réf. 758945L.

• The body of the letter.

• Bottom right: your signature.

 

For more information, go to the Pole Emploi website and more particularly the “Action guides”.  

 

 

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