The French CV: format, photo, "accroche" and what to leave out
A French CV is short, structured and personal in a measured way. It usually fits on one page for juniors and two pages for experienced profiles, and it often has a side column with contact details, skills, languages and interests. If you are used to US or Gulf CVs, a few habits are different.
Start with a title and an "accroche"
French CVs open with a CV title under your name: the job you want, not the job you had. "Ingénieur cloud – Azure & sécurité" says more than "Curriculum vitae".
Under it comes the accroche (also called profil or résumé): three or four lines that say who you are, what you bring and what you are looking for. Keep it specific:
Ingénieur cloud avec 8 ans d'expérience sur Azure et Windows Server. J'ai mené des migrations pour plus de 2 000 utilisateurs et réduit de 30 % les coûts d'hébergement. Je recherche un poste d'architecte en Île-de-France.
Paper, length and dates
- A4 paper, one page for students and early-career candidates, two pages maximum for most others.
- Dates are usually written month/year: 03/2019 – 06/2023, or "depuis 2021" for a current job.
- List experience from the most recent. For each role: job title, company, city, dates, then a few bullet points with results.
The photo: optional
Photos are common on French CVs but not required. Discrimination in hiring is illegal in France, and many large employers prefer CVs without photos. If you add one, make it professional and neutral. If you are unsure, leave it out: a missing photo will not count against you.
Personal details: less than you think
French CVs traditionally showed age, nationality and family status. Today the trend is to keep only what is useful:
- Driving licence ("Permis B") is still common and useful for many jobs.
- Nationality is relevant only when work authorisation is in question (for example "Nationalité : tunisienne – titre de séjour salarié").
- Date of birth or age is optional and increasingly omitted.
- Marital status, number of children, religion are best left out.
Education matters
French recruiters pay close attention to degrees and schools. Give the full name of the diploma (Master, Licence, BTS, DUT, Diplôme d'ingénieur), the institution, the city and the year. If your degree is foreign, add a short equivalent in brackets: "Master en réseaux informatiques (Bac+5), Université de Tunis El Manar".
Skills, languages and interests
- Compétences: group them by theme (technical, management, software) rather than listing everything.
- Langues: use the CEFR scale (A1 to C2) or clear words: langue maternelle, courant, intermédiaire, notions.
- Centres d'intérêt: unlike in the US, a short interests section is normal in France. Be concrete ("Course à pied : semi-marathon de Paris 2024") rather than generic ("lecture, voyages").
Words to use
| English | French CV |
|---|---|
| Summary | Accroche / Profil |
| Work experience | Expérience professionnelle |
| Education | Formation |
| Skills | Compétences |
| Interests | Centres d'intérêt |
| Present | Aujourd'hui / En cours |
Checklist
- A CV title that names the job you want.
- A three-line accroche.
- A4, one or two pages, dates as month/year.
- Optional photo; no marital status.
- Degrees with full names and equivalents.
- Languages with levels, and a short, concrete interests section.
The France model in CV Passport uses the side-column layout, MM/YYYY dates and French headings, and hides fields that French CVs no longer need.