How to Write a French Resume (With Template)

To secure employment in France, you’ll need to learn how to make a resume in French.

In this article, we break down how to write a French CV step-by-step and provide you with templates to guide you.

French resume template

Before you start writing your French CV, pick an effective French CV template.

Use a classic, simple CV design in a traditional color like navy blue or black if you’re applying for a job in a traditional industry like banking or law, or opt for a colorful creative CV template for roles in design and marketing.

Here’s a blank resume template to fill in (with instructions in French):

Download This Template

If this is your first time looking at a French CV, you’ll notice the layout isn’t much different from a US resume, with the exception of the photo.

Photos on resumes in French-speaking countries (and most of Europe outside the UK and Ireland) are standard, but it remains optional to avoid unlawful discrimination. Recruiters do, however, like to see how you present yourself on your CV.

What to include on your French resume

Here’s a breakdown of resume parts with their French equivalents to help you better navigate a French CV:

1. Profil — Resume summary or objective
2. Contact — Contact information
3. Compétences — Skills
4. Expérience professionnelle — Work experience
5. Formation — Education
6. Centres d’intérêt — Hobbies (rare on US resumes, but standard on French CVs)

If you have minimal work experience and need to fill your French CV with other job-relevant information, here are some additional sections to add to show your qualifications and personality:

• Certifications – Certifications
• Bénévolat – Volunteer work
• Projets personnels – Personal projects
• Langues – Relevant language skills

The best resume templates for 2026

One of the best ways to make your resume is by filling out one of our free resume templates. All our templates are designed by experts and free to download for Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

View Resume Templates

French CV examples

Below you’ll find a couple of examples of CVs in French you can use as inspiration when writing your own.

If you’re looking for a job in France, these professional CV templates will help you highlight your qualifications the right way for a French employer.

French CV example for students

If you’re a student, you may be looking for a summer job or a part-time job to help fund your studies abroad. In this case, write something like this example:

Download This Example

French CV example for interns

If you’d like to start your career in France, try writing an internship CV similar to this one:

Download This Example

How to make a CV in French that lands you a job

Don’t directly translate your resume from English if you want your French CV to look like it was written by a native speaker because online translation tools often make mistakes that will read unnaturally.

However, using ChatGPT to write your resume and asking it to translate your resume idiomatically into French and localize it for the French market can help. You should still ask a native speaker to do a final proofread.

Alternatively, if you’re confident enough in your French abilities, you can write your CV by following these steps:

1. Use proper formatting

A French CV is similar to its US counterpart in many aspects, such as font, font size, and margins. However, ensure the final document conforms to the following French resume formatting guidelines:

• use a professional resume font (Times New Roman, Georgia, Arial, Cambria, Calibri, Helvetica)
• maintain a font size between 10 and 12 points for regular text and 14 and 16 points for headers
• set up with margins of 1″ (2.5 cm) on all sides (1.25 cm or ½”  minimum at the bottom)
• align content to the left (except for your CV and section headers, where you can experiment with center- or right-aligned text)
• size it to European A4 page-size standards to ensure it can be printed on a European printer

A French CV should be limited to one or two pages. If you have enough relevant experience, use a two-page CV. Never exceed two pages because more than two pages is overwhelming for employers.

If you’d like to add a pop of color, choose one to two complementary resume colors, but avoid hard-to-read bright or flashy tones.

2. Start by creating a professional header

French recruiters will expect to see a professional header at the top of your CV. Include the following information:

• first and last name (don’t use “Curriculum Vitæ” or “CV” as your title)
• target job title
• email address (use a professional email address like john.smith@email.com)
• mobile phone number (include the country code if you’re not in France, for example, +1 for the US and Canada)
• link to a professional profile or LinkedIn page (consider adding your profile in another language)

Here’s an example of how to write your cellphone number correctly on your French CV:

Additionally, older French CVs include the candidate’s age or date of birth, nationality, and marital status. These details no longer belong in a modern CV header.

3. Add a resume introduction (‘profil‘)

The French equivalent of a resume introduction is a “phrase d’accroche,” “profil” (profile), or “à propos” (about me).

In three to four sentences, succinctly summarize your:

• academic or professional background (including the number of years of experience)
• qualifications and skills
• key accomplishments (if you’re an experienced professional)
• career objective (if you’re a student or young professional)

Here’s an example of a well-written phrase d’acrocche for a student on a French CV:

4. Describe your work experience (‘expérience professionnelle‘)

Next, highlight your work experience in a way that shows recruiters the value you can bring.

Additionally, add hard numbers to your bulleted work experience section to clearly demonstrate your capabilities:

In France, there are two ways to start your work experience bullet points:

1. With nouns (“management,” “conception,” “développement”)
2. With action verbs conjugated in the present or past tense

Using the first method is the traditional way, and many people write their work experience section like this. However, today you can use strong action verbs to show you’re a proactive and qualified candidate.

5. Make your education clear to French employers (‘formation‘)

When applying for a job abroad, you’ll need to alter your educational section to provide equivalent qualifications because French recruiters are unlikely to understand the American education system.

Here’s a quick rundown of French equivalents of American diplomas:

• High school diplomas/GEDs are equivalent to the French bac
• Technical diplomas are equivalent to the French CAP
• Associate’s degrees are the equivalent to the French BTS, DEUST, or DUT (“bac+2”)
• Bachelor’s degrees are equivalent to a French Licence (“bac+3”)
• Master’s degrees are equivalent to a French Master (“bac+5”)
• Doctorates are equivalent to a French Doctorat (“bac+8”)

Also, find the equivalent of your GPA if you’re a student or recent graduate.

The French grading system uses a 20-point grading scale with 20 being the highest. Here’s a rough guide to help you make sense of your GPA to write as you would in the French system :

• 3.7+ GPA — Mention très bien (17–20/20)
• 3.0-3.7 — Mention bien (14–16/20)
• 2.3-3.0 — Mention assez bien (12–14/20)

If you received Latin honors, include these distinctions as well:

• Summa cum laude — Mention très honorable
• Magna cum laude — Mention honorable
• Cum laude — Mention

If you’re unsure of your level, you can apply online for an “attestation de comparabilité” to help employers and academic institutions understand the French equivalent of your studies.

6. Add your skills (‘compétences‘)

Don’t directly translate your English skills into French using Google Translate because the wording may differ and sound unnatural.

A good place to start is by identifying the resume skills required by the job advert and using those keywords word-for-word in your skills section, like this:

7. Choose hobbies and interests that fit the job requirements (‘centres d’intérêt‘)

The hobbies section of your French CV should be job-relevant or demonstrate highly sought-after transferable skills.

Mentioning hobbies that reflect well on you can highlight your positive attributes, for example:

• playing a team sport shows your ability to work well with others
• practicing a musical instrument shows your dedication
• learning a foreign language shows discipline and curiosity
• learning coding on your own shows you’re invested in learning new skills
• earning certificates shows you’re interested in continuous learning

Place information regarding your French language proficiency toward the top of your CV because this is critical job-relevant information.

Be sure to use the CEFR (Common European Framework of References for Languages) to specify your proficiency level like so:

• Français niveau C1
• Espagnol niveau B2
• Anglais natif/langue maternelle

8. Ask a native French speaker to proofread your French resume

Finally, have your CV proofread by a native French speaker — multiple people if possible. For example, your French teacher or tutor, or even your language exchange partner. Get creative and consider online resources as well, like French-language learning subreddits.