How to Write a French CV: Format, Photo Rules, and Mistakes to Avoid

A French CV is a one-page (occasionally one-and-a-half-page) A4 document, sent as a PDF, with a short headline at the top, reverse-chronological experience, and clearly labeled sections in French. A photo is optional and increasingly skipped, and personal details like age or marital status are no longer expected. Below is a practical, current breakdown of how to build one that gets read.

Last updated: May 20, 2026

What a French CV actually is (and isn't)

France has no statutorily mandated CV format. What exists is a strong convention promoted by France Travail (the public employment service, renamed from Pôle Emploi on January 1, 2024) and a legal framework that restricts what employers can ask about. Article L1132-1 of the French Labor Code lists 25 prohibited grounds of discrimination at hiring, including age, origin, family name, physical appearance, and place of residence. That legal context is the reason a modern French CV looks leaner than the version your parents might have written 20 years ago: details that could expose a recruiter to discrimination claims are quietly being removed.

France Travail estimates that recruiters spend roughly 30 seconds on a first pass through a CV before sorting it into "keep" or "reject." That is the practical constraint you are designing around. Everything below serves the goal of being scannable in half a minute by a French recruiter who reads dozens of applications a day.

Structure and length

The expected layout is A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) with margins of around 2.5 cm, body text at 10–12 pt, and section headers at 14–16 pt. France Travail's guidance is that even candidates with 15 to 30 years of experience should keep the CV to one page, or at most one and a half. Two pages are tolerated for senior or academic profiles; three is excessive outside research roles. Sciences Po, for example, requires applicant CVs in PDF, A4, 1–2 pages, no longer than 3.

The section order French recruiters expect, top to bottom:

A second accepted format is the CV thématique (skills-based), which France Travail recommends for career changers and recent graduates. It groups achievements by competency area rather than by employer timeline.

The photo question

A photo on a French CV is legally optional. The Code du travail prohibits requiring a CV photo unless physical appearance is a justified occupational requirement (modeling, acting, on-screen presenting). Outside those narrow cases, demanding a photo is considered abusive.

If you choose to include one:

If you don't include one, no recruiter in 2026 will think it strange. For international candidates worried about name-based or appearance-based bias, omitting the photo is the safer default. France Travail's own CV designer offers a setting to render a CV anonymous, hiding name, address, and family situation. The CV anonyme is not mandatory in France, but it exists as a tool.

Personal details: what to include and what to drop

Because age, marital status, and nationality are protected characteristics, including them is optional and increasingly omitted. A reasonable 2026 default:

If you are a non-EU candidate and your right to work is a genuine factor, a brief line such as Titulaire d'un titre de séjour valide or Citoyen UE is acceptable and saves the recruiter a question.

Translating your education

French recruiters scan the Formation section quickly and match against the national reference points. Map your degrees to the closest French equivalent so the level is immediately legible:

Write degrees in the format: Master en Marketing International, Université Paris-Dauphine, 2022. If your degree was obtained abroad, you can add a parenthetical equivalence, for example BA in Economics (équivalent Licence), University of Toronto, 2021. There is no requirement to get an official ENIC-NARIC equivalence statement just for a CV, though some public-sector roles will ask for one later in the process.

Languages and skills

Use the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels for languages: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. If you prefer descriptors, the conventional French scale is:

Don't inflate. French recruiters routinely switch into the claimed language during the first phone call. If you wrote courant and you can't sustain a 10-minute conversation, the interview ends there.

For Compétences, group by category (technical, software, methodologies, soft skills) and avoid endless lists of self-rated star ratings. A clean two-column block is enough.

File format, naming, and delivery

France Travail's standing recommendation is to save and send the CV as a PDF to preserve layout across systems. The conventional file name is:

Avoid spaces, accents, and version numbers in the filename. "CV_final_v3_DEFINITIF.pdf" is the kind of thing that gets remembered for the wrong reasons.

When applying through France Travail's platform (francetravail.fr), you can build CVs directly from your Profil de compétences in the "CV et Réalisations" tab, and you can store up to 5 distinct CVs in your personal space. This is useful if you are targeting different role types and want tailored versions on hand.

For a deeper look at how French recruiters actually read applications and run interviews, see this guide on job hunting in France work culture.

Fees, timing, and the legal floor

There are no fees attached to writing or submitting a CV in France, and France Travail's tools are free. What does have a price tag is getting the legal side wrong on the employer's part, which is useful context if you suspect you were screened out unfairly.

For current legal references, consult service-public.gouv.fr and code.travail.gouv.fr directly.

Common mistakes to avoid

FAQs

Should I write the CV in French or English?
If the job ad is in French, write in French. If the company is international and the ad is in English, English is fine, but a French version on hand is useful. Sciences Po, for instance, accepts CVs in either language for admissions.

Is the CV anonyme required?
No. The Sénat's own analysis confirms that no law or regulation in France requires anonymous CVs. Some employers use them voluntarily, and France Travail offers the option in its CV designer.

Do I need to include references?
No. References are not expected on a French CV. The line Références disponibles sur demande is also unnecessary, it's assumed.

Should I mention a desired salary?
No. Salary expectations belong in the cover letter (lettre de motivation) if the ad explicitly asks, or in the first interview.

What about hobbies?
Keep Centres d'intérêt to 2–4 specific items that say something about you (a sport you compete in, a volunteer commitment, a language you self-studied). Avoid bland triplets.

Are gaps in employment a problem?
Explain them briefly and factually. 2023–2024: congé parental or 2020–2021: reconversion professionnelle, formation en développement web is enough. French recruiters are used to seeing parental leave and retraining periods.

Do I need to sign or date the CV?
No. Signing and dating are for cover letters, not CVs.

Can I use a colorful template?
For most sectors (finance, law, public sector, engineering), keep it sober: one accent color at most. Creative industries tolerate more visual design, but content still wins over decoration.

If you're moving to France for studies first, the France student visa application process covers the document side, and a quick refresher on French school vocabulary and classroom terms is useful before you start translating your transcripts.

Writing a CV in French is also a useful forcing function for your own French. If you're settling in France and want your written and spoken French to catch up with your professional level, Migaku for French helps you learn from real French content like job ads, news, and shows.