(Useful links: PDF version of this article | list of articles in PDF format in the same category)
CVs/résumés and covering/cover letters in proper French
CV et lettres de motivation en bon français
Reading (or rereading!) this article should help you translate CVs/résumés and covering/cover letters into proper French.
Table of contents
Click/tap on the appropriate link in the table below to go to one of the parts of this article directly.
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1) Introduction
This article should at least partially meet the request from several of my former English-speaking students (at EPITA) for advice on writing CVs/résumés and covering/cover letters in French.
Since I am not an expert on the subject, I mainly provide in this article vocabulary and remarks which should help to write CVs/résumés and covering/cover letters in proper French.
This article is therefore a complement to other specialized resources, which I strongly recommend consulting and to which I provide direct links, in particular in the last part of the article.
NB: this article may also be useful for writing your profile in proper French on professional social networks, for example LinkedIn and Viadeo.
You can contribute to enhancing this article by sending your remarks, suggestions and questions to the address suggested by this: "neil at minkley dot fr".
Thank you!
Neil Minkley
Another article on this site deals with CVs/résumés and covering/cover letters in English and is therefore mainly intended for French speakers. To go there, click/tap on the following link:
>> CV et lettres de motivation en bon anglais
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2) Translation of the terms "curriculum vitae, résumé, covering letter, cover letter, application (for a job)", etc.
The terms "a curriculum vitae" and "a résumé" translate into French as "un curriculum vitae" (which, strictly speaking, should be written with a ligature: "un curriculum vitæ"). Its frequently-used abbreviation is the same as in English, namely "un CV" (but the abbreviated plural in French is not marked as in English by the letter "s": "des CV", not "des CVs").
NB: in this article, for the purpose of simplicity, I often use the English abbreviation "CV" to refer to both terms "curriculum vitae" and "résumé", and I often use the British English term "covering letter" instead of the American English term "cover letter".
The above-mentioned terms and others are shown with their translation into French (in the context which concerns us here) in the table below.
| English | Français |
| a curriculum vitae | un curriculum vitæ |
| a résumé | un curriculum vitæ |
| a CV CVs |
un CV des CV |
| a covering letter a cover letter |
une lettre de motivation |
| a covering e-mail a cover e-mail |
un e-mail de motivation un mail de motivation un courriel de motivation |
| an application | une candidature |
| an application for a job | une candidature à un emploi |
| to apply for a job | postuler à un emploi faire acte de candidature à un emploi |
| an application for a position | une candidature à un poste |
| to apply for a position | postuler à un poste faire acte de candidature à un poste |
| an application for an internship an application for a (work) placement |
une candidature à un stage |
| to apply for an internship to apply for a (work) placement |
postuler à un stage faire acte de candidature à un stage |
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3) Titles of sections of a CV/résumé in French
The first table below provides the translation into French of the title (with possible variants) of various sections that may appear in a CV. This table is followed by a few notes and by a second table which provides an example of a reduced set of sections which may be quite suitable for a CV in French.
To go directly to the second table, click/tap on the following link: Example of a reduced set of sections.
| Section titles | Titres de rubriques |
| Personal information Personal details |
État civil et coordonnées |
| Profile Summary |
Profil Résumé |
| Objectives Career objectives |
Objectifs Objectifs professionnels |
| Career summary Employment history Professional experience Work experience |
Expérience professionnelle |
| Education Educational background Educational history |
Éducation Études Formation Formation initiale |
| GB & US: Education and degrees GB & US: Education and diplomas GB: Education and qualifications |
Éducation et diplômes Études et diplômes Formation et diplômes |
| Training | Formation continue |
| Skills Special skills Specialist skills |
Compétences Compétences particulières |
| Personal achievements | Accomplissements personnels |
| Interests Hobbies and interests |
Centres d'intérêt |
| GB & US: References GB: Referees |
Références |
NB:
a) The above-mentioned sections are not all mandatory, for example "Résumé" (Summary).
b) Some sections may be grouped together, for example "Profil" (Profile) and "Objectifs" (Objectives) or "Formation initiale" (Education) and "Formation continue" (Training).
c) The titles of some sections are not mandatory, for example "État civil et coordonnées" (Personal information).
d) The order in which the sections appear in the above table is not necessarily the order in which they should be presented in a CV, for example "Formation" (Education) should appear before "Expérience professionnelle" (Work experience) in a CV written to apply for postgraduate studies.
e) In order to choose the sections that are suitable for you among all those appearing in the above table, consult the other resources specializing in the subject matter to which links are provided in the last part of this article.
The table below provides an example of a reduced set of sections which may be quite suitable for a CV in French.
| Rubriques | Content |
| État civil et coordonnées | Personal details |
| Profil et objectifs | Profile and objectives |
| Expérience professionnelle | Work experience |
| Formation | Education and diplomas |
| Compétences | Skills (languages, computing/IT...) |
| Centres d'intérêt | Hobbies and interests |
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4) Personal details / État civil et coordonnées
The table below provides vocabulary (with possible variants) corresponding to items (which are not all mandatory) of personal details and contact information which may be featured in a CV in French.
The table is followed by a few useful notes; to go to one of the notes directly, click/tap on its number in the last column of the table.
NB: for some elements, for example the name and the address, it is not mandatory to feature their title in the CV.
| Personal and contact information items | Éléments de l'état civil et des coordonnées | Notes |
| Name: | Nom : | 1, 2 |
| Age: | Âge : | 3 |
| Date of birth: | Date de naissance : | 3 |
| Nationality: | Nationalité : | 4 |
| Sex: | Sexe : | 5 |
| Marital status: | Situation de famille : | 6 |
| Address: | Adresse : | 7 |
| Telephone: Phone: |
Téléphone : Tél. : |
8 |
| Landline: | Téléphone fixe : Tél. fixe : |
8 |
| GB: Mobile: GB: Mobile phone: US: Cell: US: Cell phone: |
Mobile : Téléphone mobile : Tél. mobile : |
8 |
| E-mail: Email: |
E-mail : Mail : Courriel : |
9 |
| Website: | Site web : Site Internet : |
9 |
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Notes:
4.1) In French, the punctuation sign ":" must be preceded by a (non-breakable) space; for example, you must write "Site web :", not "Site web:".
Note that this rule also applies to ";", "?" and "!", but not to "," and ".".
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4.2) In French (as in English), the forename (or first name or given name) is generally written before the surname (or family name or father's name); for example, if "Das" and "Thakkar" are surnames, and "Dinesh Seiok" and "Nitish" are forenames, it is preferable to write "Dinesh Seiok Das" rather than "Das Dinesh Seiok", and "Nitish Thakkar" rather than "Thakkar Nitish".
Furthermore, it is judicious to write the SURNAME IN CAPITAL LETTERS to avoid ambiguity; for example, it is preferable to write "Dinesh Seiok DAS" rather than "Dinesh Seiok Das", and "Nitish THAKKAR" rather than "Nitish Thakkar". This is particularly recommended if a surname can be mistaken for a forename; for example if "David" is a forename and "Martin" is a surname, then the full name should be written as "David MARTIN" (in preference to "David Martin"), not as "Martin David".
NB: the terms "forename", "first name" and "given name" are translated into French as "prénom", and the terms "surname", "family name" and "father's name" are translated into French as "nom de famille".
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4.3) Your age and date of birth (which are not mandatory in a CV) convey the same information (but age is variable while the date of birth is fixed!).
However that may be, your age may be written in one of the forms given for the example in the table below.
| Expression of age | Expression de l'âge |
| Age: 24 | Âge : 24 ans |
| 24 years old | 24 ans |
As for the date of birth, the following table provides an example in the most common forms.
| Expression of date of birth | Expression de la date de naissance |
| GB: Date of birth: 1 August 2000 GB: Date of birth: August 1st, 2000 GB & US: Date of birth: August 1, 2000 |
Date de naissance : 1er août 2000 |
| GB: Born on 1 August 2000 GB: Born on August 1st, 2000 GB & US: Born on August 2, 2000 |
Né le 1er août 2000 (masculine) Née le 1er août 2000 (feminine) |
| GB: Date of birth: 2 September 2000 GB: Date of birth: September 2nd, 2000 GB & US: Date of birth: September 2, 2000 |
Date de naissance : 2 septembre 2000 |
| GB: Born on 2 September 2000 GB: Born on September 2nd, 2000 GB & US: Born on September 2, 2000 |
Né le 2 septembre 2000 (masculine) Née le 2 septembre 2000 (feminine) |
NB:
a) The names of months (and days) are written in French with a lower-case first letter (except if the name appears at the beginning of a sentence).
On this subject, see the tables in article "Dates" on this site by clicking/tapping on the link below:
>> Tableaux des jours et des mois (Tables of days and months)
b) The first day of a month is represented in French by the ordinal number "1er" (premier), whereas all other days are represented by a cardinal number.
c) In order to avoid confusion, do not use the purely numerical form of dates, unless you use the British English form (day/month/year), which is the order also used in French, and not the American English form (month/day/year)!
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4.4) In French, nationality adjectives are feminine and must be written with a lower-case first letter, for example "Nationalité : indienne" ("Nationality: Indian" in English), "Nationalité : sud-coréenne" ("Nationality: South Korean" in English).
To see the translation of nationality adjectives into French, consult the articles on this site with a title beginning with "États -" in the "Geography" section, to which the link below leads:
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4.5) Your sex (which is not mandatory in a CV) may be expressed as shown in the table below.
| Sex: ... | Sexe : ... |
| Female | féminin |
| Male | masculin |
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4.6) Your marital status (which is not mandatory in a CV) may be expressed as shown by the examples in the following table.
| Marital status: ... | Situation de famille : ... |
| Single | célibataire |
| Married | marié (masculine) mariée (feminine) |
| Married, one child | marié, un enfant mariée, un enfant |
| Married, 2 children | marié, 2 enfants mariée, 2 enfants |
| Divorced | divorcé (masculine) divorcée (feminine) |
| Widower Widow |
veuf (masculine) veuve (feminine) |
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4.7) If you have an address in France, make sure you write it in a correct format. See the following article (in French) for details:
>> Adresse postale - France (Wikipédia)
Note that cities on the outskirts of Paris are not part of Paris, so if you reside for example in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, you should write the "postcode (or ZIP code) and city" part of your address as "94270 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre", not "94270 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris".
If you are residing outside the country to which your CV and covering letter is to be sent, don't forget to mention the name of your country.
To see the translation of country names into French, consult the articles on this site with a title beginning with "États -" in the "Geography" section, to which the link below leads:
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4.8) If your phone number is not local (with respect to the country to which you will send your CV), don't forget to internationalize it, for example by transforming the British number "07512 396 4xx" into "+44 7512 396 4xx".
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4.9) It is useful to feature active links for e-mail and website addresses in your CV and covering letter, for example
For a CV (or a covering letter), in French or English or any other language, it is recommended to choose an e-mail address that features your real name (as opposed to a pseudonym).
More generally, you should avoid any inconsistency between your name and your e-mail address (for example the surname of one of my former students was misspelled in his e-mail address, which was a source of confusion for me and probably for others!) and beware of typing errors (for example
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5) Profile and objectives / Profil et objectifs
These items may be grouped together in a single section of your CV which you may name "Profil" in French, or leave unnamed (in particular if the corresponding information is presented inside a box). They are intended to provide a summary ("résumé" in French) of your objectives, for example the type of position and/or company you are looking for, and of your qualifications, for example your main diploma and your most distinctive and relevant skills.
In order to write this section of your CV in good French, you may use vocabulary provided in the "Work experience", "Education" and "Skills" parts of this article, as well as terms in the "Vocabulary" table of the "Covering/Cover letters" part.
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6) Work experience / Expérience professionnelle
This section of your CV describes your various jobs ("emplois" in French), including internships / work placements ("stages" in French).
For each job, you should indicate the period concerned, the name (and possibly the type) of the company or institution for which you have worked, the position you held and the corresponding activities and responsibilities. As far as possible, you should also provide details that speak in your favour, in particular concerning what you have actually achieved ("accompli" or "réalisé" in French).
6.1) Periods
It is recommended to present the various jobs in reverse chronological order (ie the most recent first), and to mention the corresponding periods in the form suggested by the examples in the table below.
| Expression of periods | Expression des périodes |
| 2020 - present 2020 - to date |
2020 - présent |
| July 2020 - June 2022 | juillet 2020 - juin 2022 |
| 7/2020-6/2022 | 7/2020-6/2022 |
| September - December 2023 | septembre - décembre 2023 |
| 9-12/2023 | 9-12/2023 |
NB:
a) It is recommended to adopt a homogeneous presentation of periods, if only for aesthetic reasons!
b) Remember that the names of months (and days) are written in French with a lower-case first letter (except if the name appears at the beginning of a sentence).
c) It is preferable to avoid using the purely numerical form of periods, unless you have a line-width problem...
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6.2) Activity sectors and types of company/institution
Unless companies or institutions mentioned in your CV are well known, it is recommended to specify (possibly in brackets) for each of them its activity sector, for example "Développement de logiciel" ("Software development" in English) or its type, for example "société de développement de logiciel" ("software development company" in English).
You can also provide active links to the websites (in French if possible) of the companies or institutions mentioned in your CV.
The link below leads to an official French website which provides a list of activity sectors in French and English:
>> French classification of activities – NAF rev. 2 (INSEE)
See also on this site the French-English table (which is not exhaustive!) to which the link below leads:
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6.3) Positions
You must specify the position you held for each of the jobs mentioned in your CV. The table below provides a few examples of position titles.
| Positions | Postes |
| accountant | comptable |
| advertising copywriter | rédacteur publicitaire (masculine) rédactrice publicitaire (feminine) |
| assistant product manager | assistant chef de produit (masculine) assistante chef de produit (feminine) |
| assistant project manager | assistant chef de projet (masculine) assistante chef de projet (feminine) |
| bank clerk | employé de banque (masculine) employée de banque (feminine) |
| business analyst | analyste d'affaires |
| business controller financial controller |
contrôleur de gestion (masculine) contrôleuse de gestion (feminine) |
| customer relations manager | responsable relations clients |
| development engineer | ingénieur de développement |
| editor | éditeur (masculine) éditrice (feminine) |
| executive assistant | assistant de direction (masculine) assistante de direction (feminine) |
| financial consultant | consultant financier (masculine) consultante financière (feminine) |
| junior product manager | chef de produit junior |
| junior project manager | chef de projet junior |
| marketing manager | responsable marketing |
| product manager | chef de produit |
| project manager project leader project lead |
chef de projet |
| sales area manager | responsable de secteur commercial |
| sales branch manager | responsable d'agence commerciale |
| sales engineer | ingénieur commercial (masculine) ingénieur commerciale (feminine) |
| sales manager | responsable commercial (masculine) responsable commerciale (feminine) |
| salesperson | vendeur (masculine) vendeuse (feminine) |
| sales representative | représentant (commercial) (masculine) représentante (commerciale) (feminine) |
| sales support engineer | ingénieur technico-commercial (masculine) ingénieur technico-commerciale (feminine) |
| teacher | enseignant (masculine) enseignante (feminine) |
| technical support engineer | ingénieur d'assistance technique |
| technical writer | rédacteur technique (masculine) rédactrice technique (feminine) |
| test engineer testing engineer |
ingénieur de test |
| tester | testeur (masculine) testeuse (feminine) |
| trainer | formateur (masculine) formatrice (feminine) |
Click/tap on the links below to go to other articles on this site which may help you find the proper translation into French of terms that designate various positions or functions (the first link leads to the table of contents of articles devoted to jobs and functions in various activity sectors).
>> Métiers - liste des tableaux
NB: in order to indicate that a position was held as part of an apprenticeship ("apprentissage in French) or of an internship ("stage" in French), you may use a phrase of the kind illustrated by the following examples: "apprentissage en tant qu'architecte de bases de données" ("apprenticeship as a database architect" in English) or "stage en tant qu'ingénieur d'exploitation" ("internship as an operations engineer" in English).
>> Return to the beginning of the "Positions" table
>> Return to the beginning of "Work experience"
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6.4) Activities/Responsibilities
In a CV in English, activities or responsibilities associated with a position are generally described by expressions using verbs (without an article) such as "developed..., managed..., developing..., managing..." or "responsible for organizing..., in charge of organizing...". In a CV in French, it is customary to use expressions with nouns such as "développement de..., gestion de..." or "responsable de l'organisation de..., chargé(e) de l'organisation de...".
The table below provides a few examples of descriptions of activities or responsibilities in a CV in French.
| Activities/Responsibilities | Activités/Responsabilités |
| achieved all objectives | atteinte de tous les objectifs réalisation de tous les objectifs |
| administered the corporate website administering... |
administration du site web de l'entreprise |
| analyzed sales results analyzing... |
analyse des résultats commerciaux |
| audited accounts auditing... |
audit des comptes |
| in charge of managing the budget responsible for managing the budget |
chargé de la gestion du budget (masculine) chargée de la gestion du budget (feminine) |
| in charge of project planning and execution responsible for project planning and execution |
chargé de la planification et de l'exécution de projets (masculine) chargée de la planification et de l'exécution de projets (feminine) |
| conducted customer surveys conducting... |
réalisation de sondages clients |
| conducted system performance tests conducting... |
test de performances du système |
| controlled compliance with industry standards controlling... |
vérification de la conformité aux normes industrielles |
| created a competitive-intelligence function creating... |
création d'une fonction de veille concurrentielle |
| designed a security system designing... |
conception d'un système de sécurité |
| designed and developed multilingual technical documentation designing and developing... |
conception et réalisation de documentation technique multilingue |
| developed business plans developing... |
réalisation de plans d'activité de l'entreprise |
| developed a process-control software application developing... |
développement d'un logiciel de contrôle de processus |
| devised advertising campaigns devising... |
élaboration de campagnes publicitaires |
| drafted service-provider contracts drafting... |
rédaction de contrats de prestataires de services |
| established manufacturing forecasts establishing... |
établissement des prévisions de fabrication |
| implemented new fault-detection procedures implementing... |
mise en œuvre de nouvelles procédures de détection de failles |
| installed and configured workstations and servers installing and configuring... |
installation et configuration de postes de travail et de serveurs |
| launched new products launching... |
lancement de nouveaux produits |
| led a research project leading... |
conduite de projet de recherche |
| managed a department of 50 persons managing.. |
direction d'un service de 50 personnes |
| managed a team of 8 persons managing... |
responsabilité d'une équipe de 8 personnes |
| managed incidents and risks managing... |
gestion des incidents et risques |
| negotiated contracts negotiating... |
négociation de contrats |
| organized events organizing... |
organisation d'événements |
| participated in steering-committee meetings participating... |
participation aux réunions du comité de pilotage |
| performed software functional tests performing... |
réalisation de tests fonctionnels de logiciels |
| prepared monthly reports preparing... |
préparation de rapports mensuels |
| priced products pricing... |
tarification des produits |
| processed customer orders processing... |
traitement des commandes clients |
| proofread legal documents proofreading... |
relecture et correction de documents juridiques |
| provided technical support to users providing... |
assistance technique aux utilisateurs |
| published a newsletter publishing... |
publication d'une lettre d'information |
| ran an online community running... |
animation d'une communauté en ligne |
| recruited staff recruiting... |
recrutement de personnel |
| responsible for managing the budget in charge of managing the budget |
responsable de la gestion du budget |
| responsible for project planning and execution in charge of project planning and execution |
responsable de la planification et de l'exécution de projets |
| searched for industrial partners searching... |
recherche de partenaires industriels |
| taught a course in Project Management teaching... |
enseignement d'un cours de Gestion de projets |
| tested hardware components testing... |
test de composants matériels |
| trained editors on indexing tools training... |
formation des éditeurs aux outils d'indexation |
| translated medical publications translating... |
traduction de publications médicales |
| wrote articles writing... |
rédaction d'articles |
See also on this site the articles to which the following links lead:
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6.5) Detailed figures
It is recommended to provide detailed figures in a CV, for example for a budget you were responsible for. You must however be careful to not make any mistake in the presentation of numbers (in French, the decimal separator is the comma and not the dot, which is sometimes used in French as the thousands separator instead of a non-breakable space), or in the position of monetary symbols, or by omitting the "s" which marks the plural of terms such as "millions" in French, as explained on this site in the articles to which the following links lead:
>> Nombres mal formatés (séparateur décimal)
>> Symboles/codes monétaires mal placés
>> Pluriel des puissances de 10 utilisé à tort
The table below provides a few examples of detailed figures.
| English | Français |
| Managed a budget of €750,000. | Gestion d'un budget de 750 000 €. |
| Responsible for using a fund of 2 million euros. | Responsabilité de l'exploitation d'un fonds de 2 millions d'euros. |
| Cost of project: £2.5 million. | Coût du projet : 2,5 millions £. |
| Revenue: USD 3.5 billion. | Chiffre d'affaires : 3 milliards (de) USD. |
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7) Education / Formation
This section of your CV should mention the degrees or diplomas ("diplômes" in French) you have obtained and, for each of them, the institution ("institution" in French) that delivered it, as well as the year it was awarded ("année d'obtention" in French), for example in the following form:
Licence d'Électronique, Université de Mumbai, Inde, 2023.
(Bachelor's degree in Electronics, University of Mumbai, India, 2023.)
For studies not yet completed, you should indicate the diploma you are studying for and the institution where you are preparing it, for example in the following form:
Préparation d'un Master international en Sécurité informatique à l'EPITA, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre (près de Paris), 2023-2024.
(Studying for an International Master's degree in Computer Security at EPITA, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre (near Paris), 2023-2024.)
In the absence of diplomas and studies under way, it is well-advised to replace the "Formation" section by a section named "Qualifications" in which you can describe your skills, training courses you may have attended, and/or achievements (you may find it more appropriate to place the latter under "Expérience professionnelle").
The links below lead to advice for writing a CV without any diploma:
>> Overcoming 'No Degree' (Great CVs - UK)
>> How To Write a Resume with No Degree: Expert Tips & Examples (Distinctive Career Services - USA)
You can mention your A levels (or high-school diploma) in the absence of a higher-level diploma, otherwise it is not necessary to feature it in your CV.
If you have published ("publié" in French) an article ("article" in French), a white paper ("livre blanc" in French), a dissertation ("mémoire" in French) or a thesis ("thèse" in French), mention it, with possible references, for example an active link to the work ("ouvrage" in French) on the web.
>> Return to the beginning of "Education"
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7.1) Diplomas
The table below provides (in alphabetical order of English terms) a few examples of (sometimes approximate) equivalence of titles of diplomas in English and French.
| Diplomas | Diplômes |
| GB: A levels US: High school diploma |
Baccalauréat |
| Advanced vocational diploma in... | BTS de/d'... (NB: BTS = brevet de technicien supérieur) |
| Bachelor's degree in... | Licence de/d'... |
| Bachelor of Arts degree in... BA in... |
Licence de/d'... |
| Bachelor of Laws degree LLB |
Licence de Droit |
| Bachelor of Science degree in... BSc in... |
Licence de/d'... |
| Doctor's degree in... PhD in... |
Doctorat de/d'... |
| Doctor of Laws degree LLD |
Doctorat de Droit |
| Doctor of Medicine degree MD |
Doctorat de Médecine |
| Master's degree in... | Master de/d'... |
| Master of Arts degree in... MA in... |
Master de/d'... |
| Master of Business Administration degree MBA |
Master d'Administration des entreprises MBA |
| Master of Engineering degree in... MEng in... |
Diplôme d'ingénieur en... |
| Master of Laws degree LLM |
Maîtrise de Droit Master de Droit |
| Master of Science degree in... GB: MSc in... US: MS in... |
Master de/d'... |
| Secondary-school Teaching degree in... | CAPES de/d'... (NB: CAPES = certificat d'aptitude au professorat de l'enseignement du second degré) |
| Secondary-school and University Teaching degree in... | Agrégation de/d'... |
| University Technology degree | DUT (NB: DUT = diplôme universitaire de Technologie) |
| Vocational diploma in... | BEP de/d'... (NB: BEP = brevet d'études professionnelles) |
| Vocational training certificate in... | CAP de/d'... (NB: CAP = certificat d'aptitude professionnelle) |
See also on this site, by clicking/tapping on the link below, the part of the article named "Métiers - éducation et formation" which provides names of a few subjects in French and English:
The following links lead to multilingual sites that can help you find the translation of titles of European bachelor's, master's and doctor's degrees:
NB: the expression "with honours" translates into French as "avec mention", for example "Master de Physique avec mention" ("Master's degree in Physics (with honours)" in British English).
>> Return to the beginning of "Diplomas"
>> Return to the beginning of "Education"
>> Return to the table of contents
7.2) Institutions
The table below provides (in alphabetical order of English terms) a few examples of (sometimes approximate) equivalence of generic titles of academic institutions in English and French.
| Types of institution | Types d'institutions |
| Business school | École de Commerce |
| College | Faculté Université |
| College of Engineering | École d'ingénieurs |
| Engineering college Engineering school |
École d'ingénieurs |
| Graduate school | Établissement de 3e cycle Établissement pour études prédoctorales et doctorales |
| School (in the most general sense) |
École |
| School of Applied Arts | École d'Arts appliqués |
| School of Engineering | École d'ingénieurs |
| GB: Secondary school US: High school |
Collège et/ou Lycée |
| GB: Secondary school (first 4 years) US: Junior High school |
Collège |
| GB: Secondary school (last 3 years) US: Senior High school |
Lycée |
| University | Université |
| University institute of Technology | IUT (NB: IUT = Institut universitaire de Technologie) |
| University of Technology | Université de Technologie |
| Vocational school | Lycée professionnel |
>> Return to the beginning of "Institutions"
>> Return to the beginning of "Education"
>> Return to the table of contents
7.3) Translation into French of the terms "graduate, graduated", etc.
The English terms "graduate", "graduated", "(to) have a degree" and "qualified" can be translatd into French as "diplômé" (masculine) or "diplômée" (feminine). The table below provides a few examples of how to use those terms.
| English | Français |
| (I am a) graduate in Industrial Design (I am an) Industrial Design graduate (I) graduated in Industrial Design (I) have a degree in Industrial Design |
(Je suis) diplômé en Conception industrielle (Je suis) diplômée en Conception industrielle |
| (I am a) graduate of the University of Mumbai, India (I am a) University of Mumbai, India graduate (I) graduated from the University of Mumbai, India |
(Je suis) diplômé de l'Université de Mumbai, Inde (Je suis) diplômée de l'Université de Mumbai, Inde |
| (I am a) qualified software programmer | (Je suis) programmeur de logiciel diplômé (Je suis) programmeuse de logiciel diplômée |
>> Return to the beginning of "Education"
>> Return to the table of contents
>> Return to the beginning of the table of contents
8) Skills / Compétences
This section of your CV presents your skills in various relevant areas, generally including languages and computing/IT, for which it is useful to specify your level of knowledge.
The tables in this part of this article provide vocabulary which should help you write this section of your CV in proper French.
8.1) Languages
In order to indicate your level in the various languages of which you have a good or average command, you can use the vocabulary provided in examples in the table below.
NB: it is not useful to mention languages for which your level is rather poor!
| Language levels | Niveaux de langues |
| mother tongue native speaker |
langue maternelle |
| Example: Hindi: mother tongue Hindi: native speaker |
hindi : langue maternelle |
| bilingual | bilingue |
| Example: bilingual English/German |
bilingue anglais/allemand |
| trilingual | trilingue |
| Example: trilingual English/Spanish/Italian |
trilingue anglais/espagnol/italien |
| fluent | courant |
| Example: English: fluent |
anglais : courant |
| good good level |
bon bon niveau |
| Example: French: good level |
français : bon niveau |
| intermediate intermediate level |
moyen niveau moyen |
| Example: Mandarin: intermediate level |
mandarin : niveau moyen |
In French, names of languages are written with a lower-case first letter (except if the name appears at the beginning of a sentence), for example "coréen" ("Korean" in English).
To see the translation of names of languages into French, consult the articles on this site with a title beginning with "États -" in the "Geography" section, to which the link below leads:
>> Return to the beginning of "Skills"
>> Return to the table of contents
8.2) Computing/IT
The table below provides vocabulary related to various areas of competence in computing/IT.
| Computing/IT | Informatique |
| Applications | Applications |
| Content Management Systems CMS |
Systèmes de gestion de contenu CMS |
| Design tools | Outils de conception |
| Development environments | Environnements de développement |
| Environments | Environnements |
| Graphic creation tools | Outils de création graphique |
| Hardware | Matériels |
| Languages (for programming) | Langages |
| Management tools | Outils de gestion |
| Operating systems | Systèmes d'exploitation |
| Platforms | Plates-formes |
| Productivity tools | Outils de productivité |
| Programming languages | Langages de programmation |
| Software | Logiciels |
| Software applications | Applications logicielles |
| Example: Microsoft Office Suite Microsoft Office Pack |
Suite Microsoft Office Pack Microsoft Office |
| Tools | Outils |
For more vocabulary related to software and, more generally, to computing/IT, consult the articles on this site to which the following links lead:
>> Abréviations - Informatique/Internet
>> Return to the beginning of "Computing/IT"
>> Return to the beginning of "Skills"
>> Return to the table of contents
The table below provides vocabulary (in alphabetical order of English terms) related to various levels of competence with examples in the area of computing/IT.
| Skill levels | Niveaux de compétence |
| advanced knowledge of... | connaissance avancée de... connaissance poussée de... |
| Example: advanced knowledge of CAD software, in particular... | connaissance avancée des logiciels de CAO, en particulier... |
| Example: advanced knowledge of DBMSs, in particular... | connaissance poussée des SGBD, en particulier... |
| basic knowledge of... | notions de... |
| Example: basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator | notions d'Adobe Photoshop et Illustrator |
| basics of... | principes fondamentaux de... |
| Example: basics of software project management | principes fondamentaux de la gestion de projets logiciels |
| excellent practical knowledge of... | excellente connaissance pratique de... |
| Example: excellent practical knowledge of Adobe InDesign | excellente connaissance pratique d'Adobe InDesign |
| experience of... | expérience en... |
| Example: experience of Android and iOS application design and development | expérience en conception et développement d'applications Android et iOS |
| a good grounding in... | bonnes bases en... |
| Example: a good grounding in computer graphics | bonnes bases en infographie |
| good knowledge of... | bonne connaissance de... |
| Example: good knowledge of Windows and macOS environments | bonne connaissance des environnements Windows et macOS |
| good practical experience with... | bonne pratique de... |
| Example: good practical experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint | bonne pratique de Microsoft Excel, Word et PowerPoint |
| a grounding in... | bases en... |
| Example: a grounding in IT | bases en informatique |
| in-depth knowledge of... | connaissance approfondie de... |
| Example: in-depth knowledge of object-oriented languages, in particular... | connaissance approfondie des langages orientés objets, en particulier... |
| knowledge of... | connaissance de... |
| Example: knowledge of office automation tools, in particular... | connaissance des outils bureautiques, en particulier... |
| practical experience with... | pratique de... |
| Example: practical experience with Microsoft Project and Serena OpenProj | pratique de Microsoft Project et de Serena OpenProj |
| proficient in... | expérimenté en... (masculine) expérimentée en... (feminine) |
| Example: proficient in HTML and CSS | expérimenté en HTML et CSS (masculine) expérimentée en HTML et CSS (feminine) |
| a solid grounding in... | solides bases en... |
| Example: a solid grounding in network architecture | solides bases en architecture de réseaux |
| working knowledge of... | connaissance pratique élémentaire de... |
| Example: working knowledge of XML | connaissance pratique élémentaire du XML |
>> Return to the beginning of "Skill levels"
>> Return to the beginning of "Skills"
>> Return to the table of contents
8.3) Other skills and abilities
The table below provides vocabulary (in alphabetical order of English terms) related to various types of skills and abilities.
NB: it is obviously recommended to support skills and abilities mentioned in a CV or a covering letter with facts (achievements, detailed figures, etc.).
| Skills/Abilities | Compétences/Capacités |
| analytical thinking ability | capacité d'analyse esprit d'analyse |
| analytical and global thinking ability | capacité d'analyse et de synthèse esprit d'analyse et de synthèse |
| communication skills | capacité de communication |
| creativity skills creative thinking ability |
capacité de créativité esprit de créativité |
| decision-making ability | capacité à prendre des décisions |
| GB: driving licence US: driver's license |
permis de conduire |
| global thinking ability | capacité de synthèse esprit de synthèse |
| GB: heavy-goods-vehicle driving licence GB: HGV driving licence US: truck driver's license |
permis poids lourds |
| interpersonal communication skills | capacité de communication interpersonelle |
| management skills | capacité d'encadrement |
| negotiating skills | compétences en négociation |
| organizational skills | compétences en organisation |
| people management skills | capacité d'encadrement |
| problem-solving ability | capacité à résoudre les problèmes |
| project management skills | compétences en gestion de projets |
| public-speaking ability public-speaking skills |
capacité à prendre la parole en public |
| time management skills | compétences en gestion du temps |
| writing ability writing skills |
compétences rédactionnelles |
>> Return to the beginning of "Other skills and abilities"
>> Return to the beginning of "Skills"
>> Return to the table of contents
>> Return to the beginning of the table of contents
9) Interests - Personal achievements / Centres d'intérêt - Accomplissements personnels
Your achievements or successes may be described in the "Expérience professionnelle" section of your CV if they are related to your work or, for example for academic publications, in the "Formation" section.
As for your personal achievements, they are not in principle directly related to your jobs or studies, so they should be presented in the "Centres d'intérêt" or "Centres d'intérêt - Accomplissements personnels" section.
The table below provides vocabulary and examples (in alphabetical order of English terms) that may be useful for the description of your interests and personal achievements. You can also use vocabulary provided in the table under "Activities/Responsibilities" in the "Work experience" part of this article.
| English | Français |
| award, prize | prix |
| (I) was awarded a prize in the... competition (I) won an award in the... competition (I) won a prize in the... competition |
obtention d'un prix au concours de... |
| Example: (I) won first prize in the 2022 Indian nationwide drawing competition | obtention du premier prix au concours national indien de dessin 2022 |
| cofounder and coordinator of... | cofondateur et animateur de... (masculine) cofondatrice et animatrice de... (feminine) |
| Example: cofounder and coordinator of the Bucharest, Romania Art school alumni association (I) cofounded and coordinate the... |
cofondateur et animateur de l'association des anciens élèves de l'école d'Arts de Bucarest, Roumanie cofondatrice et animatrice de l'association des anciens élèves de l'école d'Arts de Bucarest, Roumanie |
| creator of... | créateur de... (masculine) créatrice de... (feminine) |
| Example: creator of the Anglais pratique (Practical English) website to help French speakers to communicate better in professional English (I) created the... |
créateur du site web Anglais pratique pour aider les francophones à mieux communiquer en anglais professionnel |
| medal | médaille |
| Example: (I) won a gold medal in judo at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 | obtention d'une médaille d'or en judo aux JO de Tokyo en 2021 |
| member of... | membre de... |
| Example: (I am a) member of the Seoul, South Korea amateur astronomy club | membre du club d'astronomie amateur de Séoul, Corée du Sud |
See also on this site the articles that provide vocabulary in French and English related to various activities which may fall into the "interests" or "leisure" categories (although the articles deal with "jobs"):
>> Return to the beginning of "Interests - Personal achievements"
>> Return to the table of contents
>> Return to the beginning of the table of contents
10) References / Références
Unless a potential employer has explicitly requested that you should include references in your CV, you can either not mention any or indicate "Références disponibles sur demande" ("References available upon request" in English).
However that may be, it is recommended to prepare a list of a few references to be used when requested. With the authorization of each person concerned, indicate the person's full name, the company/institution where they work, the person's title/function and their contact information, including at least an e-mail address, possibly completed with other information you have been allowed to disclose, for example a phone number (which must be internationalized if necessary) and a postal address (with country name if necessary). It is also useful to specify the relationship (which may be hierarchical) between each person mentioned as a reference and yourself.
>> Return to the table of contents
>> Return to the beginning of the table of contents
11) Covering/Cover letters / Lettres de motivation
Although the previous parts of this article deal mainly with CVs, some of the information that is given may also be useful for covering/cover letters. As a complement, this specific part of the article provides vocabulary and remarks which should help you to write covering/cover letters or e-mails in proper French.
More advice and examples are given in the documents and on the sites to which links are provided in the final part of this article.
11.1) Addresses
The sender's address ("adresse de l'expéditeur" in French) is usually placed in the top left part of the first page of a letter in French.
The recipient's address ("adresse du destinataire" in French) is usually placed on the right, generally in a lower position than that of the sender's address.
Do not forget to mention the name of the country where you reside if your letter is to be sent to a different country.
You should also include your e-mail address and phone number (which must be internationalized if necessary).
NB: in the case of a covering/cover e-mail, you can of course omit the postal addresses.
>> Return to the beginning of "Covering/Cover letters"
>> Return to the table of contents
>> Return to the beginning of the table of contents
11.2) Date
In a letter in French, the date is usually preceded by the name of city where the sender resides, a comma and the article "le", and is generally placed a few lines below the recipient's address.
The table below provides a few examples of dates (and cities).
| Dates | Villes et dates |
| GB: 1 August 2024 GB: 1st August 2024 GB & US: August 1, 2024 (letter to be sent from Gentilly) |
Gentilly, le 1er août 2024 |
| GB: 2 August 2024 GB: 2nd August 2024 GB & US: August 2, 2024 (letter to be sent from Le Kremlin-Bicêtre) |
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, le 2 août 2024 |
| GB: 3 August 2024 GB: 3rd August 2024 GB & US: August 3, 2024 (letter to be sent from London) |
Londres, le 3 août 2024 |
| GB: 16 August 2024 GB: 16th August 2024 GB & US: August 16, 2024 (letter to be sent from Mumbai) |
Mumbai, le 16 août 2024 |
| GB: 31 August 2024 GB: 31st August 2024 GB & US: August 31, 2024 (letter to be sent from Paris) |
Paris, le 31 août 2024 |
NB: remember that the first day of a month is represented in French by the ordinal number "1er" (premier), whereas all other days are represented by a cardinal number, and that the names of months (and days) are written with a lower-case first letter (except if they appear at the beginning of a sentence).
>> Return to the beginning of "Date"
>> Return to the beginning of "Covering/Cover letters"
>> Return to the table of contents
11.3) Initial salutation
The table below provides a few examples of initial salutations in French.
| Form of address for the recipient | Formule pour s'adresser au destinataire |
| Dear Sir, | Monsieur, |
| Dear Madam, | Madame, |
| Dear Sir or Madam, | Madame, Monsieur, |
| Dear Mr. X, | Monsieur X, |
| Dear Ms. Y, | Madame Y, |
| Dear Dr. Z, | Docteur Z, |
NB: the very impersonal phrase "À qui de droit" ("To whom it may concern" in English) should be avoided in a covering/cover letter or e-mail.
>> Return to the beginning of "Initial salutation"
>> Return to the beginning of "Covering/Cover letters"
>> Return to the table of contents
11.4) Ending phrase
The table below provides an example of ending phrase in French (with variants depending on the initial salutation).
| Ending phrase | Formule finale |
| GB: Yours sincerely, GB: Yours faithfully, US: Sincerely yours, (initial salutation = "Monsieur,") |
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées |
| " (initial salutation = "Madame,") |
Veuillez agréer, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées, |
| " (initial salutation = "Madame, Monsieur,") |
Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées, |
| " (initial salutation = "Monsieur X,") |
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur X, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées, |
| " (initial salutation = "Madame Y,") |
Veuillez agréer, Madame Y, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées, |
| " (initial salutation = "Docteur Z,") |
Veuillez agréer, Docteur Z, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées, |
>> Return to the beginning of "Ending phrase"
>> Return to the beginning of "Covering/Cover letters"
>> Return to the table of contents
11.5) Subject, Reference, Enclosure
The subject of your covering/cover letter in French can be specified by mentioning the title of the position for which you are applying, possibly completed with a reference, for example as follows: "Objet : Poste de Chef de projet (référence CP-2024-03)".
The above-mentioned information can be placed before the initial salutation in a letter or in the "Subject" field of an e-mail (in the case of an e-mail, you can omit the "Objet : " part).
As for mentioning an "enclosure" or an "attachment", you can use the expression "pièce jointe" (which can be abbreviated as "PJ"). That indication should be placed at the end of your letter (below your signature) or of your e-mail (below your full name).
The table below provides examples of how to mention the presence of enclosures/attachments in French.
| English | Français |
| GB: Enclosure: Curriculum vitae US: Enclosure: Résumé |
Pièce jointe : curriculum vitæ |
| GB: Enclosures: CV and list of referees GB: Enclosures: CV and list of references US: Enclosures: Résumé and list of references |
Pièces jointes : CV et liste de références |
| GB: Attachment: Curriculum vitae US: Attachment: Résumé |
Pièce jointe : curriculum vitæ |
| GB: Attachments: CV and list of referees GB: Attachments: CV and list of references US: Attachments: Résumé and list of references |
Pièces jointes : CV et liste de références |
You can also include a sentence in the body of your letter or e-mail to indicate that you have enclosed/attached your CV (see examples of such a sentence in the table featured in the following part of this article).
>> Return to the beginning of "Subject, Reference, Enclosure"
>> Return to the beginning of "Covering/Cover letters"
>> Return to the table of contents
11.6) Vocabulary
As a complement to the vocabulary featured under "Activities/Responsibilities" in the "Work experience" part of this article and under "Other skills and abilities" in the "Skills" part, the table below (which may be enhanced...) provides a few terms that may be useful for writing a covering/cover letter or e-mail in French.
NB: some of the terms in the table are a bit "cliché" ("cliché" in French), so you should use them in moderation!
See also the specialized documents and sites to which I provide links in the following (and last) part of this article.
| English | Français |
| Following your advertisement, I would like to apply for the position of... | Suite à votre annonce, je souhaite présenter ma candidature au poste de... |
| Having heard that your company is currently recruiting staff, I am hereby applying for a position of... | Ayant appris que votre entreprise est en phase de recrutement de personnel, je fais acte de candidature par la présente à un poste de... |
| I will soon complete my internship at..., and would like to apply for the above-referenced position. | Ayant bientôt fini un stage chez..., je souhaite poser ma candidature au poste cité en référence ci-dessus. |
| I am completing my studies at..., and would like to apply for an internship at your company. | Je termine mes études à... et souhaite postuler à un stage dans votre société. |
| I am convinced that my experience and skills meet the requirements of the position of... | Je suis convaincu que mon experience et mes compétences répondent aux exigences du poste de... |
| I am autonomous. | Je suis autonome. |
| I am a good communicator. | J'ai le sens de la communication. |
| I have initiative. | J'ai l'esprit d'initiative. |
| I am methodical. | Je suis méthodique. |
| I am meticulous. | Je suis méticuleux. (masculine) Je suis rigoureux. (masculine) Je suis méticuleuse. (feminine) Je suis rigoureuse. (feminine) |
| I have a passion for products. | J'ai une passion pour les produits. |
| I am scrupulous. | Je suis scrupuleux. (masculine) Je suis scrupuleuse. (feminine) |
| I am a self-starter. | J'ai l'esprit d'initiative. |
| I have a strong experience in... | J'ai une expérience solide en... |
| I am a team player. | J'ai l'esprit d'équipe. |
| I like teamwork. | J'aime le travail en équipe. |
| I am a very hard worker. | Je suis un grand travailleur. (masculine) Je suis une grande travailleuse. (feminine) |
| GB: I have enclosed my CV to support my application. GB: I have attached my CV... US: I have enclosed my résumé to support my application. US: I have attached my résumé... |
J'ai joint mon CV à cette lettre en appui de ma candidature. J'ai joint mon CV à ce mail... |
| GB: Please find enclosed my CV, which provides details of my work experience. GB: Please find as an attachment my CV... US: Please find enclosed my résumé, which provides details of my work experience. US: Please find as an attachment my résumé... |
Veuillez trouver ci-joint mon CV, qui fournit les détails de mon expérience professionnelle. |
| I will be in Brussels next week and available for an interview at your convenience. | Je serai à Bruxelles la semaine prochaine et disponible pour un entretien à votre convenance. |
| Thank you for considering my application. Thank you for reviewing my application. |
Je vous remercie pour l'attention que vous porterez à ma candidature. |
| I look forward to hearing from you, | Dans l'attente de vous lire, |
>> Return to the beginning of "Vocabulary"
>> Return to the beginning of "Covering/Cover letters"
>> Return to the table of contents
>> Return to the beginning of the table of contents
12) Other resources related to CVs/résumés and covering/cover letters in French
12.1) Links to other useful sites
In English:
>> What You Need on a French Résumé (ThoughtCo.)
>> French Résumé Example (ThoughtCo.)
In French:
>> Modèles de lettres de motivation et de CV en français (modèle-cv-lettre.com)
12.2) Links to sample documents in French
(extracted from the Grand Dictionnaire Hachette-Oxford and converted to PDF format)
>> CV of an English middle manager
>> CV of an English senior executive
>> Looking for a placement (internship)
>> A few useful expressions and phrases
12.3) See also on this site:
>> Other articles under topic "Emploi, Organisation" (Employment, Organization)
>> Salutations, remerciements et voeux (Greetings, thanks and wishes)
>> Return to the table of contents
>> Retour to the beginning of the table of contents
>> Return to the top of the article
Copyright © 2012-2024 Neil Minkley. Tous droits réservés. All rights reserved.
Read below a comment made on this article by a visitor to this website.
March 26, 2014 17h05, by Frances K.
Hello Neil,
Je suis née à Montréal (Canada), and that's where I'm writing you from.
I found your website the other day, while researching how to write my c.v. en français.
So, your website for French speakers was helpful, in reverse.
Thanks,
Frances K.
March 27, 2014 9h46, by Neil Minkley
Bonjour Frances et merci beaucoup pour ton message :-)
I'm glad to hear that my site was useful to you. I actually wrote the article on CVs in French for my "foreign" (non-French-speaking) students at EPITA (an Engineering school), where I teach Project Management (in English), hoping it would also be useful to other audiences, and you've confirmed it is indeed!
All the best,
Neil
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