French CV, cover letter and tech interviews in France (2026)

A French CV for a tech job is simpler than its reputation. There is no legal format: Service-Public, the French government’s information site, says a CV is not even required by law and nothing in it is compulsory. A photo and your age are optional, and you never have to mention your health, a pregnancy, or your political, religious or union views. For English-speaking tech jobs, write a short, factual CV in the language of the job ad, add a short cover letter (lettre de motivation) only when it is asked for or helps, and prepare for a recruiter screen, a technical exercise and a team interview.

This guide covers the French CV format with a template, the cover letter, how tech interviews usually run, what a recruiter may not ask you, and what happens after the offer. Legal facts come from Service-Public, Légifrance and the CNIL (France’s data protection authority), checked in October 2026.

What the law says about a French CV

Service-Public’s page on the CV (F33336) is short and useful:

• No CV is required. The Labour Code doesn’t define a CV, and nothing forces you to send one.
• No content is compulsory. Depending on what the employer asks, you may give your name, contact details and age, your work history (all of it or only the relevant parts), your education and, if you like, a photo.
• Only job-related information. Anything the employer asks must have a direct link with the job or with assessing your professional skills. This comes from article L1221-6 of the Labour Code (Code du travail numérique).
• Some things you never have to disclose: your health, a pregnancy, and your union, political or religious beliefs.
• Be honest. You must answer in good faith. Deliberately false information can justify dismissal for misconduct, and the employer may check your diplomas and contact former employers.
• Anonymous CVs are not compulsory for employers. A company can keep CVs in a database and can turn you down on the basis of your CV, as long as the reason isn’t discriminatory.

So when people talk about “the French CV format”, they mean habits, not rules. Below are the habits that matter for tech jobs.

French CV format for tech jobs

The usual sections

Photo, age and personal details

A photo is optional (Service-Public). Many French CVs still have one, but international tech companies rarely expect it, and leaving it out is normal. The same goes for age, date of birth, nationality and marital status: you may give them, but you don’t have to. If you need a work permit, it can help to say so in one line (“Needs a Talent passport; eligible as a skilled employee”) so the recruiter doesn’t have to guess. Our French Tech Visa and Talent permit guide explains which permit fits which job.

Length

There is no legal length. In practice a recruiter spends little time on a first read, so one page for juniors and two pages at most for experienced engineers works well. Cut old jobs down to one line each rather than dropping them, so your dates have no unexplained gaps.

Explaining foreign degrees

French job ads often describe education as “Bac+3” or “Bac+5”, meaning three or five years of higher education after the baccalauréat (the end of secondary school). A bachelor’s degree is usually read as Bac+3 and a master’s as Bac+5. Writing “MSc Computer Science (Bac+5 equivalent)” helps a French recruiter place your degree.

There is no legal equivalence between foreign and French diplomas. If an employer wants something formal, ENIC-NARIC France can issue an attestation de comparabilité that compares your degree with the French system (France Diplomatie). Most tech employers don’t ask for it.

French CV template

You don’t need a designed template; recruiters and applicant tracking systems read plain layouts best. This structure works in Word, Google Docs or any editor:

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME
Backend engineer (Go, PostgreSQL, AWS)
Lyon, France · +33 6 00 00 00 00 · name@example.com · github.com/name · linkedin.com/in/name
Work permit: EU citizen / holds a Talent passport / needs a Talent passport

PROFILE
Backend engineer with 6 years in payments. I design APIs and data pipelines
and care about reliability. Looking for a senior role in Lyon or remote.

EXPERIENCE
Senior backend engineer, Company, Berlin · 03/2022 to present
- Cut p99 latency of the payments API from 900 ms to 250 ms
- Led the move of 40 services to Kubernetes with a team of 4
Backend engineer, Company, Madrid · 09/2019 to 02/2022
- ...

SKILLS
Go, Python, PostgreSQL, Kafka, AWS, Terraform, Kubernetes, CI/CD

EDUCATION
MSc Computer Science (Bac+5), University, 2019

LANGUAGES
English: fluent (C1) · French: intermediate (B1), taking classes · Spanish: native

If you want a standard European layout, the free Europass CV builder from the European Commission produces one in many languages. It is accepted everywhere but longer than most tech recruiters like, so trim it.

English or French CV?

Write the CV in the language of the job ad. On France Dev Jobs, every listing is chosen for English speakers, so an English CV is the normal choice. If the ad is in French, send a French CV, or ask the recruiter whether English is fine. Never machine-translate a CV and send it unchecked; a native reader notices at once. Our guide on getting a tech job in France without speaking French explains how to read the language requirements in an ad.

The lettre de motivation (cover letter)

The lettre de motivation is the French cover letter. It has a reputation for being formal and long, but for tech jobs it is often optional. Many application forms make it a free text field or leave it out. Send one when the ad asks for it, when you are changing fields, or when something in your situation needs explaining (relocation, a visa, a career gap).

Lettre de motivation format

Keep it under one page, in three or four short paragraphs:

1. Why this company and this job. One concrete reason: their product, a talk by their engineers, the problem they solve.
2. What you bring. Two or three results from your experience that match the ad. Don’t repeat the CV; add context to it.
3. Practical points. Your availability, where you are based, and your visa situation if relevant.
4. Close. Say you would like to discuss the role in an interview.

Lettre de motivation example in English

Dear hiring team,

I’m applying for the Senior Backend Engineer role on your payments team. I’ve used your API in two previous jobs, and the way you document breaking changes is something I’ve tried to copy.

At my current company I own the payment authorisation service. Last year I cut its p99 latency from 900 ms to 250 ms and moved it to Kubernetes without downtime. Your ad mentions migrating to event-driven services, which is the project I’d most like to work on next.

I live in Madrid and plan to move to Paris. As a non-EU citizen I would need a Talent passport, which your company has sponsored before. I can start with two months’ notice.

I’d be glad to talk about the role in more detail.

Best regards, Firstname Lastname

Lettre de motivation in French

If you write in French, the usual opening is Madame, Monsieur, and the usual closing is a formal sentence such as Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. Startups and international teams accept a simpler Bonjour and Cordialement. If your French is basic, a short, correct letter is better than a long one with mistakes.

How tech interviews in France usually work

There is no national standard; each company designs its own process. At international tech companies in France, a common sequence is:

Ask the recruiter at the start how many stages there are and how long the process takes. It’s a normal question.

Salary talk

French salaries are quoted gross per year (brut annuel), before social contributions and income tax. Some companies pay the annual amount over 13 months instead of 12. When you discuss a number, check what is included: variable pay, equity (often BSPCE at startups; see our BSPCE guide), meal vouchers, the company health insurance (mutuelle) and remote work allowances. Our salary after tax calculator turns a gross offer into take-home pay, and our software engineer salaries guide shows typical ranges.

Language of the interview

If the job ad is in English and the team works in English, the interview will usually be in English. Some companies add a short French conversation to check a level they listed in the ad. If French is “a plus” rather than required, say honestly what you can do and whether you’re learning.

What a recruiter may not ask you

The law limits recruitment questions to the job and your professional skills (article L1221-6). Discrimination in hiring is banned on a long list of grounds in article L1132-1 of the Labour Code (Code du travail numérique), including origin, sex, age, family situation, pregnancy, health, disability, sexual orientation, political opinions, union activity, religion, place of residence and your ability to speak a language other than French. Service-Public counts 25 recognised criteria.

In practice that means you don’t have to answer questions such as “Are you planning to have children?” or “What is your religion?”. You can politely steer back to the job. Questions about your right to work in France are allowed, because the employer must check it before you start.

After the offer

The written offer and the contract

Get the offer in writing before you resign from your current job. It should state the job title, start date, salary, place of work and the type of contract. Most tech jobs are a CDI (permanent contract). If you need a visa, the employer’s paperwork for the permit comes next; see the relocation checklist.

The trial period (période d’essai)

Most CDIs start with a trial period during which either side can end the contract with short notice. The legal maximums are (Service-Public F1643):

A renewal is only possible once, if an extended sector agreement allows it, the contract mentions it, and you agree in writing during the initial period. A collective agreement or your contract can set a shorter trial period. If you leave during the trial period, your notice is 24 hours (under 8 days in the job) or 48 hours (8 days or more).

What happens to your CV afterwards

If you aren’t hired, the CNIL’s HR guidance says your application data may be kept in a CV database for up to 2 years from the last contact, only if the employer is interested in your profile and you don’t object, and may be archived for 5 years from the date the job was filled as evidence in case of a discrimination claim (CNIL). You can ask a company to delete your data from its talent pool.

Where to apply

• Browse all English-speaking tech jobs and filter by city, role and stack.
• If you need a work permit, start with visa sponsorship jobs and jobs you can apply for from abroad.
• Research employers on the companies page before you write a cover letter.
• Planning the move? See our guides to renting in Paris and health cover.

Frequently asked questions

What is the French CV format?

There is no legal format. A typical French CV has a header with contact details, a title line naming the job you want, a short profile, experience in reverse order, skills, education and languages. For tech jobs, one or two pages in plain layout is enough.

Do I need a photo on a French CV?

No. Service-Public lists a photo as optional. Many French CVs still include one, but international tech companies don’t expect it, and you can’t be rejected for leaving it out.

Is there a free French CV template?

Yes. You can copy the plain-text structure in this guide into Word or Google Docs, or use the free Europass CV builder from the European Commission. Avoid heavily designed templates with columns and skill bars, which applicant tracking systems may read badly.

Should my CV be in French or English?

Use the language of the job ad. For English-speaking jobs an English CV is normal. If the ad is in French, send a French CV or ask the recruiter whether English is acceptable.

Is a lettre de motivation still necessary?

Not always. Send one when the ad asks for it or when you need to explain something such as a relocation, a visa or a career change. Keep it under one page and don’t repeat your CV.

How long is the trial period for a software engineer in France?

Engineers are usually hired as cadres, for whom the trial period is at most 4 months, renewable once up to 8 months if the sector agreement and your contract allow it and you agree in writing. Your contract may set a shorter period.

Can a recruiter ask about my age or family?

They may only ask questions linked to the job and your professional skills. Age, family situation, pregnancy and health are protected grounds, so you don’t have to answer.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the official pages linked above for your situation.