CV & Cover Letter the French Way.

Start with JARI.

A French CV and cover letter follow completely different rules from Korean ones. Photo or no photo, one page or two, the tone of the letter, the keywords recruiters expect — one wrong detail can eliminate you before the interview. JARI's Professional Services review and rewrite your CV and letter with a native speaker, adapt your Korean background to the French market, and catch the details that make the difference. The best investment before you apply.

Korean vs French CV: the differences that matter.

The French CV is more sober and shorter than what you're used to. Keep these rules in mind:

• No photo, no age, no marital status. French law bans discrimination: recruiters shouldn't judge your face or family situation. A photo can even work against you. (Rare exceptions: modeling, front-desk roles.)
• One page if you have less than 10 years of experience; two pages maximum beyond that. A 3-page CV won't be read.
• Reverse-chronological order: your most recent experience first.
• Quantified results, not a task list. "Grew sales 25% in 6 months" beats "responsible for sales."
• No salary on the CV.

The structure of a French CV.

1. Personal header: First name LAST NAME, phone (+33 format), professional email, city (not full address), LinkedIn link. Add "Valid residence permit" or your status if it's an asset.
2. Title / headline: the target role + one positioning sentence. E.g. "Marketing Project Manager — 5 years' experience, Korean-French bilingual."
3. Work experience: company, role, dates (month/year), 2-4 bullets of quantified results with action verbs.
4. Education: degrees, most recent first. Translate and get your Korean degrees recognized (see ENIC-NARIC below).
5. Skills: concrete tools, software, methods.
6. Languages: state your level using the CEFR scale (A1 to C2), not "fluent/read-write-speak." E.g. "French B2, English C1, Korean native."
7. Interests: brief, only if they add something.

The cover letter: the "you – me – us" rule.

The French cover letter follows a three-part logic:

• You: talk about the company first, not yourself. Show you know it (a recent project, a value, a figure).
• Me: connect your background to this specific need. One concrete proof, not a catalog.
• Us: picture yourself collaborating and propose a meeting.

One page, professional but lively tone, a formal closing ("Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées."). Personalize every letter — a generic one is spotted instantly.

Getting past ATS filters and keywords.

Many companies screen CVs with software (ATS). To pass the filter:

• Reuse the keywords from the job posting (titles, skills, tools) exactly in your CV.
• Simple format: no exotic columns, no text-as-image, a readable PDF.
• Name the file clearly: "CV_FirstName_LastName.pdf".

Useful action verbs.

Led, developed, optimized, coordinated, negotiated, designed, deployed, increased, reduced, trained, managed. Start each bullet with a verb and add a number.

Getting your Korean degrees recognized: ENIC-NARIC.

A Korean degree isn't automatically understood by French recruiters. Request a statement of comparability from ENIC-NARIC France (france-education-international.fr). It translates your level into the French system (Licence, Master…) and reassures the employer. Allow a few weeks — plan ahead.

The value of a native review.

A spelling mistake, a phrasing translated too literally from Korean, or a false friend can cost you an interview. Have your CV and letter reviewed by a native speaker through JARI's Professional Services: cultural adaptation, language correction, and keyword optimization. This is often what turns your application from "ignored" into "invited."

Going further.

Once your file is ready, prepare the next step with our guide The job interview in France, and find the overall strategy in Finding a job in France. Thinking of working for yourself? See Becoming a self-employed micro-entrepreneur.

Useful links.

• France Travail
• APEC (cadres)