A comprehensive guide to French job application vocabulary, covering essential terms for resumes, cover letters, interviews, and more to help you navigate the hiring process.
Navigating the job application process in French requires mastering key vocabulary across several categories, from resumes and cover letters to interviews and employment contracts. This guide breaks down the essential terms you need to confidently apply for jobs in French-speaking contexts.
Résumé Vocabulary
These are the key terms you’ll encounter when creating or discussing a résumé (CV).
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| le CV (curriculum vitae) | les CV | résumé / CV | résumés / CVs | J’ai envoyé mon CV au recruteur. | I sent my résumé to the recruiter. |
| l’expérience professionnelle (f.) | — | work experience | — | Mon expérience professionnelle est en marketing. | My work experience is in marketing. |
| la formation | — | education | — | Ma formation est en informatique. | My education is in computer science. |
| les compétences (f.) | — | skills | — | J’ai des compétences en gestion de projet. | I have project management skills. |
| les langues (f.) | — | languages | — | Je parle trois langues. | I speak three languages. |
| les références (f.) | — | references | — | Je peux fournir des références sur demande. | I can provide references upon request. |
En français, 'education' se dit ___.
What is 'education' called in French résumé vocabulary?
la formation
'La formation' refers to education or training. The other terms mean work experience, languages, and position.
Cover Letter Vocabulary
These terms are used when writing a cover letter (lettre de motivation).
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| la lettre de motivation | — | cover letter | — | J’ai écrit une lettre de motivation convaincante. | I wrote a convincing cover letter. |
| le poste | les postes | position / job | positions / jobs | Je postule pour le poste de secrétaire. | I am applying for the secretary position. |
| le recruteur | les recruteurs | recruiter | recruiters | Le recruteur m’a contacté par email. | The recruiter contacted me by email. |
| la candidature | les candidatures | application | applications | Ma candidature a été acceptée. | My application was accepted. |
| l’objet (m.) | — | subject (of email/letter) | — | L’objet de mon email est « Candidature ». | The subject of my email is "Application." |
| la motivation | — | motivation | — | Je souhaite travailler chez vous par motivation. | I want to work with you out of motivation. |
Interview Vocabulary
These are the essential terms for a job interview (entretien d’embauche).
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| l’entretien d’embauche (m.) | — | job interview | — | J’ai un entretien d’embauche demain. | I have a job interview tomorrow. |
| la question | les questions | question | questions | On m’a posé des questions difficiles. | I was asked difficult questions. |
| la réponse | les réponses | answer | answers | Ma réponse a été claire et concise. | My answer was clear and concise. |
| le candidat | les candidats | candidate | candidates | Le candidat a de bonnes qualifications. | The candidate has good qualifications. |
| la présentation | — | presentation | — | J’ai fait une bonne présentation de moi-même. | I gave a good presentation of myself. |
| le sourire | — | smile | — | Un sourire aide à faire bonne impression. | A smile helps make a good impression. |
En français, 'question' se dit ___.
How do you say 'question' in French job interview vocabulary?
la question
'La question' means question. 'La réponse' is answer, 'l’interview' is interview, and 'le sujet' is topic.
Employment Contract Vocabulary
After you get the job, these terms appear in the contract (contrat de travail).
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| le contrat de travail | les contrats de travail | employment contract | employment contracts | J’ai signé mon contrat de travail ce matin. | I signed my employment contract this morning. |
| la période d’essai | — | probation period | — | La période d’essai dure trois mois. | The probation period lasts three months. |
| le salaire | les salaires | salary | salaries | Mon salaire est de 2 000 euros net. | My salary is 2,000 euros net. |
| le poste | les postes | position | positions | Le poste est à temps plein. | The position is full-time. |
| les horaires | — | working hours | — | Les horaires sont de 9 h à 17 h. | The working hours are from 9 AM to 5 PM. |
| les congés (m.) | — | leave / vacation | — | J’ai droit à 25 jours de congés par an. | I am entitled to 25 days of leave per year. |
Job Search Vocabulary
These words help describe the job search (recherche d’emploi) process.
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| la recherche d’emploi | — | job search | — | Je suis en recherche d’emploi depuis un mois. | I have been job searching for a month. |
| l’offre d’emploi (f.) | les offres d’emploi | job offer / listing | job offers / listings | J’ai trouvé une offre d’emploi intéressante. | I found an interesting job listing. |
| la candidature | les candidatures | application | applications | J’ai envoyé cinq candidatures cette semaine. | I sent five applications this week. |
| la réponse | les réponses | response | responses | Je n’ai pas encore reçu de réponse. | I haven’t received a response yet. |
| le suivi | — | follow-up | — | J’ai fait un suivi après l’entretien. | I followed up after the interview. |
| la démission | — | resignation | — | J’ai envoyé ma démission hier. | I sent my resignation yesterday. |
Career Development Vocabulary
These terms are for discussing career growth (évolution de carrière).
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| la promotion | les promotions | promotion | promotions | J’ai obtenu une promotion ce mois-ci. | I got a promotion this month. |
| la formation continue | — | continuing education | — | Je suis une formation continue en ligne. | I am taking continuing education online. |
| la mobilité | — | mobility (job/location) | — | La mobilité interne est encouragée. | Internal mobility is encouraged. |
| le bilan de compétences | — | skills assessment | — | J’ai fait un bilan de compétences. | I did a skills assessment. |
| le mentor | les mentors | mentor | mentors | Mon mentor m’aide à progresser. | My mentor helps me improve. |
| le réseau professionnel | — | professional network | — | J’élargis mon réseau professionnel sur LinkedIn. | I’m expanding my professional network on LinkedIn. |
Mastering this vocabulary will help you confidently navigate every stage of the job application process in French — from crafting your résumé to signing your contract. Bon courage!
En français, 'mobility' (job/location change) se dit ___.
What does 'la mobilité' mean in a career context?
la mobilité
'La mobilité' refers to job or location mobility. The others are promotion, resignation, and training.
Flashcards (1 of 36)
- English Singular: résumé / CV
- English Plural: résumés / CVs
- English Example: I sent my résumé to the recruiter.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
