Looking for a job in France has some specificities that we want to share with you.

Before you head headlong into sending CVs, take the time to read these few prerequisites that will probably save you time and efficiency for your job research in France.

1- Use this opportunity to change countries to ask yourself and ask yourself what you really want.

Revisit your values, your engines, your talents, your skills. Rehabilitate your journey and your talents to gain confidence and face a new market.

2- Confront your professional project to the French market to assess its feasibility and understand the differences.

Meet with people to analyze job differences and job titles for your target, and adjust your search accordingly.

3- Impactful tools: CV / LinkedIn profile

The French have a different approach : where an Anglo-Saxon will focus on your achievements and your results, a French recruiter will rather watch your degree and your actions on a daily basis.

Think about keywords for CV or your Linkedin profile.
Indeed, your profile is scanned by the ATS (Application Tracking System) before being read by a recruiter.
For each position, spend some time working on your keywords. Tools like Jobscan or TopCV can be useful.

4- An effective “network strategy”

Abroad more than in France, the network is the key to success. Meet professionals in your profession to understand the French market, the challenges, the specific vocabulary … And of course, communicate on your project!

Also, even if you respond to an ad, do not forget to create a network within the target company.

5- The predominance of recruitment firms

80% of the offers distributed in France are managed by recruitment firms.

So, identify recruiters in your sector through the job offers they publish.

6- An effective presentation (or “elevator pitch”)

Prepare a presentation of your background and your project to know about you at every opportunity. During the expatriation, all opportunities are an opportunity to “let know” that you are looking for: dinner, school, visit …

An effective presentation is necessarily clear and concise. Train to show up in 2 minutes maximum.

7- Good preparation for interviews

Prepare upstream the answers to the questions “essential” in job interview: tell a success and a failure, your qualities and your faults, your management style etc … in French if you can.

For each interview question, think STAR. (Situation Tasks Actions Results) This will allow you to be factual and illustrate each of your answers with your results.

8- Be surrounded and accompanied

Finally, the job search is made of “up and down” so do not stay isolated.

Then, to maintain confidence in your abilities, take small steps every day. Surround yourself with positive people or join groups of people who are in the same situation as you.

“The real journey of discovery is not to look for new landscapes, but to have new eyes” – Proust

 

The article was written by Harmony & Mobility Consulting, which has been working with expatriates for 10 years at all stages of their professional life and in the success of their career.
In September 2018, London launched a job search program, Job Search Accelerator, based on a proven methodology and the energy of the group.