The job interview in France

Research the company: its activity, products, values, recent news and competitors, and the job and its requirements and who will interview you on LinkedIn.

• Read the advert and compare your skills to the requirements and write examples from your experiences.
• Prepare answers to basic questions: Parlez-moi de vous (tell me about yourself), Pourquoi voulez-vous travailler chez nous ?, Quels sont vos points forts et vos points faibles ?, Où vous voyez-vous dans cinq ans ?
• and Pourquoi avez-vous quitté votre dernier poste ?.
• Practise aloud in front of a mirror or with a friend or in France Travail and Mission Locale workshops.
• Prepare your questions for the interviewer on the team, training and growth.
• Check the route and travel time, and prepare documents (copies of the CV, qualifications and residence card).
• And sleep well.
• And if you have a disability or special need tell them in advance so they adjust the conditions.

Interviews rely on questions about your experience, motives and personality, and about situations (mises en situation) such as Racontez-moi une situation où vous avez géré un conflit.

• Answer with specific examples in the SITUATION – ACTION – RÉSULTAT way: describe the situation briefly, then what you yourself did specifically, then the result and lesson.
• Make the answer one to two minutes.
• Be honest about your weaknesses and mention how you work on them.
• Do not speak negatively about former employers.
• If you do not understand the question ask for it to be repeated politely: Pouvez-vous répéter la question, s'il vous plaît ?.
• And if you do not know the answer ask a moment to think.
• Show your enthusiasm for the job, and mention how you benefit the team.
• And if you are asked forbidden questions (your age, marriage or religion) answer tactfully about your ability to work or decline to answer, and record what happened.

Wear tidy clothes suited to the field: a suit or smart shirt for offices and banks, and clean practical clothes for manual work, and do not overdo perfume.

• Arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the time, and if you are late call at once and apologise.
• Greet the interviewer with Bonjour Madame/Monsieur and shake firmly with a smile (and if you do not shake hands for religious reasons say Je ne serre pas la main pour des raisons personnelles, mais je suis ravi de vous rencontrer).
• Address with vous until tu is proposed.
• Keep eye contact and listen and do not interrupt.
• Answer briefly and clearly, and speak intelligible French even if not perfect since courage is valued.
• Turn off your phone.
• And at the end ask your questions and show interest, and thank them Merci de m'avoir reçu.
• And if the company adopts secularism neutrality in appearance may be requested (such as the hijab in some public jobs), so ask in advance.

You may be asked about your prétentions salariales, your salary expectations.

• Research the average pay for this role via Glassdoor, APEC and Indeed and set a realistic range brut annuel (gross annual), since salaries in France are stated gross before contributions and the net is about 22 percent less.
• The minimum wage SMIC is about 1800 euros gross a month (2025) and rises.
• Enquire about the nature of the contract (CDI or CDD) and the probation period (période d'essai), working hours (35 hours by law), holiday (5 weeks), RTT, the mutuelle, tickets restaurant and transport.
• And in a video interview (Teams and Zoom) choose a quiet place, good lighting and a tidy background, test the camera, microphone and internet, look at the camera, turn off notifications, and log in minutes before the time.
• And prepare a backup plan if the internet cuts out.

Send a short thank-you message within a day confirming your interest Je vous remercie pour cet échange.

• Ask about the decision date, and if no reply reaches you follow up gently after a week.
• On a verbal offer ask for a written promesse d'embauche (promise of hiring) or contrat de travail, and do not resign from your current job before it, and check its terms (title, salary, duration and probation period).
• You can negotiate politely on salary and benefits.
• And if you are rejected ask for feedback and do not take it personally.
• And if you feel discrimination in hiring (because of name, religion, origin or hijab) contact the Défenseur des droits (09 69 39 00 00 or 39 28 for discrimination) or SOS Racisme or the Ligue des droits de l'homme or the Inspection du travail, since discrimination in hiring is a crime punished.
• And do not pay an employer money before starting work.
• And keep a record of your interviews.

How do you address the interviewer?