As the university is still on strike (there is a vote tomorrow) I decided to take advantage of some free time. So I'm in the process of applying for summer jobs to, hopefully, give myself some options of where I work this summer.But I'm drowning in the CV hell that is France!
Not only do you have to put private information on your CV that you would never do stateside:
-Age
-Marital Status
-Picture
But you also have to handwrite your cover letter!!! Yes people my hand is going to fall off from all this writing! I don't think I've written something by hand (to be turned in or formally) since I was in junior high!!! It just isn't done!
I can probably type 2 or 3 times faster than I can write and its a whole lot prettier, but if they French want a handwritten letter so they can analyze my personality be my guest!
Little update: think my brain is fried from just copying the same letter. I went to staple my picture to the CV and almost used my phone!!! But they aren't thaaaat different in size/color... right? Please someone tell me I'm not losing it!
Please hire me... I can't take anymore of this and its only been 2 hours!
8 commentaires:
Well, you can give a typed covering letter more and more often... I haven't hand written one for 3 years !!! (maybe that's why i still don't have a job ?!?)
I never hand write my letters anymore - I finally figured that my handwriting is too big and sloppy for the average French person, plus I tend to write at a slant and never know how much margin to leave (and these kinds of things are important to know here!), so now I just type them all. And I rarely include a picture, unless one is specifically asked for (otherwise I'd spend a fortune in those damn photobooths).
They might still insist on it for important jobs so they can do a hand writing analysis on it, but I'd think for summer jobs, it'd be okay to send a typed one. At least that's what I always do, and I've always found jobs.
wsam here do you find summer jobs? i'm trying to think of all possiblities...
I applied for anything and everything - most importantly though, I sent a CV to the city hall, because they are the ones in charge of all the museums, guides, expositions, etc, at least in my town. They hooked me up with my job at the port, which I'm hoping to renew this summer. I also worked in a hotel one summer. I sent CV's to any place tourists might go, including supermarkets (and got two job offers from them). Tour boat companies are an idea too...also type tourisme in pagesjaunes.fr and try sending out your CV to everything that comes up.
oh, and i usually "stretch" the truth a little on my CV, depending on the job i'm applying for...hey, if the french can say they're fluent in english, i can say i worked for 6 mo as a secretary, cashier, etc.
thanks for the great ideas sam!!
I guess there is sooo much competition that they can make up silly things like this:)
I mean how silly, couldn't you just make someone else write it for you? well i guess not..
but really if you have crap handwriting, you are screwed!
Thomas says its less and less happening there...
take care, kim
It's not only in the France but in the UK (at least it used to be the case) a hand written letter was needed to add that 'personal'
touch.
A typed letter would be considered
lazy. You know as if you've printed off the same thing 50 times just changing the name of the company.
I now work in an American company here in France with multi-national employees of all different levels and they expect hand written motivation letters too.
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