Preparing a CV and cover letter for a job abroad: achievements, qualifications and format

Make your career readable for someone who has never heard of you

Your reader knows nothing about your company, your industry back home or your local habits. For each position, give the minimum context: the approximate size of the organisation, what it does, the scope of your responsibility, the team you managed or the clients you looked after. One line is enough, yet it changes how everything else is understood.

Replace general phrases with precise verbs: design, negotiate, roll out, train, reduce, coordinate. Every job entry should show what you did, how you did it and what it produced, while staying within what you can back up at an interview.

Think about the order of your sections as well. If your most relevant experience is not your most recent, a short profile summary of three or four lines at the top steers the reading towards it. That summary should borrow the vocabulary of the ad and say clearly which role you are aiming for.

Verifiable achievements instead of lists of duties

A list of duties describes a job; an achievement describes your contribution. For example, write: introduced a new order-tracking system, adopted by the whole team. Add figures only when you can find them in a document or explain them simply.

Three to five achievements for each recent role are enough. Arrange them according to what the ad asks for, not in the chronological order of your assignments, so that the reader quickly finds what interests them.

Keep a long version of all your achievements in a working document and build each CV by drawing from it. This saves you from rewriting every time, while giving each employer an application that seems written for them.

• An action verb at the start of each line
• Context in one sentence
• An observable result, with figures if possible
• The tool or method you used
• A clear link to the vacancy you are targeting

Acronyms, job titles and degrees: explain without inventing

Spell out the French acronyms that nobody understands abroad. Give the original name of the qualification, then a short explanation of its level and field, for instance the length of the studies and the specialisation. Never write that it is equivalent to a specific foreign degree: only a competent authority can say so.

If official recognition is required to practise your profession, mention that the procedure is under way or being considered, without presenting it as granted. This honesty reassures the recruiter and spares you a contradiction when your file is checked.

Format, language and length: follow the employer’s instructions

Expectations vary between countries: a photo or none, whether to give your age, length, the order of sections, a section on interests. Follow the instructions in the ad and watch the habits of the sector you are targeting. Templates such as the Europass editor can serve as a basis for the European area, while the advice of the National Careers Service sheds light on British practice.

Write in the language requested, or in the language of the ad if nothing is specified. A word-for-word translated CV gives itself away through its phrasing; adapt the expressions rather than copying them across.

The letter: an answer to the vacancy, not a summary of your CV

Your letter should explain why this role, this organisation and this move fit your career. Choose one or two examples that match specific requirements in the ad and develop them: the context, what you did, the result.

Avoid repeating lines from your CV and overlong courtesy formulas. Three or four clear paragraphs, in the tone the employer expects, are worth more than one dense page. Finish with a concrete proposal to talk, rather than a generic thank-you.

Work status and availability: say exactly what is true

State your availability with a realistic date and describe your work status without ambiguity: a work permit you already hold, a procedure the employer would need to start, or a point still to be checked. A foreign recruiter wants to know quickly whether hiring you is possible and on what terms.

Never claim a right you do not yet have. An inaccurate statement can end a recruitment process, or even a contract, and leaves a lasting bad impression in a sector where professionals know each other.

Finally, describe your languages with a level backed by facts: working language for several years, a certificate you have passed, periods of study abroad. A level claimed without support is tested by the first question asked in that language, and a modest but accurate statement beats a flattering adjective.

Have the technical passages proofread by someone competent

Technical terms, names of qualifications and job titles are the first things to be mistranslated. Ask someone who masters the language and, ideally, the trade to read your file: a foreign colleague, a professional contact, a former classmate who lives in the country.

A proofreader does more than correct spelling. They can check that the way you present your duties fits local habits, and that your tone is neither too modest nor too promotional for the professional culture you are aiming at.

Final check before sending: recipient, documents, file format

Before you send anything, check the recipient’s name, the exact job title, the reference of the ad and the documents requested. Respect the file format, the document name and the maximum size given, otherwise an automatic system may reject your application.

Lastly, read it aloud as though you were the recruiter. Every sentence should make sense to someone who has never been to your country. Keep an exact copy of what you sent, because you will need it to prepare for the interview.