The Cover Letter (Page 5 of 7) in pdf

The Cover Letter in French

La lettre de motivation

Keep in mind…



a handwritten letter may be requested (see below)



the letter should fit on one page in most cases



letters in French are more formal than those written in English: make sure you use the right

“polite expressions!”



the overall tone of the letter must be one of modesty, respect, even deference, which

nevertheless draws attention to your strengths and accomplishments. An aggressive or

overly boastful letter will not work in your favor.



the structure of the letter -- with the basic three paragraphs mentioned previously -- can be

the same as the cover letter in English, with similar content.



if a company is interested in you they will call or email -- and if they are not interested, or if

they are putting your letter on file, you will receive a letter (or nothing).



plain white paper is best

To type or not to type?

If you are answering a classified advertisement, it is customary to hand write your cover letter. Be

aware that your letter (and the envelope!) may be analyzed by a graphologist (handwriting

expert). Apparently, if you are left-handed, you should indicate this at the bottom of your letter as

the handwriting analysis will be very different! If you are sending a letter “spontaneously” (i.e. an

unsolicited application), you need not hand write your letter.

If you are concerned about your handwriting being used against you (as any of us who have not

learned handwriting in French schools should be), you can consider sending a “fausse lettre

spontanée” -- you saw the ad, you are addressing the requirements of the ad, but you are

pretending you did not see it and are simply contacting that company because it interests you.

You would then not need to hand write the letter. You also do not need to worry about hand

writing your letter if you are requested to send your application by email, but you may be asked

to hand write something at the interview stage.

Sample Sentences for a Cover Letter in French

Premier paragraphe :

Suite à une information que j’ai reçue du Service Stages et Orientation Carrières de The

American University of Paris, je vous présente ma candidature pour le poste de (intitulé du

poste).

Le professeur (nom du professeur) m’a conseillé de vous écrire, car je suis à la recherche d’un

stage pendant la période d’été.

Votre annonce parue dans le Figaro a retenu toute mon attention.

Suite à l’annonce parue dans le FUSAC du (date), je me permets de poser ma candidature au

poste de (intitulé du poste).

Récemment diplômé(e) en Littérature comparée de The American University of Paris, je vous

adresse ma candidature pour un poste de (intitulé du poste).

A la recherche d’un premier emploi, je souhaite m’orienter dans le domaine de l’import-export.

Deuxième paragraphe :

Actuellement étudiant(e) en Communication internationale, de nationalité (votre nationalité), je

pense avoir le profil qui conviendrait à ce poste.

The Cover Letter Page 5

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