Conseils pour rédiger un CV et une lettre de motivation

La lettre de motivation

La lettre de motivation se doit d’être dactylographiée. Une lettre manuscrite passera pour un manque de rigueur. De plus, les Anglais font très peu usage de la graphologie.

Adressez votre lettre en anglais, même lorsqu’il s’agit d’une compagnie française.

Le nom du candidat doit figurer en haut à droite, le nom du destinataire un peu plus bas à gauche. Elle doit être succincte, pas plus d’une page et plus directe que le modèle français.

N’omettez pas d’expliquer votre projet professionnel en évitant de répéter les informations du CV.

Insistez sur votre capacité d’adaptation et votre détermination.

Indiquez vos dates de disponibilité si vous pensez que cela est nécessaire au poste

Il est extrêmement important de rédiger la lettre avec grand soin. N’oubliez pas qu’il s’agit en quelque sorte de faire la publicité d’un produit : vous !

Et c’est le premier moyen dont vous disposez pour montrer certains aspects de votre personnalité et de votre style. Votre lettre doit aller droit au but, être facile à lire et doit indiquer des faits, et non des opinions.

Préparation :

Faites des recherches sur l’entreprise avant d’entreprendre la rédaction de la lettre.

Individualisez votre lettre en fonction du destinataire et de ce que vous aurez appris de l’entreprise.

Format de la lettre :

Le plus souvent, la lettre contient quatre parties, sur une seule page :
 Dans la première partie, vous devrez faire référence à l’emploi pour lequel vous postulez et à la source d’information grâce à laquelle vous avez eu connaissance de l’offre.
 La deuxième partie fait état de vos qualifications et de votre expérience. Soyez bref et essayez de ne pas être redondant par rapport à votre CV.
 Dans la troisième partie, mettez en avant vos points forts et montrez en quoi ils vous permettront de correspondre au profile demandé.

Évitez d’utiliser des clichés et de vous décrire comme la personne la plus "géniale", mais soyez positif, confiant, et sachez mettre en valeur vos spécificités.

Si possible, illustrez vos propos par des exemples concrets (exemple : résultats commerciaux, réalisations).

Terminez votre lettre en réaffirmant votre intérêt pour le poste et votre disponibilité pour en discuter lors d’un entretien.

Formules courantes :

 I am writing to you in response to your advertisement in the ... for the vacancy of ... ".
 I would like to apply for the position of ...... as advertised in the "....."
 With regard to my particular interest in your company, I am writing in anticipation that you may have any vacancies related to the areas of ....
 As you will see from my enclosed Curriculum Vitae, I graduated from the University of ....... and since then I have had a successful year working as a ....
 Due to my keen interest in .... I am now seeking a position in that field.- I am seeking a position involving contacts in an international environment.
 I believe my skills and experience match your requirements closely.
 I have extensive experience in publishing and customer service,
 My varied work experience has developed and consolidated my excellent communication/organisational skills and initiative whilst ....
 I am enclosing a Curriculum Vitae for your perusal which I trust contains all the information you may require.
 You will see from the enclosed Curriculum Vitae that I am fluent in several European languages and that I possess a good knowledge of a variety of computer packages.
 I would like to consider any other relevant position you may have. Should yo require any further details or should you wish to discuss my suitability for the position, please do not hesitate to contact me. Furthermore, I would like to inform you that I am available immediately. I look forward to hearing from you in the very near future
 Yours sincerely,

Le Curriculum Vitae

Le CV comporte quelques spécificités.

Sur la forme : il est conseillé de se limiter à deux pages, format A4 et d’indiquer au haut de la page votre nom, votre adresse et votre numéro de téléphone.

Vous pouvez commencer par une courte introduction appelée "Objective" ou "Personal Profile" et rédigée à la première personne (4 lignes maximum), qui présente votre expérience, ainsi que le poste ou la fonction que vous recherchez.

Si vos premières expériences professionnelles vous ont déjà apporté une certaine compétence, il est préférable de commencer par la rubrique "Employment" ou "Career History" ou bien encore "Experience". Mentionnez d’abord votre expérience la plus récente. Il est très important d’insister sur les tâches précises que vous avez effectuées.

Evitez les vides chronologiques.

Vient ensuite la rubrique "Education and Qualification" dans laquelle doit figurer votre formation scolaire ou universitaire. Si elle est très spécifique et qu’une équivalence semble difficile à établir, expliquez concrètement en quoi elle a consisté.

Pour connaitre les équivalences entre diplômes français et anglais, adressez-vous au :

British Council - France9 rue de Constantine 75007 Paris Tél. 0033 (0)1 49 55 73 00 information@britishcouncil.fr

ou bien au :UK Naric, Ecctis 2000 Ltd, Oriel House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 1XP - Tél. 00 44 (0)1242 260 010naric@ecctis2000.co.uk

Les compétences informatiques et linguistiques apparaissent sous la rubrique "Languages and Other skills" : pratique et maîtrise de logiciels et d’autres langues étrangères.

Précisez votre niveau. La rubrique "Additional information" ou "Interests" peut accrocher un employeur potentiel si les loisirs sont originaux ou liés au poste recherché. Mettez en avant les activités associatives que vous avez menées.

Enfin, il est important d’ajouter les coordonnées de deux personnes qui pourront vous recommander sous la rubrique "References" ou "Referees".
Si vous ne souhaitez pas mettre les noms sur votre CV, veuillez ajouter une phrase indiquant qu’ils sont disponibles sur demande "References available on request".

Exemple :

Firstname, Surname (in large, bold type)
Full address
City, Postcode

Telephone
Mobile
e-mail

Personal profile : A brief, business-like description of yourself

Ex : A reliable, conscientious and efficient computer-literate administrator with good secretarial and organisational skills. Proficient at working both on own initiative and as part of a team.

Key skills : Your main skills if you have some (not relevant section if you are a recent graduate), particularly those relevant to the job you are applying for

Career History

Name of the Company and dates of employment
Job Title
Description of your duties and responsabilities

Brief description of what you achieved in this position

and so on

Education and Training

Starting with the highest, most recent OR most relevant qualification.
Name of School, College, or University
Date you attended
Qualification you achieved
You could include brief details of the subjects covered by the course,
especially if you have recently qualified.

Don’t go back further than your senior or secondary school

Professionnal training

Details of any professional training undertaken at work (qualification or skill achieved)

Personal Details Date of birth
Driving licence
Nationality - optional
Interests and activities - brief details

References - usually : "available on request"

MOTS CLES

General keywords which can be used in the CV

- positive adjectives

Able
Accurate
Adaptable
Adroit
Adventurous
Alert
Ambitious
Analytical
Appreciative
Articulate
Assertive
Astute
Attractive

Bilingual
Bright

Calm
Capable
Competent
Confident
Consistent
Co-operative
Creative

Decisive
Dedicated
Dependable
Diligent
Diplomatic

Educated
Effective
Efficient
Energetic
Enthusiastic
Experienced
Expert

Fast
Firm
Fit
Flexible
Friendly

Gregarious

Hardworking
Healthy
Honest
Human
Humane

Imaginative
Independent
Informed
Ingenious
Innovative
Intelligent
Inventive

Knowledgeable

Literate
Loyal

Mature
Methodical
Motivated
Multilingual

Non-smoking

Objective
Open-minded
Organised
Outgoing
Outstanding

Patient
People-oriented
Perceptive
Persistent
Personable
Pioneering
Poised
Practical
Principled
Productive
Professional
Proficient
Punctual

Qualified
Quick
Quick-thinking
Rational
Ready
Realistic
Reliable
Resourceful
Responsible
Robust

Scrupulous
Self-assured
Self-confident
Self-motivated
Self-reliant
Sensitive
Serious
Shrewd
Skilled
Smart
Spirited
Stable
Strong
Successful
Supportive

Tactful
Talented
Tenacious
Thorough
Thoughtful
Trained
Trustworthy

Versatile
Vigorous

Well-educated
Well-groomed
Willing
Witty

Young
Youthful

-Action words

Accelerated
Accessed
Achieved
Acquired
Acted
Administered
Advised
Analysed
Appointed
Appraised
Arranged
Assigned
Assisted
Attended

Booked
Broadened
Budgeted

Checked
Coached
Collaborated
Competed
Communicated
Compiled
Conceived
Conducted
Consulted
Contributed
Controlled
Coordinated
Correlated
Created

Delegated
Demonstrated
Designed
Determined
Developed
Devised
Diagnosed
Directed
Doubled

Edited
Effected
Eliminated
Enabled
Eliminated

Established

Evaluated
Executed
Exercised
Expanded
Expedited
Explored

Facilitated
Fostered
Formulated
Founded

Generated
Guided

Handled
Harmonised
Headed
Helped
Hired

Identified
Implemented
Improved
Increased
Initiated
Installed
Instituted
Instructed
Interacted
Invented
Investigated

Launched
Led
Liaised

Maintained
Managed
Marketed
Mentored
Monitored
Motivated

Negotiated

Opened
Operated
Organised

Oversaw

Participated
Performed
Pinpointed
Pioneered
Planned
Prepared
Presented
Processed
Produced
Programmed
Promoted
Proposed
Provided
Purchased

Recommended
Recruited
Recorded
Reduced
Reorganised
Reported
Represented
Researched
Resolved
Restored
Restructured
Reviewed
Revised

Saved
Scheduled
Secured
Selected
Set up
Shaped
Sold
Solved
Structured
Supervised

Taught
Tested
Trained

Upgraded
Used
Utilised

Visualised

Won
Wrote

Specific keywords for administration and management

Advised
Approved
Authorised

Chaired
Consolidated
Counselled

Delegated
Determined
Developed
Diagnosed
Directed

Disseminated

Enforced
Ensured
Examined
Explained

Governed
Guided

Headed
Influenced
Initiated
Inspired
Installed
Instituted
Instructed
Integrated

Launched
Lectured
Listened

Managed
Mediated
Mentored
Moderated
Monitored
Motivated

Negotiated

Originated
Oversaw

Pioneered
Presided
Prioritised
Processed
Promoted

Recommended
Redirected
Referred
Reorganised
Represented
Responded
Reviewed
Routed

Sponsored
Streamlined
Strengthened
Supervised

Taught
Trained

Validated

Specific keywords for communications and creativity

Acted
Addressed
Arranged
Assessed
Authored

Briefed
Built

Clarified
Composed
Conducted
Constructed
Corresponded
Costumed
Created
Critiqued

Demonstrated
Designed
Developed
Directed
Edited
Enabled

Facilitated
Fashioned
Formulated

Influenced
Initiated
Interpreted
Interviewed
Introduced
Invented

Launched
Lectured

Modernised

Performed
Planned
Presented
Produced
Projected
Proof-read
Publicised
Published
Realised
Reconciled
Recruited
Rectified
Remodelled
Reported
Revitalised
Scheduled
Screened
Shaped
Stimulated
Summarised
Taught
Trained
Translated
Wrote

Specific keywords for office support

Adhered
Administered
Allocated
Applied
Appropriated
Assisted
Assured
Attained
Awarded

Balanced
Budgeted
Built

Charted
Completed
Contributed
Co-ordinated
Cut

Defined
Determined
Dispensed
Distributed
Documented
Drafted

Enacted
Enlarged
Evaluated
Examined
Executed

Followed up
Formalised
Formulated
Hired

Identified
Implemented
Improved
Installed
Instituted

Justified

Liaised

Maintained
Managed

Operated
Ordered
Organised

Packaged
Planned
Prepared
Prescribed
Processed
Provided
Recorded
Repaired
Reshaped
Resolved

Scheduled
Screened
Secured
Solved
Started