10 Tips for Linking Up with a Job in Paris
Finding work is a full-time job, as anyone knows. For expats in France, it can be a 24/7 proposition. Face it, we're battling against our cute accents, Anglo-Saxon mannerisms and lack of connections. Fortunately, the job market is thawing. And the long-range forecast is tropical. Here are 10 tips for weathering your hunt.
1. Pinpoint the hot sectors.
After a decade of double-digit unemployment, France's jobless rate is high -- 9% in January -- but coming down. Headhunters foresee shortages in certain sectors: telecommunications and high-tech, and hotel and restaurant work. English-language teachers and bilingual secretaries are in great demand.
2. Wake up and smell the café.
If you lack French working papers and have nationality outside the European Union, bunker down for a long search. But you say, I am very well-qualified, speak a little French and my mother tongue is English – that must be something! Yes, but. Competing against you are excellent candidates from Britain and Ireland, who have the right to work in France. Package your skills to beat a continent of candidates.
3. Work around the system.
If you are a foreigner with French working papers, you still might be unable to practice your chosen profession. U.S. lawyers, for example, can’t easily work as French lawyers without obtaining the country's credentials, but may be assisted by firms here anxious to retain their services, according to Sam Okoshken, a U.S. lawyer practicing in Paris. These candidates may increase their chances of employment by speaking to firms that cater to expatriates.
4. Target new subsidiaries.
It's counterintuitive, but job opportunities at subsidiaries of your home country are usually limited. Coca-Cola France and the like are in business to sell to France and need native staff. When foreign firms first enter France, however, they do rely on home-grown talent. Try subsidiaries of U.S. high-tech and telecom companies now entering the country.
Rose Marie Burke fell in love with France on her first trip to Paris in 1977. Her career in journalism began in the U.S. with Dow Jones newswires and the Wall Street Journal, and continued after moving to Paris in 1994. Since then, Rose has been freelancing with such national periodicals as Business Week, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, as well as trade and travel publications. She is the author of Working and Living in France: the Ins and Outs, an electronically published guide available through Insider Paris Guides at:
http://www.insiderparisguides.com - Rose’s other online guides are The Insider Guide to Biking in Paris and The Insider Guide to Good Value Paris Hotels. She is co-director of the annual Paris Writers Workshop and the mother of a baby daughter, named Emma.
Also ~ In This Month's Real Estate Quarterly
Owning a Piece of Paris - Adventures In Parisian Real Estate - Owning a Piece of Paris - Adventures In Parisian Real Estate - I now have a little piece of Paris I can call my own and I wouldn't trade it for all the square footage, king-size beds and walk-in closets I used to think life was all about, Stateside, that is. If you are considering owning a piece of Paris, then possibly what I learned in nine months, you can learn in these one thousand or so words - by Adrian Leeds
5. Become a known quantity.
The French hire "who they know,” and then slowly and cautiously. Hiring is expensive, considering all the French work rules and benefits. Plus, firing someone on a permanent contract (contrat de durée indeterminée or CDI), is difficult. Temporary contracts (contrats de durée determinée or CDD) are common. Become a known quantity. Network intensively and politely. Manners require that if someone grants you a favor, return it.
6. Redo that franglais CV.
That basic job tool, the resumé, is different in France. And it's not even called a resumé; the French use the Latin term curriculum vitae -- CV for short. Learn the lingo. There's no such thing as a bachelor's degree here; the closest equivalent is BAC+2. That's shorthand for the baccalaureate (exam at the end of lycée) plus two years of higher education. Examine French CVs; find a French native to edit yours.
7. Please forget the thank-you note.
If you land an interview, cross that cultural threshold at your own risk. The French are formal, mannered and deferential. The handshake can be strong enough to pull a muscle. Dress for French success. Your best khakis aren't appropriate – except for a restaurant job. Don't resist questions about age, marital status or plans to procreate. C'est normal. Be prepared to regurgitate your CV in everyday French. And don't thank the interviewer with a post-rendez-vous note; it's just not done.
8. Don't knock open doors.
Many expats in Paris avoid English-speaking organizations like the plague, wanting to immerse themselves in French culture. That's fine. However, many groups have formal and informal job resources: bulletin boards, talks and workshops. Employers see them as pools of bilingual personnel. Volunteering can help expand your network.
9. Don't get stuck in a rut.
Some job seekers rely on one strategy, like signing up with an agency. That works for hot job sectors like high-tech and bilingual secretarial, but not for the one entry-level marketing job le tout Paris wants. But don't ignore them either. Several cabinets de recrutement specialize in bilingual employment. : Headhunters (chasseurs de têtes) are helpful for executive positions. Except for the top jobs, most agencies seek people with working papers.
10. Try temping.
Work through temporary employment agencies is open to those with working papers. EU citizens, though, may work for their first three months in France hassle-free. Secretarial and accounting are in big demand. There are several agences d’intérim that specialize in placing bilingual French-English workers like GR Interim, MCS International and Selpro-Sélection Professionnelle.
While finding a job in France is daunting, consider it a rite of passage into higher Frenchness. Along the way, don't lose your Anglo-Saxon je ne sais quoi. While French job-seekers are more passive, we are generally more active, optimistic and open to risk. Don't lose the Pollyanna in you. As you pound the pavement, it's more sustaining than shot of café.
Here are 9 top job-hunting links:
1. American Chamber of Commerce directory of U.S. firms in France:
http://www.amchamfrance.org/directory.html -
2. French-American Chamber of Commerce job offers:
http://www.faccparisfrance.com/them/9job001.htm -
3. Cadres Online :
http://www.cadresonline.com -
4. Professional Women's Network:
http://www.pwn.link.be/ -
5. Egon Zehnder International's online career management service for executives:
http://www.aspstreet.com/pr/a.taf/idpr,13753 -
6. Openings through Kelly Services:
http://www.kellyservices.fr/Maj0300/Annonces/ -
7. Plus Intérim openings:
http://www.plusinterim.fr/offres/index.htm -
8. International Herald Tribune job offers:
http://www.iht.com/frontpage.html -
9. ANPE, Agence Nationale pour l’Emploi, interactive job search:
http://www.anpe.fr/index.jsp -
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