Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Like what you can see through all the comments, there is no "European way of applying", even though there is officially a "European type CV", but don't know much about it.

I just went through the process recently (in France), and what I know is true for sure in mainland Europe is :

* No more than 2 pages. Make it 1 if you can (I worked quite hard to make fit everything I wanted into 1 page, but if you really had a lot of projects showing a wide range of skills, it can be hard). If you have less than 5 years of XP, I'd say only 1 page.

* Picture : This depends per country. In Germany, it's practically mandatory (except maybe in some more "international" startups, don't know about that). In France, it is not, but the latest trend is to put one. Reading elsewhere in this thread, in the UK, it seems you should not put one.

* Cover letter : in France it is highly appreciated (especially if there is an HR person/department) and you should put good time into it and definitely tailor it to the company you are applying to (you can still have pattern though, that helps to write them much faster).

* Github profile can help but that really depends on which type of company you're applying to I think.

* Degrees : That really depends. I guess (hope) in the startup world it is less important, but in "normal company" in France and Germany, they value it a lot (one would say too much) but of course, you can't change that. You can try to counterbalance it in your cover letter though.

Hope this helps.




I'm curious, what possible use does a picture have in the hiring process? Doesn't it open up companies to accusations of discrimination?


I guess it does not otherwise they would not ask it :)

I guess it's just cultural. I'm not German so I can't answer more than that.

As for France (I'm French but I was not working in France for the past 6 years), I have the impression it's just a trend that comes and goes.


frankly, I was hiring in France, and I don't think it really made a difference to me (and I don't see the point either). Actually I would not hire based on CV/cover letter. I directly paid a restaurant to most candidates who could show some code.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: