This article is about the classic CV / resume and the accompanying cover letter that you will almost certainly have to send in English at least once in your life. The letter is more difficult, so give it more time. We'll come to the letter later. There is not a 'right or wrong' answer for either document, but the CV / resume can be dealt with in a number of points that you should check.
Check the following for the CV:
I am very easy to contact
I follow standard practice for the culture to which I'm submitting the application
I'm aware of US and Canada / UK vocabulary differences
I've checked ways to translate French education vocabulary
I do not have spelling, capitalization or vocabulary mistakes in my main headings
my style is consistent
the CV is achievement oriented
I've double-checked for silly mistakes
it will look good in any format, file or printed
That seems to be simple, but if you go over this step by step:
I am very easy to contact
Test this, using whichever ways you want for your contact. Most people remember to use an international phone prefix, but if you mistakenly translate your French street name into English, don't expect a letter to arrive. (Yes, we know contact by post would be rare, but it just looks terrible if you make the 'rue' to 'street' translation.)
The main point for helping you to be contacted easily is – guess – your name prominently displayed at the top of the CV.
I follow standard practice for the culture to which I'm submitting the application
The main point to note is that, especially for the US, your photo should not figure on the document. The reason given for this is to avoid discrimination against someone on the basis of their physical appearance. There will be disagreements about this subject on internet, but it would involve you in a long search.
I'm aware of US and Canada / UK vocabulary differences
Basically, don't use, for example, 'equivalent to A Level' if writing to the US, as it wouldn't be understood. The word 'baccalaureate' is used in English.
Use 'maths' for the UK, 'math' for North America, and especially don't mix them in the same document. The word 'mathematics' will always work.
I've checked ways to translate French education vocabulary
As education systems differ in various countries, it may be difficult to translate, for example, 'DUT' or 'BTS'. Find a web page in English describing them and / or check with other people. Similarly, to check that you have the correct education vocabulary in English you could use the English wikipedia articles on 'Master of Engineering' and 'Bachelor of Engineering' or visit the website of any university in the English-speaking world which is known for its engineering courses.
I do not have spelling, capitalization or vocabulary mistakes in my main headings
First impressions are important, so make sure that you are OK on this point. For example, the category 'professional experience' gives you the opportunity to misspell the first word and incorrectly put an 's' on the end of the second one. 'Hobbies' is a very bad name for a category; it's too restrictive as not many people actually have hobbies. Use something like 'interests' instead.
my style is consistent
This may include thinking about using a maximum of two fonts, and knowing when you want to use each, keeping headings the same font size etc. However, being consistent is often about language. One way of representing information on a CV is to not use complete sentences ('worked as a salesperson') or to favour nouns ('part-time work in the sales department') If you do this, it's not a good idea to then give other information which is in the form of a complete sentence ('I worked in the sales department'). Also, make sure that your use of capitalization is consistent. A bad CV in this respect might contain 'Computer science' – which is wrong anyway, as the 's' should be capitalized too – and further on either 'Computer Science' or 'computer science'.
the CV is achievement oriented
Use verbs which show what you learned and accomplished. If the CV is too short, is there an extra project which you could mention, even if it was only partly successful?
I've double-checked for silly mistakes
Everybody makes mistakes. Did you leave a word or two in French, or even just leave an accent on a vowel? Are you sure that you (correctly) used a capital first letter everywhere for months of the year and language / nationality adjectives? (April, Chinese: beginner …)
it will look good in any format, file or printed
If it looks great in colour, how will it look in black and white? Is the format you send it in viewable by almost anyone immediately? (This will normally be .pdf.) An important point here is whether viewing the CV in a different format will give an unwanted 'one extra line' on page 2. In general, it's probably best to ignore advice about fitting all the information onto one page. You may already have too much experience to be able to do that, so try to semi-fill a second page if you need one. Finally, whitespace is good, but only if you don't desperately need to put some text where it is.
Concerning the cover letter, the most basic point is its layout. It's easy to find suggested models on internet. They should look something like the following:
your address / email top right, but not your name
the date just below the address
your correspondent's name or position and address top left
three or four relatively short paragraphs, each with an objective
your name, first name first, at the end
Just as for the CV, we can go over these points:
your address / email top right, but not your name
Many people do, however, put their name in a larger font centre-top. This is fine, and can look good.
the date just below the address
Using 'name of the month – space-- number of the day – comma – space – full number of the year' will avoid problems with the different US and UK date formats. Also avoid using '1st', '2nd, '3rd' etc. as you are likely to make mistakes.
your correspondent's name or position and address top left
Very often, you will not have a name to write to. If you do, put both the name and the person's role in the company at the top of the company's address.
three or four relatively short paragraphs, each with an objective
It's fairly standard to say (a) why you're writing, (b) something specific about your skills, (c) how working with the company can be mutually beneficial, (d) that you would like to stay in touch.
your name, first name first, at the end
In English it's usual to type only the initial letter of your surname as a capital letter, not your complete surname. However, it's not shocking if you do this, and it's more important to remember the basic principle of 'first name first'.
To describe the letter's intention before the rest of the text, make sure that you use:
Subject: [the letter's subject] and never 'Object'.
Opening and closing salutations are often a problem. If you don't have a name to write to and don't know the person's gender, use something like:
'Dear Sir / Madam / Ms' (You can invert these if you like and put 'Sir' in the final position.)
'Dear [Human Resources Manager]' is also fine.
If you have a name, but are not sure whether the person is a man or a woman, try 'Dear Mr / Mrs / Ms [name].
If you know that you're writing to a man, 'Dear Mr [name]' is standard and polite, but if the person has given you his complete name in an ad, 'Dear [James Bond] is perfectly OK.
If a woman has given you her complete name, using it, as in 'Dear [full name] helps you to avoid having to choose between 'Mrs' and 'Ms'.
Never use 'Dear Mister'.
For the closing salutation, 'Sincerely' is fine, but make sure that you spell it correctly. You could learn British variants for letter salutations, but it's probably not worth it. Use 'Best Regards', if you want to, only after more than one contact.
The language of the letter is, of course, you responsibility. Here is just one basic point which always occurs at the beginning. When you write a letter, you're doing it now, so use, for example, 'I am writing to you in response to your ad …' and not 'I write to you'.
Finally, here are some example sentences – real ones – which will help you to decide what and how you want to write. They don't really contain language errors. You just have to decide which ones you like and which ones you don't.
Opening sentence, after opening salutation and subject:
a) I have heard about [your company's name] at school, as I am a student in telecommunication systems.
b) With reference to your advertisement on your website (IRC*****), I am applying for an internship.
c) I am writing to you because I am very interested in being a Database Analyst.
Beginning of paragraph 2:
d) I am currently looking for an internship in order to complete my education.
e) My double diploma in both technology and mathematics allows me to have the background necessary for such an internship.
f) Your offer for an internship greatly interests me as it seems to be a unique experience and opportunity to get involved in such a fast-growing and well-known company.
Last paragraph:
g) It [the internship] would be a good launch for my career. In exchange, I could help you to develop your project.
h) I am motivated and reliable. I think that my work could help you.
i) I would be very grateful if you would accept my application in your company from April to July [year].
j) I hope that, on consideration of my CV, you will be persuaded of my ability to perform well on this training scheme and to make a real contribution as a member of your firm.
Last sentence before closing salutation:
k) Thanking you in anticipation,
l) Thank you for your time and consideration.
m) If you need any further information, I would be pleased to answer.
n) I appreciate the time you have taken to review my enclosed resume and I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience to discuss my application and to meeting with you for a personal interview.
o) I hope to meet you soon to discuss my application.