What's wrong with the FRENCH JOB MARKET?!!!
Hey everyone, I completed my B.Eng. in Industrial & Production Engineering and recently finished my MSc in Operations Research and Risk Analytics at CentraleSupélec. Back in Bangladesh, I was a national-level Math Olympiad participant, and I also have experience in supply chain case competitions, where my team ranked among the top teams. I've also been working on my French. I completed A2 and started B1 last month.
Yet somehow, I can't even get a job at McDonald's here in France.
I've tried different CV formats, rewritten my cover letters in different tones, and tailored my applications to different positions. But the outcome is almost always the same: rejection, or simply no response at all.
The most frustrating part isn't even the rejection itself. It's not knowing why. If I knew what I was doing wrong, I could work on it. Is it my CV? My lack of professional experience? My French? The job market? Or am I missing something fundamental about how recruitment works in France?
I studied Operations Research, where we use mathematical models to make better decisions under uncertainty. But honestly, I've never encountered uncertainty quite like this. At least in a mathematical model, you can usually identify the variables. Here, I don't even know which ones I'm supposed to be optimising.
I'm not looking for sympathy. I'd genuinely appreciate some honest advice, especially from international graduates who have navigated the French job market. What am I potentially doing wrong, and what would you recommend I change?
At this point, even a little clarity would be a huge relief. Merci