My rule: “vous” by default, “tu” by choice
When you create an ad with me, I address candidates as “vous” by default. The formal “vous” offends nobody: it is the ordinary politeness of a first meeting, and an application is a first meeting.
The informal “tu”, on the other hand, is a brand choice. It belongs to you. I never impose it and I never switch to “tu” of my own accord.
There is only one situation where I bring it up: when your own ad is already written with “tu”. If you paste in an offer that uses “tu”, I suggest switching to “tu” everywhere. You then have two buttons: “Passer au tu” (switch to “tu”) or “Garder le vous” (keep “vous”). Both are real choices, and I remember the one you make.
When “tu” makes sense
Using “tu” is neither more modern nor more effective in itself. It is right when it sounds like your company. A few pointers:
| Situation | “Tu” can make sense if… | “Vous” remains safer if… |
|---|---|---|
| Fast food, retail, leisure | your brand already uses “tu” with its customers, face to face as on its social media | your teams use “vous” with each other day to day |
| Summer jobs, first jobs, work-study | you are speaking to a young audience and the atmosphere is relaxed | you are also recruiting more experienced profiles with the same ad |
| Industry, construction, logistics | it is the tone of the workshop and you are happy to put it in writing | you do not know who will read the ad |
| Health, social care, local authorities, managerial roles | rarely | almost always |
The right test is simple: picture your team leader welcoming the candidate on their first day. If they say “tu”, the ad can say “tu”. If they say “vous”, keep “vous”. An ad that uses “tu” followed by an interview that uses “vous” is a small broken promise.
The real trap: switching register along the way
What shocks a candidate is neither “tu” nor “vous”: it is the mix. An ad that uses “tu”, a page that uses “vous”, then a text message that goes back to “tu”: it feels like talking to three different companies.
That is why your choice applies everywhere the candidate reads you:
| What the candidate sees | The register follows your choice |
|---|---|
| The ad on Facebook or Instagram | yes |
| The built-in Facebook form | yes |
| The landing page and its form | yes |
| The screening questions | yes |
| The written exchange with me | yes |
| The ad visuals | yes |
| The text messages and emails sent to the candidate | yes |
Two clarifications. As for you, I always address you as “vous”: the setting concerns your candidates, not our relationship. And if you change your mind afterwards, the texts already written for a page do not rewrite themselves: the simplest thing is to choose from the start.
Are you a recruitment firm or a temp agency?
Your candidates read your client's brand, not yours. So the register is set client by client, on each client's record. A fast food chain can use “tu”, an industrial group “vous”, and you have nothing to remember: I remember it for you.
What I will not tell you
You will sometimes read that “using tu increases applications by X%”. I have not measured it and I will not give you a figure I do not have. What I do know is that a tone that sounds like the company attracts people who are like it.
In short
- I address your candidates as “vous” by default.
- “Tu” is a brand choice: I suggest it only if your ad already uses “tu”, and I never impose it.
- It makes sense when your team and your brand already use “tu”.
- Your choice applies everywhere: ad, page, form, questions, text messages, emails. As for you, I always address you as “vous”.
