For a long time, theprofessional interview was experienced as a mostly regulatory event: useful for framing obligations, but not always decisive for moving the courses forward. In many organizations, it has ended up looking like a compliance exercise, sometimes disconnected from real changes in jobs and the aspirations of employees.
With the reform introduced by the Law No. 2025-989, the change is as much semantic as it is practical: the interview becomes a career interview (EPP). In other words, we are no longer limited to “taking stock”, we are more interested in Project yourself, to identify paths of evolution, and to better support transitions.
This evolution recalls a dynamic that is already well known in HR: The passage of the GPEC at GEPP, where we have moved from a logic of “forecasting” to a more continuous and operational approach to skills and careers. The common thread remains the same: strengthen employability, taking into account the transformations of professions and the extension of careers.
For the HR Business Partners, the challenge is very concrete: new benchmarks, clarified content, traceability to be secured, and above all a stronger expectation of support for managers. For the DRH, the EPP can also become a point of support for combining compliance, HR performance and skills management
Before we get into the details of the changes, let's clarify a common question.
Origin and ambitions of the reform of professional interviewing
The legal framework: law No. 2025-989
The transformation of professional maintenance into career interview is part of the Law No. 2025-989, published in the Official Journal and available on Légifrance.
Without upsetting the general architecture of the device, the text introduces several structural evolutions. First, a new name which reflects a change of intention: it is no longer just a question of taking stock periodically, but of making the exchange part of a logic of career and professional projection. Second, the reform clarifies and strengthens some obligations, in particular in terms of content, traceability and coordination with existing training and support systems.
The effective timetable is, for its part, modulated according to the existence or not of collective agreements. This approach aims to leave businesses room for adaptation, while establishing a common framework designed to harmonize practices by 2026.
Through this text, the legislator pursues a clear objective: better secure career paths, anticipate the risks of breakage or obsolescence, and strengthen the links between training, skills and employment. The interview thus becomes an anchor point in a more global HR policy, and no longer a simple isolated appointment.
A logic of assumed employability
Beyond the legal framework, the reform marks an assumed transition from an interview perceived as statics to a resolutely interview vibrant. Where the professional interview was often limited to noting a situation at a given moment, the career interview invites you to look further ahead, to consider developments and to identify levers for adaptation.
This evolution echoes the profound transformations in work:
What are the differences between a professional interview and a career interview?
The differences between the professional interview (EP) and the career interview (EPP) relate to three key points:
- The objective : EPP focuses on career and employability, whereas EP mainly aimed at complying with legal obligations.
- The content : EPP is based on broad mandatory themes, including skills, developments and support.
- The logic : the EPP places the exchange in a medium and long term projection, and no longer in a simple periodic point.
In this context, the EPP is not intended to be a simple monitoring tool. It fits more like a prevention tool, capable of identifying support, training or mobility needs in advance. With an emphasis on employability, the reform seeks to promote courses that are more fluid, more secure, and better aligned with economic and organizational realities.
From professional interviews to career interviews: what is changing in concrete terms
A new name for a new meaning
The passage of theprofessional interview To thecareer interview is not a simple terminological adjustment. The term rangelands reflects a profound evolution in the philosophy of the device.
The interview no longer aims only to periodically review the training, but to include the exchange in a Projection in time. It is becoming a space of continuous dialogue, making it possible to address possible trajectories, planned transitions and adaptation needs throughout the career.
This evolution also involves a shared accountability :
- The employee is invited to express its aspirations and projects,
- The company, for its part, must create favorable conditions for the development and maintenance of employability.
- For HR teams and managers, the posture is changing: it is no longer just a question of informing, but ofaccompany.
A redesigned periodicity in a logic of simplification
Another major change introduced by the reform: the reorganization of the periodicity interviews, now formalized in the Labor Code.
The new pace is based on three key deadlines:
- a first career interview in the year following hiring,
- then a professional career interview Every 4 years,
- and a summary report of the course Every 8 years.
The stated objective is twofold: Simplify the device and reduce the administrative burden, while maintaining regular points of contact with employees.
To fully understand evolution, we can summarize as follows:
Before the reform
- information on the right to an interview when hiring,
- professional maintenance every 2 years,
- summary report every 6 years.
After the reform
- Information on the right to an interview at the job and interview in the year following hiring,
- career interview every 4 years,
- summary report every 8 years.
The reform also provides important clarifications on the organization of the interview:
- He must stand During working time,
- It is driven by the line manager or management representative,
- and it remains mandatory after certain absences (parental leave, sabbatical, long illness...), unless an EPP has already taken place in the last 12 months.
For HRBPs, this new periodicity implies a rescheduling interview campaigns, but also better readability over time, in particular in line with existing collective agreements.
Key moments of the journey better identified
Beyond the general pace, the reform introduces specific career interviews, organized at key moments in professional life, in order to better anticipate support needs.
Two situations are particularly targeted:
- At the end of the mid-career medical examination (often around age 45)
An interview should be arranged within two months. Where appropriate, it integrates the recommendations of the occupational physician: prevention of professional wear and tear, adaptation of the position, retention in employment. - In the two years preceding the age of 60
A specific interview is planned to discuss end-of-career conditions: adjustment of the position or working time, evolution of missions, even preparation for gradual retirement.
These devices reflect a clear desire to: better support seniors and include age management in a custom path logic, rather than in a uniform or belated approach. Professional career maintenance thus becomes a preventive tool, in the service of the continuity of professional trajectories.
The content of the career interview (EPP)
The 6 mandatory themes to address
The reform does more than just redefine the pace of interviews. It also specifies a core of mandatory themes who should structure the exchange. The objective is not to impose a fixed questionnaire, but to guarantee a common framework, centered on career and employability.
These themes constitute a common thread, which HR teams and managers must take ownership of in order to transform the interview into a real useful exchange time.
1. The skills mobilized in the position and their possible evolution
The legal framework expects an overview of the skills and qualifications used in the current position. Concretely, the exchange makes it possible to identify what is currently under control, but also to anticipate developments related to business transformations. It's less about evaluating and more about understanding how skills can evolve or be strengthened.
2. The professional career and the situation of the employee in the company
This theme invites us to take a step back from where we have come. It allows the current position to be placed on a wider trajectory, taking into account past experiences and medium-term perspectives. For HRBPs, this is a key point in detecting adjustment needs or weak signals.
3. Training needs
The career interview should make it possible to identify training needs, whether they are related to the position held, to a planned evolution or to a retraining project. The challenge is to articulate these needs with the skills development plan of the company.
4. Wishes for professional development
Skills development, internal mobility, job change, professional transition: EPP explicitly opens the space to express aspirations. The aim is not to promise, but to Discuss realistic perspectives, in line with the opportunities and needs of the organization.
5. The mobilization of the CPF
The personal training account is now an integral part of the exchange. The interview makes it possible to inform the employee about the methods of mobilizing the CPF, possible contributions and eligible projects. It is a concrete lever to support development or evolution projects, in addition to internal mechanisms.
6. Recourse to professional development advice (CEP)
Finally, the interview should address the existence of CEP, free support system. The challenge is not to provide systematic guidance, but to ensure that the employee is aware of this possibility and can use it if necessary to clarify his project.
From information gathering to structured dialogue
Taken in isolation, these themes could give rise to a purely formal approach, consisting of check boxes to meet regulatory requirements. This is precisely what the reform seeks to avoid.
On the contrary, the career interview aims to structure a dialogue :
- useful for the employee, by offering him visibility on his prospects,
- useful for the company, by informing the choices in terms of skills management, mobility and training
In this context, the role of HR Business Partners is central. They intervene beforehand to prepare managers, provide reading grids, supports and common references. Their mission is also to ensure the homogeneity of practices and the quality of exchanges, so that EPP becomes a real tool for managing courses, and not an isolated exercise.
Obligations, traceability and BDESE: what HR must secure
Stronger but clarified requirements
The reform of professional maintenance does not create an inflation of new obligations, but it clarifies and formalizes requirements that are already widely present in HR practices. The main issue is therefore not so much the novelty as the reliability of execution.
In particular, the career interview must:
- To be realized within the scheduled time by the new periodicity,
- To stand During working time,
- be the subject of a formalized traceability.
For HR teams, this means securing both the calendar, the media used and the proofs of completion.
Traceability at the heart of the system
Traceability is not an end in itself, but a key security element for the company. It makes it possible to demonstrate that the interviews took place, that they covered the mandatory themes and that they gave rise to a real exchange.
Concretely, this means maintaining:
- the date of the interview,
- the themes addressed,
- the summary elements or the decisions taken,
- where appropriate, the actions envisaged (training, support, development).
Insufficient traceability exposes the company to a legal risk, especially in the event of control or litigation, in particular on topics related to the CPF.
Articulation with the BDESE
The reform also reinforces the link between career maintenance and BDESE. Information from EPPs feeds a more global vision of HR policies: training, skills, career paths and age management.
For HR directors, this joint allows:
- to consolidate a macro reading of the trajectories,
- to objectify skills development policies,
- and to better manage employability issues over the long term.
For HRBPs, it is also a lever for structure the ground lifts and give them a collective impact, beyond each interview taken in isolation.
When and how should the reform of professional maintenance be implemented?
The implementation of the professional interview reform depends on the existence or not of a collective agreement.
In the absence of agreement, the new rules apply immediately. In the presence of an existing collective agreement, companies have a transitional period until October 1, 2026 to adapt their system.
A gradual application according to the company's situation
If the professional interview reform came into force as of October 26, 2025, sound effective application depends on the conventional situation of the company. This differentiated schedule is a major point of vigilance for HR teams, in order to avoid any lag in compliance.
The law in fact provides for implementation progressive, giving businesses time to adapt when collective agreements are already in place.
Two scenarios to distinguish
The date of application of the new rules varies according to the existence or not of a collective agreement governing professional maintenance.
In the absence of a collective agreement
The provisions resulting from the reform apply immediately. In particular, this concerns:
- the new name (career interview),
- the new periodicity (1 — 4 — 8 years),
- the integration of mandatory themes.
In this case, HR teams must now:
- adapt their supports,
- raise awareness among managers,
- inform employees about the new interview procedures.
In the presence of an existing collective agreement
Businesses benefit from a Transitional period until October 1, 2026 to make their device evolve. This period is intended to allow the renegotiation of company or branch agreements, in order to incorporate new legal requirements, in particular in terms of periodicity.
This time should be used to:
- analyze the gap between the existing agreement and the new legal framework,
- adjust internal processes,
- prepare managers for expected changes.
Testimonial — CNP Assurances: structuring dialogue around career paths
Chez CNP Assurances, thinking about career paths is not limited to a one-off appointment. As explained Élisabeth Dorbes, Head of the HR Strategic Projects Department, “Reflecting on your career path should not be done only once a year for an employee”.
The company has chosen to clearly separate two types of interviews :
- an interview dedicated toperformance evaluation,
- and an interview focused on development of skills and professional career.
This organization makes it possible to strengthen the role of the manager as skill developer, while maintaining a structured and continuous dialogue on professional trajectories. Elisabeth Dorbes.
To support this approach, CNP Assurances relies on Neobrain, in particular for the ease of setting up different types of interviews. This agility makes it possible to quickly adapt HR systems when new requirements arise, such as career maintenance, and to remain in line with the evolution of the regulatory framework.
Conclusion — Career maintenance, a sustainable lever for career paths and talents
The reform of professional interviewing marks an important step in the evolution of HR practices. By bringing out thecareer interview, the legislator is implementing a change of perspective: less formalism, more continuity; less observation, more projection.
Behind the adjustments in periodicity, content and traceability, the challenge is clear: to make maintenance a tool at the service of employability, capable of supporting the evolution of professions, professional transitions and the extension of careers. For HR teams, and in particular HR Business Partners, this means moving from a logic of compliance to a logic of Course management.
In this context, tools play a key role. Rely on a interview management software makes it possible to structure exchanges, to secure deadlines, to harmonize managerial practices and to make traceability more reliable, without burdening processes.
Beyond the reform, career maintenance is essential as an anchor for HR policies oriented towards skills, talents and trajectories. It is now up to businesses to transform this regulatory evolution into opportunity for dialogue, development and sustainable performance.
