All non European Union nationals need both a work (Autorisation de travail) and a residency permit. These are applied for at the same time. A permanent resident permit (carte de résident, CR) gives you the right to work in France. A provisional stay permit (autorisation provisoire de séjour, APS) or short-stay visa (visa court séjour), allows you to apply for permission to work (autorisation de travail). If successful, you will receive one of the following:

1. Temporary residency permit (carte de séjour temporaire, CST) specifying the type of work permitted, such as 'employee' (activité salariée), 'self-employed' (activité non salariée), 'scientific' (scientifique), 'cultural and artistic profession' (profession artistique et culturelle) or 'trader' (commerçant), as well as where you can do it (e.g. France métropole)
2. Temporary work permit (ATP, Autorisation provisoire de travail). This applies to certain cases, e.g. where the employee remains on the payroll of an overseas company.
3. Seasonal work contract (contrat de travail saisonnier) which will define the type of work, its location and validity.

The temporary resident permits with the status 'private or family purposes' (vie privée et familiale) gives, in most cases, the right to work everywhere in France without limitations.