Should you put a photo on your CV?
There's no universal answer - photo norms differ sharply by country, and getting it wrong for your market can make a CV look out of place before anyone reads a word of it.
Where a photo is expected
In Poland, Czechia, Germany, and much of continental Europe, a small professional photo is common and rarely counts against you. Leaving it off isn't a problem either - it's a norm, not a requirement.
Where it's discouraged
In the US, UK, Canada, and several other markets, employers often prefer no photo at all, partly due to anti-discrimination hiring practices. A photo there can actually work against you.
If you add one
- Plain, neutral background - no filters, no full-body shots.
- Recent (within the last 1-2 years) and dressed as you would for the interview.
- Small and placed in a corner - it should never compete with your content for attention.
If you skip it
Nothing to compensate for - a clean CV without a photo is completely normal everywhere, and the safest default when you're applying across multiple countries.
A photo is one of several personal details that read differently by country. The free ATS resume checker tells you which ones your CV currently carries, and where each helps or hurts.
Appliora's templates support an optional photo - add one or leave it off, either way it stays clean.
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Comments (2)
Applying to both PL and UK companies - didn't realise the photo expectation flips between them.
Worth keeping two versions of your CV if you're applying across markets with different norms.
Used a small neutral headshot for PL applications, worked fine.