Photo on a resume: required, recommended or best avoided?
Should your resume include a photo? What the law says in France, the customs country by country, and how to take a good one when you do add it.
Should a resume include a photo? The short answer: in France it is never mandatory, and a resume without a photo is perfectly acceptable everywhere. If you do add one, it must be professional and recent — a careless photo hurts more than it helps.
What the law says in France
No text requires a photo on a resume, and employers cannot demand one. French labor law (article L1132-1 of the Code du travail) forbids hiring discrimination, notably on physical appearance, age, sex or origin — the precise criteria are listed on service-public.fr. Limiting those biases is precisely why many recruiters say they prefer resumes without photos.
In practice:
- You have nothing to justify if you apply without a photo.
- Applicant tracking systems ignore the photo: it plays no role in keyword searches, as our ATS-friendly resume guide explains.
- Some companies anonymize applications: the photo is removed before anyone reads them.
Photo or not: decide by situation
| Situation | Photo? |
|---|---|
| Application in France, general case | Your choice: no strong expectation |
| Client-facing jobs (front desk, retail, hospitality) | Common, appreciated when polished |
| Application in the UK, the US, Canada | No: strongly discouraged |
| Germany, Switzerland, Austria | Still common, high quality expected |
| Morocco and North Africa | Common but optional (see our CV in Morocco guide) |
| Study application (Campus France) | Optional, simple if present |
The simplest criterion: if the photo adds nothing to your application, it can go. A resume is won on the career, the skills and the offer's keywords — never on the smile.
Taking a good resume photo, when you add one
- Recent and faithful: the recruiter should not hesitate when you walk into the interview.
- Framed on shoulders and face, facing the camera or three-quarters, eyes toward the lens.
- Neutral, light background, natural light from the front, no hard shadow.
- The target industry's outfit: what you would wear to the interview.
- A simple expression: relaxed, light smile.
To avoid at all costs: the selfie, the cropped holiday picture, social media filters, the stiff ID photo, and any photo older than two or three years.
What about professional networks?
The logic flips: on an online professional profile, a photo is expected and clearly increases profile views. Polish it with the same rules as above, and keep your profile and your resume consistent — recruiters often look at both.
In short
- In France, the photo is always optional; the law forbids discrimination on appearance.
- Abroad, follow the country's custom: never a photo for the UK and North America (see the resume in English).
- If you add one: recent, simple, professional, well lit.
- When in doubt, apply without a photo and let your career speak.