Should I include a photo on my CV in France?

Although you're not required to include a photo on your CV in France, it can be a plus to your application.

Mister Bilingue is here to explain everything you need to know about the CV photo!

You've finally finished your CV, it's almost perfect, but there's still that little something missing. How about adding a photo of yourself to make your application a little more personal?

Adding a photo to your CV isn't compulsory in France, and it's often said that it's more about aesthetics than anything else… but don't be so sure! The CV photo can play an important role in your application.

In this article, Mister Bilingue will help you to find the best solution for making your CV that bit more appealing!

Haven't written your CV yet? Don't panic, we've got an article for that!

For the rest of you, here's a quick summary of the questions that we'll be answering together:

1. Why is the CV photo not always a good idea?

2. What are the benefits of including a photo on your application?

3. How do I get the perfect photo for my CV?

Ready to take the best CV photo of the 21st century? Say cheese!

Why is the CV photo not always a good idea?

Take note: including a photo on your CV isn't mandatory and can't be requested by a recruiter (unless, of course, you're applying to be a model or an actor in the next original Netflix series).

However, even though a candidate's experience, education and skills are the most important elements for recruiters, some employers are keen to know something about the candidate's physical appearance as well, as a way of better imagining them in the role as they consider the application.

Some recruiters may even pay attention to subjective judgements, such as dress style, hairstyle or even skin color.

Employment discrimination is an offence in France, and many unscrupulous companies with questionable ethical standards have already been accused and tried.

It's for this unfortunate reason that many job seekers choose not to include a photo on their CV, out of fear that their physical appearance could have a negative bearing on their application.

Outside of certain cases of discrimination, rest assured that the vast majority of recruiters in 2020 are taking increasing care to adopt an ethical attitude when it comes to selecting the best candidate for a position. And there are even some cases where your CV photo can have a beneficial impact on your application!

What are the benefits of including a photo on your application?

If you get it right, a CV photo can make an important contribution to your CV (and that means for your overall application and the interview, too).

First of all, it's easy to find your face on Google in this day and age thanks to all the detailed information provided on your CV. By selecting a professional photo yourself, you can better control how the recruiter sees you. This is also a good way to discourage those overly curious (and not to mention unscrupulous) employers from stalking your various social media profiles and coming across a photo of you staggering home from your last big night out. We can't stress enough how important it is to tidy up your social media profiles and to tighten up your privacy settings.

Secondly, a photo can make your CV stand out to recruiters among the tens (or even hundreds) of other more or less homogeneous applications that they will sift through over the course of the recruitment period.

As one famous French celebrity magazine once said: "the weight of words, the shock of photos". To put in a slightly less sensationalist manner: the more eye-catching your CV is, the better the recruiter will remember it when they can visualize and memorize your face.

For highly sought-after positions or those with fairly broad application requirements, the CV photo could just tip the balance in your favour, giving the recruiter the nudge they need to select your CV rather than another candidate's.

Including a photo on your CV is a question of controlling how you're perceived and making it more appealing and memorable for the recruiter. But remember: it's still important to know what type of photos are appropriate to include on your CV!

How do I get the perfect photo for my CV?

If you do choose to include a photo on your CV, we recommend that you bear close attention a few important rules to make sure you don't end up with a mugshot or worse… (we see you, selfie fans and duckface addicts).

The rules are simple:

• Dress professionally: don't go overboard, just make sure to look clean and smart.
• No selfies: ask someone to take a photo of you (if possible, someone who knows how to frame a shot and knows what a backlight is).
• Say no to pixels: use a quality camera or smartphone, the recruiter isn't interested in looking at a half-rate Picasso.
• Make it a photo that counts: you could be using this picture for years to come, so be sure to strike your most flattering ¾ pose.
• SMILE: but not too much, you don't want to look like a serial killer. A friendly and cheerful smile will do the job.
• No group photos: you're applying by yourself, not with your friends. Avoid cropping a photo where you can still see a friend's shoulder by your side, for example.
• Don't use a photo of yourself on a night out: that vomit stain on your shirt after downing five G&Ts really isn't the look!
• No filter: keep touch ups to a minimum, over-editing is the enemy of good editing!

If you've followed all of these recommendations, congratulations, your CV photo is bound to be a success!

If you need a photograph, our partner Myshootingphoto will take the best photo for your resume.