Photo on your CV: yes or no in 2026?
The honest answer from someone who reviews CVs every day: usually no. Why, what the exceptions are, and what to do instead.
It's one of the most common questions when building a CV: should there be a photo on it? I read CVs every day for my work, so let me not keep you waiting: in the Netherlands, a photo on your CV in 2026 is usually a bad idea. Not because you don't look good, but because a photo works against you more often than for you. Below: exactly why, when a photo does make sense, and what to do instead.
1. The short answer: leave it off
In the Netherlands a photo on your CV is not required and hardly any employer expects one. A recruiter judges you on experience, results and skills - a photo adds nothing to that. What a photo does add: noise. Every glance at a face triggers an unconscious judgement, and that judgement is never about whether you can do the job. When in doubt, the answer is simple: leave it off.
2. Why a photo works against you more often than for you
Unconscious bias is the main reason. Age, background, appearance: all things that say nothing about your work, but that do get weighed once there's a photo - even by recruiters with the best intentions. More and more Dutch organisations therefore use anonymous application processes, where photos are actively removed. A photo can rarely help you, but it can hurt you. That's not a trade-off you want.
3. Practical too: applicant software can't do anything with it
Many companies use an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) that reads your CV automatically. That software looks for text: job titles, skills, dates. To an ATS, a photo is unreadable ballast that can also break the layout, causing your details to be parsed incorrectly. A CV without a photo is technically safer and more often survives the first digital screening intact.
4. The exceptions: when a photo is fine
There are situations where a photo is common or even expected. Representative roles where you are literally the face of the company, such as hospitality hosting, aviation or modelling, and some roles in hospitality and retail. Applying in Germany? A professional photo is still fairly standard there. And if the vacancy explicitly asks for one, you provide one, of course. In all other cases: don't.
5. Using a photo anyway? Then these rules apply
If you deliberately choose a photo, do it properly. Recent (max 2 years old), neutral background, business or neat clothing, facing the camera, friendly expression. No holiday photos, no selfies, no cropped group photo with someone else's shoulder still in it. A bad photo is worse than no photo: it's the first thing people notice and the last thing you want them to remember.
6. What to do instead of a photo
Recruiters who want to see who you are will look you up on LinkedIn anyway - almost always. So put a clickable LinkedIn URL on your CV and make sure you have a good, professional profile photo there. That gives you the best of both worlds: your CV stays neutral and ATS-proof, while anyone who looks further still gets a face with your name, in the context of your full profile.
7. Put your energy into what actually gets read
The 6-7 seconds a recruiter spends on your CV go to your latest role, your results and your profile summary - not to a photo. One measurable result in your summary ('cut delivery time by 30%') does more for your chances than the best photographer in the country. Spend your time and attention there.
That's why CVontwerper deliberately has no photo field
You may have noticed: our CV builder has no option to upload a photo. That's not a gap, it's a choice. We believe you should be judged on what you can do. All 10 templates are therefore designed to look strong and complete without a photo, and to pass through ATS software flawlessly. Building your CV is free, downloading costs a one-time €2. No account, no subscription.
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