Do You Really Need German CV Photos? The Surprising Truth.

Let’s talk about why this harmful and outdated practice needs to be forgotten about ASAP.

To be completely honest, there’s a lot of bad and conflicting advice out there about whether you should include a professional photo on your German CV.

Let me help you evaluate the pros and cons of German CV photos to arrive at an informed decision.

Some People Will Tell You That German CV Photos Are a Must 

Many people will tell you that adding a photo to your CV is totally necessary when seeking work in Germany. Some HR professionals even boldly proclaim that they will reject your CV if it doesn’t have a photo. They defend this unethical practice by saying the lack of a photo arouses suspicion and makes you appear as an untrustworthy candidate. I even had one HR person tell me that they think people who don’t take the time to follow German job application standards and include a photo are simply “lazy” and for that reason, he’d never hire them. 

Even worse, some of these hiring managers and recruiters actually believe a photo demonstrates your competence and aptitude for a job. They say so much can be told about a person by staring at an image of them. Not your experience, skills, education, but how you look.

Let that sink in for a moment. Wow, what incredible insight! I never knew that just by looking at a picture, I could immediately tell how good someone is at their job.

This mentality and way of thinking are so bonkers that I can’t even find appropriate words to express myself. Anything coming to mind involves me screaming in anger and releasing a long stream of curse words.

For a country that desperately needs immigrants to fill hundreds of thousands of highly skilled positions in the labor market, this is one area where German HR professionals urgently need to change their way of thinking. 

Immigrants are the most discriminated against during the hiring process. It’s well-documented that foreign professionals make much less money than German employees, for example.

As a result, foreigners are going to be less inclined to add a photo to their CV. Never mind introverts or other people who are just not comfortable with images of themselves.

So, let’s send a public service announcement to all German HR professionals out there:

⭐ There is no reason for an HR person to be suspicious of a candidate who does not want to be judged by their appearance.

⭐ Candidates are not lazy and are quite obviously justified in not wanting to place their photo on a CV.

⭐ You cannot determine a person’s capabilities or attitude from looks alone.

Instead dear HR people, take a look at a person’s job application and dig into their education, certifications, professional experience, career evolution, and more. See how they present themselves in their cover letter and be curious about their motivations for working for you.

Stop making judgements based on people’s photos or lack of photos. Stop trying to rationalize discrimination by saying it’s part of the “German culture.”

Thank you for coming to our TED Talk! 😅

Will Omitting a German CV Photo Prevent Me From Securing Work? 

I hate writing these words, I do. 😠 But look at the job application above. This screenshot was taken from a job application in … 2026.

Because many HR professionals still harbor some of those outrageous beliefs we outlined above, in some cases, not adding a photo could cost you the opportunity of getting an interview. Even though it’s actually against the law in Germany to discriminate against people during the hiring process based on their photo and whether or not one is present on their CV, the old beliefs still pervade.

So what should you do? Look at the company’s website and get a feel for its overall culture and vibe. If the company appears more traditional, a photo on your CV may, unfortunately, be necessary. If the company feels more modern and cool, definitely go ahead and submit a CV without a photo.

Generally speaking, the job seekers I coach and talk to in The Berlin Life community say that they are still able to secure jobs in Germany – even without a CV photo. I’ve personally never had a photo on my German CV either and so far, it hasn’t impacted my ability to find work. Through a compelling cover letter and CV, you should be able to convince employers to get in touch based on your skills, education, and experience instead of your external appearance.

In another lovely development, it’s also not uncommon these days for some, but not many German companies to ask candidates to submit job applications without a photo.

The bottom line is that it’s not necessary to add a photo to your CV when applying for jobs in Germany. 

Since German CV Photos Are So Normal, Does it Make Sense *NOT* to Include One?

There aren’t too many LinkedIn profiles where you don’t see a photo. If you Google someone, it’s not unlikely that you’ll find pictures. If a potential employer really wants to know what you look like, they’ll find you somewhere. But just because your photo is in so many places, doesn’t mean you have to include it on your CV. You’ll still be able to find work without a photo.

As already mentioned above, it’s still fairly common to add photos to your German CV and it’s totally acceptable for you to do so if you’re comfortable. It’s naturally up to you to decide, so long as you’re aware of why adding a photo could potentially impact your ability to find a job.

More on that below. 🔽

Why Shouldn’t I Add A Photo To My German CV?

The obvious answer is discrimination and bias. The biggest reason not to include a photo on your German CV is that you may get hired based solely on your appearance. Even worse, you may NOT get hired because of how you look.

Whether people want to admit it or not, humans are filled with conscious and unconscious bias and may discriminate against you based solely on your photo. Discrimination can come across in many forms, including gender, ethnicity, age, and even how “good” you look.

It’s fairly well established that racism, ageism, and more profoundly influence a person’s ability to find a job, get raises, and/or equal pay. But do you know that people are so affected by other forms of bias, that studies show that people who are perceived as attractive are more likely to get hired? Ahem, “pretty privilege.” Other studies highlight taller people earn more money than shorter people.

This isn’t just a US problem, as a German field experiment found that a woman with a Turkish name wearing a headscarf in her CV photo had to send 4.5 times as many applications as a woman with a German name to get the same number of interview invitations. 

It’s mind-blowing when you think about it. No matter how much anyone tells you that your profile will speak for itself, there couldn’t be anything further from the truth.

Over the years, as a hiring manager or part of a hiring team, I’ve been witness to conversations where people have said things like this:

When seeing someone who looks “old”:

⭐ “That person looks ancient. They’ll never fit into our company culture. Most people here are in their 20’s.”

⭐ “I don’t want to hire a person with too much experience. They’re too expensive and are stuck in their ways.”

When seeing someone’s skin color:

⭐ “We have too many people from that country. I don’t want more here as they’ll become too influential.”

⭐ “Those kinds of people are so hardworking and reliable. We really should hire them.”

When seeing someone’s gender:

⭐ “Is it really a good idea to hire a woman into an all-male team?”

⭐ “She recently married. I’m worried that she’ll take time off to have children.”

When seeing a “look” on someone’s face:

⭐ “That person looks really arrogant in their photo. Forget about them.”

⭐ “He looks creepy in his photo. He makes me feel uncomfortable.”

These examples are unfortunately all real. Not everyone will be as blatantly obvious as people were during the conversations mentioned above, but people will still find excuses not to hire people after a quick glance at a person’s photo.

Even though it’s completely against the law to not hire people based on their appearance, it’s difficult to prove otherwise. Discrimination is normalized and in some German workplaces, even rewarded behavior. 🤢

Won’t I Be Judged Anyway When They See Me During An Interview?

Of course, discrimination can still occur when they see you in person for the first time, but at least you got the interview based on your skills, knowledge, and experience and not on how you look.

Are Photos Necessary For Some Professions?

Most definitely. If you work as an actor, make-up artist, TV journalist, model, etc. – including photos is absolutely required. For most other job types though, it’s usually not necessary.

What Kind Of Photo Should I Use For My German CV?

If you decide to feature a photo on your CV, follow these guidelines:

⭐ A portrait (headshot) is usually the best. Full-body shots aren’t ever, ever needed.

⭐ Smile and look as confident as possible. Look straight at the camera.

⭐ Keep your photo professional-looking. Avoid duck-faced selfies and dress in a nice outfit. This doesn’t mean you need to wear a suit, but make an effort to look presentable, whatever that means to you. 😊

⭐ A smallish photo works. Something that you add to the top of your CV, along with your contact information. Large photos that take up an entire page can come across as a bit much and even worse, take up valuable real estate on your CV.

⭐ If you have the budget, get your photo taken by a professional photographer. You can get one done fairly cheaply at almost any studio in Germany for almost the same price as a passport photo, and they’ll even do touch-ups. But honestly, phone cameras are so good these days; a shot done in portrait mode will give you a decent photo without anyone noticing the difference.

Do I really need to splurge on a professional photoshoot?

When you read articles telling you to go all out and spend hundreds of euros on a photographer, don’t feel pressured to do so. Remember what I’ve written here, especially if you’re out of work and don’t have the money for such a luxury. Photos done at home with your mobile phone are absolutely fine and totally acceptable.

Make Your Job Application Speak for You

Whether or not you add a photo, your CV and cover letter are what earn you the interview. Focus on showing your impact, your skills and why you want the role.

If you’d like a second pair of eyes before you hit send, my application review service can help you stand out for the right reasons. 

FAQ

Good luck out there. The right employer won’t need German CV photos to see what you’re worth.