Decide first: does this CV get a photo?
Most template shops sell photo layouts without mentioning that the picture is a risk in some countries. Check the target market before you pick a layout, because a template with a fixed photo frame is awkward to strip later.
| Where you apply | What the sources say | What to do with the template |
|---|
| United States | Roche: a resume should never include a photo | Pick a layout without a photo frame |
| UK, Canada, Ireland | PurpleCV: do not include a photo on your CV; the UK is the market it advises on most directly | No photo unless the advert asks for one |
| France | PurpleCV: the picture usually goes in the top corner | A corner frame is the expected layout |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland | A photo is customary in the German tradition; see our country guide | Photo frame in the header area, 4.5 by 6 cm format |
| Acting or modelling | PurpleCV: keep the headshot separate from the CV | Attach it as its own file |
The longer country discussions are on the UK CV photo and US resume headshot pages. If the table says no photo, stop here. A plain template reads better and avoids every problem below.
The setup, tool by tool
The steps differ, but the trouble spots repeat: the photo sits in a text box, the name sits in the header, or the export turns text into an image. This table puts the handling and the risk side by side.
| Tool | How the photo goes in | Where it goes wrong | Check before sending |
|---|
| Microsoft Word (desktop) | Insert, Picture, then Picture Format, Crop, Crop Shape. Choose Fill to cover the shape, or Fit to keep the whole picture | Word for the web has no Crop to Shape; template photos in text boxes or headers | Save as .docx and reopen it; keep contact details out of the header |
| Google Docs | Insert, Drawing, New, add the image, click the arrow beside Crop, Shapes, Circle, then Save and Close (steps from Guiding Tech) | The default crop can come out oval from a rectangular source | Drag the corners until the circle is true, then download as .docx or PDF and open it |
| Canva | Drop the photo into the template frame, then double-click it to move it inside the frame | Text can be exported as image layers, so the file looks fine and reads as blank | Export a PDF, flatten nothing, and try to select a few words |
| A downloaded template | Right-click the placeholder picture and replace it, so the shape and size stay | Fonts you have to download, columns and tables that scramble the reading order | Paste the text into a plain editor and read the order |
Canva steps vary by version, and Canva's help page was not readable for this guide, so treat the Canva row as a general description. The Word steps come from Microsoft Support and the Google Docs steps from a third-party guide.
Why the template matters more than the photo
Roche publishes a resume parsing FAQ for applicants. It says information in the header and footer sometimes gets dropped by the system completely, that some systems read columns straight across rather than top to bottom, and that text boxes and tables are on its list of things to avoid. It also names .docx as the format parsed most accurately and advises against fonts you have to download.
Now look at a typical photo template. The round portrait sits in a text box on the left. The name and phone number sit above it in the header. Skills are in a two column table. Every one of those choices is on the avoid list. The photo is not the problem. The layout built around it is.
This is also one reason the Reddit advice on Canva CVs keeps repeating itself. In an r/Resume thread, one answer suggests switching to a clean Word or Google Docs layout and saving a PDF only if the employer allows it, because readability for both recruiters and software matters more than polish. The LoopCV blog goes further and lists photos and icons, along with skill bars, as invisible to an applicant tracking system, which is why it recommends plain text for anything that carries meaning. LoopCV sells a CV tool, so read that as one opinion, not a standard.
A five minute test before you send
- Select the text. Open the PDF and drag across your name and the first job title. If individual words highlight, the text is real text. If the whole page selects as one block or nothing happens, it is an image.
- Paste into a plain editor. Copy everything and paste it into Notepad or TextEdit. Your name should come first, then contact details, then work history in order.
- Move the header content. If your name or email is only in the header or footer, move it into the first lines of the body.
- Remove the extras. Replace skill bars and rating dots with a line of text.
- Keep a second file. Save one version with the photo and one without. Send the one that fits the employer, which is the plain version in most English speaking markets.
If the paste in step two comes out scrambled, the fix is the template, not the photo. Switch to a single column layout and run the test again.
Where the photo comes from
Whichever tool you use, the picture needs to be a clean head and shoulders portrait, cropped before it goes into the frame. Profilfoto KI creates realistic portraits from your own selfies in a style you choose, for example Business Studio or LinkedIn Modern, with no studio appointment. You can pick between one and ten of your selfies for each generation.
The first photo is free and carries a watermark, so you can check the likeness before you buy. After that the packages are one time payments, not a subscription: 2 photos for €4.99, 12 photos for €29 and 40 photos for €79. Uploaded selfies are stored in Frankfurt and deleted automatically after 90 days at the latest. The image generation runs through the API of a large US provider.
The result is a portrait for a CV, a LinkedIn profile or a company page. It is not a biometric or official passport photo, so do not use it where an ID format is required. Read how the portrait fits other applications on the job application photo page.
Questions people ask
Should my CV template have a photo at all?
It depends on the country. Roche tells US applicants that a resume should never include a photo, and PurpleCV says the UK, the US, Canada and Ireland all discourage one. Where a photo is customary, such as Germany, it is a normal part of the template.
How do I make the photo round in Word?
Select the picture, open Picture Format, click the arrow under Crop, choose Crop Shape and pick the oval. Microsoft says Word for the web does not offer Crop to Shape, so use the desktop app.
Can recruiting software read a CV with a photo?
It cannot read the picture, and a badly built template can also hide your text. Roche warns that headers, footers, text boxes and tables can be dropped or read out of order, so keep your name and contact details in the main body.
Is a Canva CV a problem for applicant tracking systems?
It can be. The LoopCV blog says Canva sometimes exports text as image layers, which a system reads as a blank page. Export a PDF, then select a few words in it. If you cannot, the text is an image.
Which file format is safest when the CV has a photo?
Roche says .docx is the most accurately parsed format, so use it when the employer allows it. Send a PDF only when asked, and run the selection test on it first.
How big should the photo be in the template?
Keep it small and crop it before you insert it, so the face is not stretched. For the 4.5 by 6 cm format used in German applications, see the CV photo size page.
Sources and retrieval dates
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