CV templates without a photo
CV templates without a photo for UK job applications
Do you need a photo on your CV? For most UK job applications, the answer is no. A CV without a photo keeps the focus on your experience, skills and qualifications rather than your appearance.
Choose a professional CV template without a photo, add your information online and customise the design to suit your application. You can start creating your CV for free and download the finished document as a PDF when you’re ready to apply.
Designed for UK applications
No photo required
Professional layouts
Free to start
No-photo CV Template Collection
Professional CV templates without a photo
Browse our collection of CV templates without a photo, from understated classic layouts to more modern designs. Each template gives your profile, work experience and skills the space normally occupied by a headshot.
Choose a design below and personalise it online. You can change the content and available design options while keeping a professional photo-free layout.
No photo needed
Why choose a CV without a photo?
Leaving your picture off your CV isn’t a compromise. For most UK applications, it’s the conventional approach and allows the recruiter to concentrate on the information that is relevant to your suitability for the job.
Focus on your suitability
Without a headshot competing for attention, your personal profile, experience, achievements and qualifications become the basis of the recruiter’s first impression.
Avoid unnecessary personal information
Your appearance isn’t normally relevant to whether you can do a job. Leaving your photo out helps keep your application centred on professional information rather than personal characteristics.
Keep the layout clear
Removing the photo creates more usable space at the top of the page. That space can be used for your contact details, personal statement and other information that helps explain your suitability.
Suitable across UK industries
A professional no-photo CV works across a wide range of sectors and seniority levels, from graduate applications to experienced and senior professional roles.
CV without photo example
See a CV without a photo with real content
A photo-free CV shouldn’t leave an empty space where a headshot would normally appear. See how a complete example uses that space for a strong profile and clearly structured professional information.
James Foster
Operations Manager
Operations Manager with 8 years’ experience improving processes, managing multidisciplinary teams and delivering service improvements across multi-site organisations. Strong background in performance management, resource planning and operational change, with a focus on measurable results.
Work Experience
Operations Manager
Northbridge Services, Manchester
- Manage day-to-day operations across three sites and a team of 28 employees
- Reduced operational costs by 12% through supplier reviews and process improvements
- Introduced new performance reporting that improved visibility of service targets
Assistant Operations Manager
Westfield Solutions, Leeds
- Coordinated staff rotas, supplier relationships and weekly performance reporting
- Supported the implementation of a new CRM system across two departments
Education
BA (Hons) Business Management
University of Leeds
Key Skills
- Team leadership
- Operational planning
- Process improvement
- Budget management
- Performance reporting
- Stakeholder management
Interests
- Five-a-side football
- Community volunteering
Sophie Bennett
Sophie Bennett
Marketing graduate with practical experience in digital content, social media and campaign support gained through an industry placement and university projects. Confident working with analytics, content management systems and cross-functional teams, with a strong interest in consumer marketing.
Work Experience
Marketing Intern
Brightside Digital, Birmingham
- Supported the delivery of social media campaigns across Instagram and LinkedIn
- Prepared monthly performance reports using website and social media analytics
- Researched competitor activity and contributed ideas for client content calendars
Customer Assistant
Customer Assistant
- Provided customer service in a busy retail environment alongside university studies
- Worked collaboratively with colleagues to maintain service standards during peak periods
Education
BA (Hons) Marketing
BA (Hons) Marketing
Key Skills
- Digital marketing
- Social media
- Content writing
- Google Analytics
- Microsoft Excel
- Market research
Interests
- Running
- Travel
- University Marketing Society
David Mitchell
Finance Director
Finance Director with 15+ years’ experience leading financial strategy, reporting and commercial planning for UK businesses. Proven track record of improving financial controls, supporting sustainable growth and advising senior leadership teams on investment and operational decisions.
Work Experience
Finance Director
Harrison Group, London
- Lead financial strategy, budgeting and forecasting for a £45m turnover business
- Manage a finance team of 12 across reporting, accounts and commercial analysis
- Introduced new forecasting processes that improved budget accuracy and management visibility
- Partner with the executive team on investment decisions, growth planning and business performance
Financial Controller
Mason & Co, London
- Managed monthly reporting, annual budgets and statutory reporting requirements
- Improved financial controls and shortened the month-end reporting cycle
- Supported senior management with commercial analysis and business planning
Education
ACA Chartered Accountant
ICAEW
BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance
University of Warwick
Key Skills
- Financial strategy
- Budgeting & forecasting
- Commercial finance
- Commercial finance
- Team leadership
- Financial controls
Interests
- Cycling
- Mentoring
A strong CV without a picture doesn’t need to compensate with extra graphics. Use the available space to make your profile, recent experience and achievements easier to find. Your content should still be tailored to the role rather than copied unchanged from an example.
UK CV conventions
Should you put a photo on a CV in the UK?
For most UK job applications, you don’t need to include a photo on your CV. Employers are interested in whether your experience, skills and qualifications match the position, and a headshot normally provides no useful information for making that decision.
Leaving out your picture also means more space for information that can strengthen your application. Your name and contact details can sit clearly at the top of the page, followed by a concise personal statement that introduces your professional profile.
There are exceptions. Acting, modelling and some media or creative opportunities may specifically request a headshot or portfolio. If an employer explicitly asks for one, follow the application instructions. Otherwise, a professional CV without a photo is a sensible default for UK jobs.
- Standard for most UK applications
- More space for relevant content
- Keeps the focus on experience
- Exceptions when specifically requested
When to leave the photo out
Who should use a CV without a picture?
For UK applications, a CV without a picture is suitable for most candidates. Your seniority matters much less than the country and type of role you’re applying for.
UK job applicants
If you’re applying for jobs in the UK and the employer hasn’t requested a headshot, there is usually no reason to add one. Use the space to present relevant professional information instead.
Graduates
Recent graduates can use a photo-free layout to give more prominence to education, placements, projects, part-time work and relevant skills while keeping the application concise.
Experienced professionals
When you have an established career, your recent roles and achievements are far more valuable than a photograph. A no-photo layout gives a detailed work history more room to breathe.
International applicants
If you’re used to applying in a country where CV photos are common, adapt your document to the market you’re targeting. For a UK application, that may mean creating a separate version without your headshot or other unnecessary personal details.
What to include
What should a CV without a photo include?
Removing your photo doesn’t change the fundamentals of a good CV. Instead of trying to fill the space with decorative elements, use a clear structure that puts the most useful information first.
Contact details
Include your full name, phone number, professional email address and location. A LinkedIn profile or portfolio can be useful when relevant to your profession. You generally don’t need your date of birth, marital status or a full postal address for a UK application.
Personal statement
Without a picture, your personal statement provides the introduction at the top of the page. In a few concise lines, explain your professional background, strongest relevant skills and what makes you suitable for the type of role you’re targeting.
Work experience
List your employment in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent role. Prioritise achievements and responsibilities that relate to the vacancy, using specific results where they add useful evidence.
Education and qualifications
List your most relevant qualifications, usually with the most recent first. Graduates can give this section more prominence and include relevant modules, projects or placements where they strengthen the application.
Relevant skills
Select skills that genuinely support your application rather than filling the page with generic qualities. Technical tools, languages, methods and job-specific competencies are particularly useful when they match the vacancy.
Photo or no photo?
CV with or without a photo: which should you choose?
Whether a CV should include a picture depends mainly on where you’re applying and whether your profession specifically requires one. For a typical UK job application, leaving the photo out is usually the more appropriate choice.
| Without photo | With photo | |
|---|---|---|
| Most UK jobs | Recommended | Usually unnecessary |
| Skills and experience remain the focus | Yes | Yes |
| Uses header space for professional information | Yes | Less space |
| Acting or modelling | May not be suitable | Often requested |
| Countries where CV photos are customary | Check local convention | May be common |
| Employer explicitly requests a headshot | No | Follow instructions |
ATS compatibility
Is a CV without a photo better for ATS?
Leaving your photo out can simplify your CV, but a no-photo CV isn’t automatically ATS-friendly. Applicant Tracking Systems primarily need to interpret your text, headings and document structure correctly.
For applications submitted through an ATS, use recognisable section headings, keep important information as text rather than embedding it in images, and maintain a logical reading order. The content matters too: your experience and skills should reflect the requirements of the vacancy where they genuinely match your background.
Text-based information
Keep important contact and career information as readable text.
Clear section headings
Clear section headings
Logical reading order
Organise your information in a sequence that remains easy to follow.
Relevant content
Tailor skills and experience to the vacancy instead of relying on the template alone.
Create your CV
Create a CV without a photo in four steps
Start with a photo-free design and build your CV online without having to recreate the layout yourself.
Choose a no-photo template
Browse the templates above and select the layout that best suits your profession and experience.
Add your information
Enter your personal profile, work experience, education and skills, or import an existing CV to save time.
Tailor your application
Review your content against the vacancy and give the most relevant experience and achievements appropriate prominence.
Download your CV
Check the finished document and download your professional CV as a PDF when you’re ready to apply.
Personal information
What personal details should you leave off a UK CV?
A photo isn’t the only personal information that is usually unnecessary on a UK CV. In most cases, an employer needs enough information to contact you and assess whether your professional background fits the role — not details about your private life.
You would normally include your full name, phone number, professional email address and general location. Depending on the role, you may also add a relevant LinkedIn profile, professional website or portfolio.
Your date of birth, marital status and number of children don’t normally belong on a UK CV. A full street address is also rarely necessary; your town, city or region is generally enough to indicate your location.
Nationality is usually unnecessary too. If your right to work is relevant to the application, communicate the appropriate work-status information rather than adding unrelated personal details.
If you’re applying outside the UK, check the conventions of the destination country. CV expectations aren’t universal, and photographs or other personal details may be more common in some markets.
FAQ