[DanBC]

It used to be (depending on the job) common in the UK. Companies stopped asking for it when they realised they were leaving themselves open to discrimination claims.

I can't think why anyone would want to include a photograph of themselves on an application / CV / resumé.

[Eduard]

In Germany, it's still common to provide photographs to your application. Many persons are quite successful to grasp a person's character by just looking at a photo. So depending on your character, it could be either a benefit or a disadvantage to provide a photo.

I've taken a bunch of photos for friends for use in their applications. And it's always the same: if they are shy and introverted, they do look like this in pictures. Same applies to extroverted characters.