When preparing your applications materials, one question that may trip you up is should you include a picture on your resume or CV. Resume writing standards have evolved over time, and practices have changed. So do employers want to see your professional headshot as they review your qualifications, or is better to leave it off? The short answer is no, you should not include a picture on your resume or CV.
Cons of Including a Picture on Your Resume
Discrimination: You might think that your headshot adds some personality and flair to your resume, but it could introduce some legal concerns. Seeing your picture can be distracting and cause unintentional bias. A hiring manager may subconsciously be discriminating against you based on your appearance, not even realizing they’re doing it. It can raise questions about your age, race, gender, and abilities as well.
Leaving your picture off puts you on a more even playing field with other candidates. Employers don’t know what anyone looks like and are basing their decisions on the written content within your resume.
Irrelevance: Does what you look like impact your ability to do the job? In most cases, no. Your appearance has nothing to do with your knowledge, skills, or qualifications. One exception may be if you are applying to acting or modeling jobs where headshots are generally required. It is expected that you will provide a picture as part of your application package. For jobs outside of these fields, employers are not expecting or asking for any professional photographs.
Formatting: A picture takes up valuable space on your resume, and you have to balance text and white space around it. Plus, the image may be distorted depending on the size and quality when you adjust it to fit. This can take away from the visual appeal of your resume and the recruiter’s attention. They may be more focused on your picture than your experience.
Furthermore, many applicant tracking systems (ATS) strip images away, so a hiring manager would never see your headshot anyway unless they saw your resume in its original format. Once again, you’re wasting space that could be used to include more accomplishments to support your candidacy for the job.
Pros of Including a Picture on Your Resume
Cultural Norm: In some countries outside of the United States, having your picture as part of your resume or CV is expected. This includes many European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African countries, excluding the United Kingdom. That is the norm there and how resumes are structured. If you are looking at international jobs, make sure you research expectations for the country in which you are applying so you can make sure your applications materials meet their requirements. When in doubt, leave your photo off.
Visual Appeal: As noted above, if you are applying for jobs in acting or modeling, your headshot adds to overall impression of who you are and how you fit with the role. It allows hiring managers to visualize you in a certain look or as a specific character. They may want applicants to fit a defined aesthetic or demographics. In this case, should you include a picture on your resume or CV, it can help your chances of landing the job.
General Guidelines for Visual Elements on Your Resume
Your resume should be text based and not rely on images or graphics to convey essential information. ATS are focused on keywords and are typically not able to pull text from a picture. Therefore, this information is simply left out. When stylizing your resume, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Keep it simple. Don’t go crazy with fancy fonts or formats. You want your resume to be easy to read and pleasing to the eye. Too much embellishment can detract from the professional appearance and take attention away from your experience and accomplishments.
Use a standard font and font size. You don’t want recruiters to be squinting to see what you’ve written or wondering what it says because the font is confusing. A little bit of color on headers can be okay, as long as you don’t go overboard and are presenting your resume directly to a human for review. Otherwise, ATS may remove any color elements. Using bold, italics, horizontal lines, and bullet points can be a better way to make certain information stand out. Also, basic black text is always appropriate.
Overall, should you include a picture on your resume or CV? No, you should not, with the exception of a few special circumstances. You don’t want to give a hiring manager any reason to discard your resume before they’ve even had the opportunity to see if you’re a good fit for the role. Let your experience, accomplishments, training, and skills make your resume shine; don’t rely on a photo to capture attention.
Grammar Chic can help you create a professional and visually appealing resume that aligns with current standards and best practices. Contact us at (803) 831-7444 or resumewriting@grammarchic.net to schedule a consultation and get started!
