Should You Put a Photo on Your Resume?

Federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 and over), disability and other protected characteristics. A photo reveals or hints at several of these, and employers who receive one can be exposed to claims that it influenced their decision. As a result, many US recruiters prefer not to see photos at all, and some companies remove them before a resume is shared with the hiring team.

There is also a practical reason: a photo takes space that could hold experience or skills, and it adds nothing to the question the reader is trying to answer, which is whether you can do the job.

Recruiters also skim quickly, often on a laptop screen or inside an applicant tracking system. A photo rarely survives that process intact: many systems extract only the text, so the image either disappears or, in some cases, interferes with how the rest of the page is read.

The photo is part of a broader rule: include only what helps an employer judge whether you can do the job. In the US, the following details don’t belong on a resume:

• Date of birth or age, and graduation years from long ago if you are concerned they reveal your age.
• Marital status, children or family plans.
• Religion, political affiliation or national origin.
• Height, weight or health information.
• Social Security number, driver’s license number or other ID numbers.
• Your full street address: city and state are enough.

Citizenship or work authorization is different: if a posting asks whether you are authorized to work in the US, answer in the application form. Some candidates add a short line such as “Authorized to work in the US” when their name or background might lead an employer to wonder, but it is optional.

Hobbies and interests are fine if they say something useful about you, such as volunteering, a sport you coach or a relevant side project, but keep them to one short line.

• United States and Canada: no photo.
• United Kingdom and Ireland: no photo. The document is called a CV, but the convention is the same.
• Australia and New Zealand: no photo in most industries.
• Germany, Austria and Switzerland: a professional photo is still common, although it is optional by law.
• France, Spain, Italy and Portugal: optional; many candidates include one, especially in customer-facing roles.
• Much of Latin America, the Middle East and Asia: a photo is often expected.

Customs change, and they vary by industry and company. When you apply abroad, check a few resumes from people in similar roles in that country, or ask a local contact. If you apply to an international company with offices in several countries, follow the norm of the country where the job is based.

There are a few situations where a picture is part of the application, but even then it usually goes separately from the resume.

• Acting, modeling and on-camera work: you send a headshot as its own file, and the resume often goes on the back of it.
• Some hospitality or brand ambassador roles may ask for a photo in the application form. Provide it only where the employer requests it.
• Your LinkedIn profile: a clear, friendly photo there is normal and recommended. That is where recruiters will see your face.

Because recruiters often look you up on LinkedIn after reading your resume, it is worth keeping the two consistent: the same job titles, the same dates and a professional headshot. A link to your profile in your contact details is the US-friendly way to put a face to your name.

If you are a performer or model, keep the resume itself in the usual text format: credits or jobs, training and special skills. The headshot does the visual work, and agents and casting directors expect the two to be separate.

• Use a recent, well-lit headshot from the shoulders up, against a plain background.
• Dress as you would for an interview in that industry.
• Look at the camera with a natural expression; avoid cropped group photos, selfies and sunglasses.
• Keep the file small and the photo modest in size on the page, usually in the header.

Remember that customs in the destination country may also cover other details. A European employer might expect your nationality or a list of languages with levels on the CEFR scale (A1 to C2), for example. Adapt the whole document to local norms, not just the photo.

In CVclick, the photo is off by default. You can turn it on for a version you send abroad and keep it off in your US version, without retyping anything.

Without a photo, the top of your resume is prime space. Use it for your name, the job title you are targeting, your contact details and a short summary that tells the reader in a few seconds why they should keep reading.