Should You Include a Photo on Your Resume?

Whether you include a photo on your resume has a lot to do with your industry and location. In this post, we look at whether a photo on your resume is important, and the professions it works for.

By Brandi Fowler

Resume standards have changed, but photos on resumes are still rare.?

And don't include one unless you're in an industry where it is acceptable.

“The answer is no,” CEO of CareerToolBox Graham Riley said about placing photos on resumes. “There is only a certain amount of real estate on a resume and a lot of resumes get tracked through the applicant tracking system and depend upon the sophistication of the applicant tracking system. Additional graphics could possibly skew how your information is presented to the recruiter.”

Resume photos can also distract the recruiter or hiring manager. “[People who place photos on their resumes] are looking for a way to differentiate themselves,” Riley said. “However, people who studied last year how long a recruiter spends looking at a resume found that it was under seven seconds.”?

As a result, it is key to make sure a recruiter focuses on your skills and background while you have their attention.

Your location could be one reason you include a photo on a resume. Career blog Novoresume reported that job seekers in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Scandinavian Countries, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South America should add photos to their resumes.?

“Including a photo on your resume is generally recommended in the above areas, even if employers don’t explicitly ask for one,” Novoresume said. “However, bear in mind that customs vary by organization, and national standards are subject to change. Therefore, some employers may ask you not to include a photo with your application, in which case, you should abide.”

I chatted with Riley and $100K + resume writer Ashley Cash to learn more about whether your resume should include a photo.?

When You Should Put a Photo on Your Resume

Since photos can be distracting, take up room on a resume, and generally look out of place for most job submissions, skip adding a photo to your resume for most professions.?

But, there are exceptions to the rule. In addition to your location, your industry sometimes calls for it.?

“There are probably one to two industries where there is a benefit to putting a photo on a resume,” Cash said. “That boils down to real estate because the photos sort of elicit that trust factor. The second [industry] would be something within the entertainment industry: model, actress, etc., that is very based on what you look like in addition to your credentials.?

“Do you have the ‘look’ for whatever they are casting for? Outside of those two very specific industries, I don't know that there is a benefit to having a photo on a resume. And I think it is important people think of it this way in our digital world today: If someone wants to see your face, there are lots of other channels, LinkedIn, specifically. So, I would say very niche industries where there is a true benefit.”

Where You Should Put a Photo on Your Resume - and What Photo Type

If you are in an industry where it is beneficial to add a photo on your resume you should put it next to your contact information in the top right or top left corner, Cash said.

As for the type of photo, if you are in the real estate market, use a professional snap, like the branded headshot you use for other marketing materials.?

“If you are in entertainment, kind of the same deal,” Cash said. “What is your branded headshot or image you like to lead with? This goes without saying, but you don't want to use a car selfie or a photo you took on your phone or friend's phone,” Cash said.?

Why You Shouldn’t Put a Photo on Your Resume

Adding a photo to your resume doesn’t add value if you aren’t in those industries, Riley said.?

“It has the potential of skewing how things look,” Riley said. “There are formatting [issues], it could get pushed out of place and it looks messy.

“If something is only getting seven seconds or even 10 seconds of a glance, they are not going to hire you necessarily on your face because what they are looking for is are you able to quickly share why you have the right sort of skills and experiences? That's going to create curiosity for an interview. Because if you can't create curiosity, then you are not going to get very many interviews.?

Riley and Cash suggested focusing on strengthening your resume and LinkedIn profile instead of adding a photo to your resume.?

“Our resume is designed to generate enough interest and tell our career story in such a way that the reader wants to schedule an interview with us,” Cash said. “We can convey our story, our career highlight, our competency without a photo. If we think of it like a book. It is not a kids' book. We don't need it to tell our story.”?

As you tell your story via your resume, try not to treat it like a biography, Cash said.?

“What we really want to focus on are the most important components of the work that we've done, as it relates to what we want to do next,” Cash said. “That is where people often mess up. You don't want to riddle your resume with just the tasks, but instead, where are the high-impact areas of what you do that really drive impact and outcome for the organization? Focus on those things, and if you can tie it to a real-world result or outcome that is where you [should] focus your time and energy.”?

Start by amping up your headline and objective/summary, Riley said.?

“The headline is this is who I am, and this is what you get if they read no further than the top third of your resume,” Riley said. “If that is the only thing they read, what impression do you want them to come away with?

“Your objective is what you are bringing to the table. What I mean by that is just about every position that is hired for is being hired in order to solve a problem, and are you positioning yourself as a subject matter expert in that problem that has experienced skills and talent that will enable that company to solve that problem successfully.”?

Also, pay attention to the appearance of your LinkedIn profile.?

“Recruiters’ first impression of you is predominantly through your LinkedIn profile, which absolutely should have a profile photograph,” Riley said. “Your cover letter, resume, and LinkedIn profile are all of your marketing materials [as well as] your photograph on your LinkedIn profile. That is the equivalent of your company logo. That follows you around the application process.”

Rather than spending time selecting a photo to add to your resume, skip it unless you work in a profession or country that finds it appealing. Instead, put those efforts into strengthening your resume to show you are the best candidate for the job you seek.

Top Takeaways

Should You Include a Photo on Your Resume?

• In general, avoid putting a photo on your resume.?
• Studies show recruiters spend less than seven seconds looking at a resume, so you don’t want to distract them in any way. Resume photos can be a distraction.?
• If you work in real estate or are a performer in the entertainment industry, it is appropriate to have a photo on your resume. Certain countries also welcome having photos on resumes.
• If you place a photo on your resume, it should go in the top right- or left-hand corner near your contact information.?