Should You Include a Photo on Your Resume?

In the age of social media and online sharing, it’s no surprise that the question of whether or not you should include a photograph on your resume has been coming up a lot. Modern day job seekers, especially millennials and gen-zers, are used to sharing images of themselves in many different situations, and might even think that including a picture on a resume would help them land a job. Sure, a photograph could show off your personality a little more, but the potential cons of sending a picture in with your resume greatly outweigh this one benefit.

Aside from a few specific instances, you should never include a picture with your resume, and in this article we’ll explore the reasons why.

Why Shouldn’t you Include a Photo?

There are a lot of reasons experts agree you shouldn’t include a photo with your resume and cover letter, but we’ve boiled the list down to what we think are the three most important ones.

1. Possible Discrimination

Hiring discrimination is a major problem that poses multiple hurdles for minority applicants even if they don’t include a photograph of themselves. For example, a 2022 resume study from Fortune found that “the names of workers perceived as Black, such as Shanice or Terrell, were more likely to elicit negative presumptions, such as being less educated, productive, trustworthy, and reliable, than people with either white-sounding names… or racially ambiguous names.

Another report from 2023 found similar biases affected non-binary applicants, with resumes that included they/them pronouns receiving less interest and fewer interviews than resumes with either male or female pronouns.

Assumptions were made about these individuals based on only their names and pronouns, so think about what other biases may come up when a hiring manager also has a picture in front of them as well. Even some ATS systems have been shown to exhibit certain discriminatory biases. While it shouldn’t be the applicant's job to try and avoid hiring discrimination, not including a photograph is at least one easy way to avoid surface level assumptions that unfortunately still affect hiring decisions.

2. Waste of Space

The second reason you’ll want to avoid including a photograph on your resume is simply because it’s a waste of space. Experts agree that a resume should never exceed two pages, so you should be prioritizing your work experience, education, and skill sets in that limited amount of space. A resume is the first step of a job application process, and is made to highlight your strengths and to get your foot in the door. Extraneous information, including personal details or photos, will only serve as distractions.

It’s important to think of applicant tracking systems in this case as well. These programs are usually tuned to look for specific keywords and phrases, and if your resume isn’t formatted correctly, or includes unrecognizable content like a photograph, it may confuse the system.

3. May Appear Unprofessional

Lastly, because including a photograph on your resume isn’t a common practice in the US, if you are applying for a job in the states, adding a photo may appear unprofessional. It could make an applicant seem younger or inexperienced, or lead hiring managers to think that they included the photo to overcompensate for lack of experience, skills, etc.

That said, we do feel a responsibility to mention that the standards and expectations of international job applications do differ, and in some countries, including a photo with your resume is basically mandatory. This is why it is imperative that applicants read job postings thoroughly and do their research before sending their application in for any job.

Other Resume Tips

If you’re currently looking for a new job, then chances are this is the umpteenth article you’ve read about how to cultivate the perfect resume. You’ve probably encountered all sorts of ‘dos and don’ts’ lists, some with conflicting information. Perhaps you thought you understood the rule about sending a photograph with your resume only to get to the above paragraph of this article and realize that the rules are different with international hiring.

It’s overwhelming, and we know that.

If you need help navigating all of this, CyberCoders has a lot to offer. Our expert recruiters have their finger on the pulse of all things connected to the world of hiring, and are devoted to helping you find your true match. To learn more and start your job search the right way with the right tools, check out our website today!