No, is the short answer. Leave the photo off your resume or CV. It’s my advice as a headhunter and Certified Professional Resume Writer.
I know this splits opinions, and it has been a hot-debated issue since my early days in executive search more than two decades ago.
Some hiring companies ask for a photo because they want to see who might represent their business. That’s the excuse.
As a candidate, you have a different interest: you want them to judge your experience and achievements before they judge your appearance and get influenced by your look.
Remember as I have said a million times, your resume has one purpose: get an interview, get your foot in the door, because your experience and achievements deserve an interview. Sorry, but your face cannot make that case.
Can men wear earring? Anyone for piercing or nose ring?
I’m not sure if this will fall under the category of discrimination, but I have clients who are particular about age, ethnicity, gender, religion, body size, or general appearance. Preferences are given for particular (or not) hairstyles, facial hair, tattoos, and clothing.
The answer to the question in the headers is, of course, that it depends on the job and environment.
In some jobs, visible tattoos, facial piercings, earrings or purple hair may suit the image a business wants to present. Think of a nightclub or a fashion retailer serving young customers.
In a financial services firm or a management consultancy, the expectations may differ.
How would you react if a consultant from McKinsey arrived at your boardroom with several facial piercings, visible tattoos and purple hair? You may say it would make no difference. Other clients might judge the consultant before hearing a word.
That is exactly my point: appearance can influence a hiring decision, even when it tells you nothing about whether the person can do the job.
Why do companies ask for a photo?
Sometimes it is habit. In some countries, photographs have long been part of the standard resume/CV format. A hiring manager may also say they want to see who will represent the company or meet its clients.
I understand the curiosity. I still question what they intend to learn. Can a photograph tell you whether someone can manage a business, lead a team or handle a difficult customer?
Of course not. It can tell you what the candidate looks like. The trouble starts when someone treats that first impression as evidence of ability or company culture fit.
Think about why you approached one person at a party and walked past someone else. I could ask myself why I approached the woman who became my wife rather than the woman standing next to her. Attraction involves personal preference. That is perfectly normal in your private life. It is a poor way to decide who gets a job interview.
What if I’m beautiful or handsome?
You can choose a clear, professional photograph. You can even upload different pictures to a service such as Photofeeler and ask other people how competent, likeable or influential you appear. That feedback may help you choose the perfect photo. But it cannot tell you how one particular hiring manager will react to your face.
Dating apps make the point rather bluntly. People make fast decisions from photographs, and different people make different decisions about the same face. Of course, we can all agree that hiring should give your work history more attention than a dating app gives your profile.
Being considered attractive does not guarantee an advantage, either. Research has found situations in which attractiveness worked against women applying for jobs that reviewers associated with men. Appearance can trigger different assumptions depending on the person, the role and the reviewer.
What is Harvard and Indeed saying?
Harvard’s Career Center explicitly lists a picture as a resume mistake. And Indeed Career Guide in Singapore advises against photos in most cases because they can invite bias and take attention away from qualifications. Indeed discusses exceptions, so it does not support an absolute worldwide rule.
When I completed my resume certification with PARWCC, I learned to keep photographs off resumes. I still give candidates that advice. Your resume should make the employer assess your experience and achievements first.
A photo invites a judgment about your appearance before you have had a chance to make your case.
Is a resume photo against the law?
In the United States, there is no general federal law that bans you from putting a photo on your resume.
But the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission advises employers against asking applicants for photographs and says they can obtain one after an offer has been made and accepted if they need it for identification. Discrimination in hiring on protected grounds is illegal.
The EU and Australia follow the same broad legal distinction as the United States: the issue is generally discrimination in recruitment, rather than a law that forbids a candidate from putting a photograph on a resume.
Some EU examples. Employment service advises candidates applying in Belgium to leave off the photo to help prevent discrimination, unless the job requires it or the employer asks for it. Its guidance for Latvia says the choice is yours, while its guidance for Spain says a photograph is not compulsory.
Some employers go further in their application rules. They say that resumes with photos will receive no consideration. That is a rule for that recruitment process, not a worldwide ban. Practices differ between countries and employers.
Why photo on LinkedIn but not resume?
LinkedIn serves a different purpose. It is a public professional profile where people find and recognize you. The platform has a dedicated place for a photo; that word is the key.
There is a limit to this argument: leaving the photo off your resume does not make your appearance secret, because a recruiter who wants to see your face may find your LinkedIn profile anyway.
But it does keep your resume document focused on your qualifications and avoids putting your photograph in front of the reviewer before they have even read them.
My advice remains the same. Unless the application specifically requires a photograph for a legitimate reason, use the space on your resume to show what you have done and what you can do next.
Give the employer a reason to interview you based on your work.
