Should You Include a Picture on Your Resume? What Experts Say

In the competitive landscape of the 2025 job market, everything on your resume seems to indicate the pressure you’re under. When job seekers make their resumes, along with the multitude of decisions they have to make, one question continues to stir up debate: Should you include a picture on your resume? If yes, what are the resume photo guidelines? This might seem quite straightforward, but the reality is more gray, depending on location, industry, and the changing technology of hiring. Let’s examine what experts have to say about this perennial issue.

Why the Resume Photo Debate Still Matters in 2025

The digital age has changed the way we present ourselves professionally. While visual branding is now more common than it has ever been across formats like LinkedIn profiles and personal websites, the resume is still a formal document intended to accurately communicate your relevant qualifications in an efficient manner.

The conversation surrounding adding a photo to this prominent document remains a live one because of the complicated relationships between personal branding, biases operating unconsciously, and the interchangeability of technology. And with artificial intelligence being increasingly incorporated into the hiring process, the need to consider what a resume photo might mean has only become more important.

The Evolving Role of Visuals in Professional Branding

Your reputation as a professional goes beyond your resume, because your professional persona frequently extends into non-textual mediums. A resume usually only reports your text-based qualifications, while other platforms – such as a personal portfolio website, or even a LinkedIn profile – report your professional branding in a much more expansive way.

These spaces visually represent you as a professional, with a standard (and often required) professional photo accompanying your name. This should clarify the scenario when asking yourself should you include a picture on your resume? You are weighing where visuals are used to complement and strengthen your candidacy instead of potentially doing damage.

Pros of Adding a Picture to Your Resume

While consensus is generally negative, there are a few situations where including a photo on your resumes may seem practical or beneficial:

• Personal Connection (Perceived): Some people have the belief that a photo creates a personal connection with the hiring manager, making your resume less faceless. In situations where interpersonal skills are most important, this could seem to be a positive.
• Industry Norms (Certain Creative or Client-Facing Roles): In certain industries, specifically ones where visual appeal is a large component of the work, like acting or modeling, or where visual appeal is an important part of the job as in many client-facing sales roles, including a professional headshot for resume may be perceived as accepted, but never required, as part of the application process. Here, the expectation is often built around the role itself, where examples of appearance are relevant to the actual execution of the job function.
• Applying Outside N. America: This might be the only real “pro” to including a photo on your resume. In many other countries, including a huge part of Europe, Asia (like China), and Latin America, including a professional resume photo may not only be seen as acceptable but actually expected in your application, or as part of the application. Applying for a position in those cultures creates perceptions of completeness based on different cultural standards.

Cons of Including a Photo on Your Resume

While there are pros in niche situations, the cons will typically outweigh, especially in Western countries, like the United States. 

• Bias and Discrimination: This is the number one reason that experts recommend avoiding photos on your resume. A photo could invoke unconscious biases based on race, age, gender, and appearance. Regardless of the recruiters good intentions, unconscious biases can affect their ability to objectively assess your qualifications. This can be contradictory to an organizations efforts to recruit in a diverse climate.
• Compliance with Anti-Discrimination Laws: Employers may prefer resumes without photos to illustrate the fairness/ non-discriminatory practices of their hiring practices, and state/provincial law often requires this. Files without photos ensure that only an applicants skills and experience are presented. 
• Wasted Space: resumes are an important brief marketing document. A photo wastes a chunk of real estate that could outline your education, experience, and skills and causes your resume to lose some of its conciseness and tell a less compelling story. Every square inch of your resume should help to sell your professional value.
• Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Compatibility: Many organizations are utilizing applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen incoming resumes. These systems are text driven and cannot process images well. When your resume includes a picture, the ATS may misread the content or, worse, ignore it entirely. You want your resume to be ATS compatible. 
• Unprofessional: For most jobs, a photo is not necessary and is often seen as unprofessional, taking away from the purpose of your resume which is to demonstrate your professional contributions! 
• Focus on Qualifications, Not Your Appearance: Your resume focuses on your skills, abilities and accomplishments; your appearance has little bearing on your ability to do the job. The image, unfortunately, shifts focus from what matters.

What Hiring Managers Really Think About Resume Photos

Most employers, especially in the United States, do not want to see their potential new hire’s picture on their resume. The employer is looking to objectively determine if the person meets the qualifications of the position, and adding a picture only dilutes that decision process by introducing unconscious bias into the process.

A significant number of hiring professionals actually remove an applicant’s photo if they receive it, or the resume disclaimer could be flagged as potential bias. If the hiring manager is concerned about any possible bias issues, they do not want to appear they discriminated against any person when making a decision. It is not ethical from an employer standpoint to use an applicant’s photo to make a hiring decision unfairly. A picture on a resume is almost always flagged as a negative when using a resume checker.

Industry Differences: When a Resume Photo Helps or Hurts

The industry context is very important in deciding whether you should use a photo on your resume.

• Where it may be acceptable (but it’s still best to avoid): again in creative industries as above, acting or modeling, jobs where your physical presence is part of the job (e.g. brand ambassador for a specific product) adding your photo might increase your resume score. Here, a high-quality professional headshot is normally imperative as part of a portfolio rather than necessarily on the resume). Similarly with certain client-facing roles, especially in international markets, it may be more acceptable.
• Where it is harmful: for most corporate, tech, finance, healthcare or administration roles and many others, a photo is certainly a disadvantage. It adds a distraction, can lead to bias concerns and confusion with ATS. In these industries it is better to keep your resume strictly for your professional qualifications.

Crafting a Compelling Resume: Beyond the Photo

Rather than debating should you include a picture on your resume, redirect your focus towards the work you have to do. A good resume should communicate your value proposition clearly.

Instead of wondering how to write a job description for a resume, consider how you are going to write it that creates impact for each bullet points that relates to the job you want. Use quantifiable information, strong action verbs, and tailor your resume to every application. These factors greatly increase your chances of getting an interview.

Best Practices if You Decide to Add a Picture (Caution Advised)

In the highly unlikely event that a resume photo is requested (perhaps in an international application to a specific country), you should do the following: 

• Professional Headshot Only: This is non-negotiable. No selfies, casual photos, or cropped group photos. You should pay someone for a professional headshot with lighting and possible attire decisions. 
• Neutral Background: You want the focus to be on you, without the distractions of a busy background. 
• Professional Attire: Dress as if you were attending an interview. . 
• Appropriate Expression: You should have a friendly, approachable, yet professional expression.
• Small and Discreet: If you do include a photo, it should be small, and unobtrusive, generally occupying the top corner.
• High Resolution, Low File Size: Make sure that the photo, if it will be used, is clear enough, yet not large enough for you to have loading issues.

Alternatives to Resume Photos for Personal Branding

You can have a very strong personal brand without a photo on your resume. Here are some great alternatives: 

• LinkedIn Profile: This is where you want to have a professional headshot. LinkedIn is especially a visual platform to build professional networks. Use a good profile photo to stand out in this effective digital footprint. 
• Professional Portfolio/Website: Depending on your profession, a real portfolio or personal website is essential – especially for creative professionals. This is where you can have visual examples of your work and include your professional headshot.
• Strong Personal Summary/About Me Section: How about using the space at the top of your resume to build a strong summary to illustrate your most important skills, value and brand in text?  
• Networking: In person-building real relationships through professional networking will be ten times more effective for personal branding than a resume photo will ever be.

Final Verdict: Should You Include a Picture on Your Resume?

For most applicants, it’s an unavoidable and unequivocal no. In many instances, including a picture is not recommended for any resume, especially in the United States. Continually including a picture presents the risk of bias, the risk of an ATS compliance issue, and the risk of looking unprofessional.

These risks will easily outweigh the merits of including a picture of yourself. A resume is an objective document that presents your skills and experience.

If you are in an international job application where a picture is typically included or in a very specific creative industry where your appearance is related to the job, these are the only instances in which you may include a picture. In this instance, please be sure to use a high-quality, professional headshot.

Conclusion: Should you include a picture on your resume?

When considering “should you include a picture on your resume?”, remember that your qualifications and accomplishments are your best attributes. Instead, continue to create a simple, strong, and impactful resume that demonstrates your value, rather than utilizing visual features to draw attention or raise issues that could lead to bias or technology issues.

You can use LinkedIn or other platforms for your professional photo and personal branding to excite other human connections, and let your resume speak to your main objective in career pursuits. By following these best practices, you maximize your potential to attain that next interview opportunity.

FAQs about Resume Photo Guidelines