Resume Photo: Should You Put a Headshot on Your Resume?
Leave the photo off in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Include one in Germany, Japan and the Gulf. The rules by country, the right size, and how to get one.
In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, leave the photo off your resume unless the employer asks for one or the job is acting or modeling. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and much of the Gulf, a photo is still expected, and leaving it off can make the application look incomplete.
So the answer depends on where the job is, not on how good the photo is. This guide gives the rule for each market, what the photo should look like when you do need one, and how a resume photo differs from the one on your LinkedIn profile.
The answer by country
| Where you are applying | Photo on the resume | Why |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Leave it off | Federal guidance tells employers not to ask for one |
| Canada | Leave it off | The government job site says it is not the norm and can lower your chances |
| United Kingdom and Ireland | Leave it off | Not expected outside acting and modeling |
| Australia and New Zealand | Leave it off | Recruiters often remove photos before passing a CV on |
| India and Singapore | Usually leave it off | Only when the employer asks |
| France, Netherlands, Spain, Nordics | Optional | Accepted but not needed |
| Belgium, Italy, Poland | Only if asked | Local guidance says add one only on request |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland | Include one | Still expected by most employers |
| Japan | Include one | The standard resume form has a photo box |
| South Korea | Usually include one | Common at private companies, dropped in the public sector |
| China, Gulf states, Mexico | Usually include one | Common practice |
Every market has exceptions, and a job ad that asks for a photo, or says not to send one, overrides all of this.
Why a photo hurts in the US, UK, Canada and Australia
Two things work against a photo in these markets, and both act before anyone reads your experience.
Employers are told not to ask. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission advises that employers should not ask for a photograph of an applicant, because it reveals race, sex, age and national origin, and a request for one can be used as evidence of discrimination. In the UK, the Equality and Human Rights Commission's code of practice says applicants should not be asked for photographs unless the job needs one, such as acting. A recruiter who receives a photo they never asked for now holds exactly the information they are told to keep out of the decision. Some set the resume aside rather than take that risk.
Appearance changes who gets called back. In a field experiment that sent more than 5,000 CVs to real job openings, Ruffle and Shtudiner found that attractive men got nearly twice the callbacks of plain-looking men. Women who included a photo, attractive or plain, got fewer callbacks than women who sent none. The photo moved results in both directions, for reasons that had nothing to do with the job.
There is a practical problem too. Many resume templates place a photo in a text box or export the whole page as an image, and applicant tracking software, which reads text, can then miss your name, contact details or work history. A plain, text-based PDF avoids that.
When you should include a photo
When the country expects one. Germany's Federal Employment Agency says a photo is no longer required but is still usual in many industries, and it goes at the top right of the CV or on a cover sheet. Austria and Switzerland follow the same pattern. In Japan, the standard resume form, the rirekisho, has a box for the photo. The full list, with the size rules for each country, is in our guide to resume photo requirements by country.
When appearance is part of the job. Actors and models send a headshot as a separate page, printed at 8 x 10 inches with the resume on the back, rather than a photo on the resume itself. Our guide to acting headshots covers that format.
When the employer asks. Some roles in hospitality, aviation and customer-facing sales ask for a photo in the ad, and a few application forms have a field for one. Follow the ad.
For tech, finance, law, healthcare, engineering and most office jobs in the no-photo markets, the answer stays no.
What a resume photo should look like
If you need one, it should look like an ID photo taken by someone who cares about the result. Not a cropped holiday picture, and not a heavily filtered selfie. Our explainer on what makes a headshot sets out the difference.
| What | The rule |
|---|---|
| Framing | Head and shoulders, facing the camera, eyes in the upper third of the frame |
| Background | Plain and light: white, light gray or a soft neutral |
| Expression | A natural, closed-mouth or light smile |
| Clothing | What you would wear to the interview, in solid colors |
| Age of the photo | Recent. Japan asks for one taken within three months |
| Size in Germany, Austria, Switzerland | About 4.5 x 6 cm, portrait |
| Size in Japan | 40 x 30 mm is the most common, 36 to 40 mm tall by 24 to 30 mm wide is accepted |
| Placement | Top right of the first page, beside your name, or on a cover sheet in Germany |
| The file | Keep the resume a text-based PDF, with the photo placed as an image inside it |
The pixel sizes for print and for each platform are in our guide to headshot dimensions.
What the photo looks like by industry
| Industry | What to wear and how to look |
|---|---|
| Finance, law, consulting | Dark suit or blazer, neutral background, composed expression |
| Tech and startups | Smart casual, a light background, a warmer smile |
| Healthcare | A white coat or scrubs if the role calls for them, otherwise business wear. Residency applicants follow the ERAS photo rules |
| Sales, real estate, hospitality | Business wear and an open, approachable smile, since the job is meeting people |
| Creative work | More room for color and style, as long as your face is clear and the photo is recent |
| Academia and research | Business casual and a plain background |
A resume photo and a LinkedIn photo are different decisions
Even where the resume goes without a photo, your LinkedIn profile should have one. Many recruiters look candidates up before they call, and a profile without a face reads as unfinished.
The two also differ in shape. A resume photo in Germany or Japan is a small portrait rectangle. A LinkedIn photo is shown as a circle cropped from a square, and LinkedIn accepts anything from 400 x 400 pixels up to 8 MB. One good session can cover both: a tight portrait crop for the CV and a square with a little more space around your head for LinkedIn. Our guide to taking a good LinkedIn photo covers the profile side.
How to get a resume photo
A photographer. A studio headshot in the US typically runs $100 to $300 from a budget photographer, and the national median sits near $250. Our breakdown of what professional headshots cost has the ranges by city.
Your phone. Face a window for soft light, stand in front of a plain wall, and have someone take it from about six feet away at chest height. The light matters more than the camera.
An AI headshot. Headshots by Magic Studio turns about ten of your own photos into 50 headshots across 5 looks, ready in 15 minutes. You see them before paying, and packs start at $49: a starter pack of 3, all 50 for $59, or all 50 in print-ready high resolution for $69. The full set gives you a formal look for the CV and a warmer one for LinkedIn from the same order.
Common questions
Should you put a headshot on your resume?
Not in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand, unless the employer asks or the job is acting or modeling. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and the Gulf states, yes. Elsewhere in Europe it is usually optional.
Is it illegal to put a photo on a resume in the US?
No. Nothing stops you sending one. The guidance is aimed at employers, who are advised not to ask for a photo before a job offer, and that is why many prefer resumes without one.
Should I put a photo on my CV in the UK?
No, unless you are applying for acting or modeling work. UK employers are advised not to ask for photographs, and a CV without one is the norm.
What size should a resume photo be?
About 4.5 x 6 cm in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and 40 x 30 mm in Japan. On a digital CV, keep the photo small, at the top of the first page, and the file under a few megabytes.
Can I use a selfie as a resume photo?
Only if it looks like a headshot: plain background, even light, head and shoulders, facing the camera. An arm's-length selfie usually distorts the face, so have someone else take it or use a timer.
Does a photo stop applicant tracking software reading my resume?
The photo itself does not, but templates that place text in boxes or save the page as an image can. Keep the resume a text-based PDF and check that you can select the text in it.