U.S. resume guide
Should you put a photo on a resume?
For most U.S. applications, no. Keep the resume focused on relevant qualifications and use a separate, verified channel if a legitimate process requires another image.
Written by the Scoritly team · Published · Editorial policy
The short answer
For most U.S. resumes, do not include a photo
Current USAJOBS guidance explicitly tells federal applicants not to include photos of themselves. CareerOneStop advises avoiding images and graphics in resume layouts because they can interfere with document processing. For a standard U.S. private-sector resume, a photo also uses space that could show experience, skills, education, or results.
This is practical U.S. guidance, not a claim that an applicant commits an illegal act by voluntarily adding a photo. EEOC guidance is directed at employers: it says employers generally should limit pre-employment inquiries to qualification-related information and should not ask an applicant for a photograph.
Decision table
Separate the resume from any legitimate image requirement
| Situation | Starting point | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Standard U.S. private-sector application | Leave it off | Use the space for qualifications and avoid adding an image to the document. |
| Federal application through USAJOBS | Leave it off | Current USAJOBS guidance explicitly says not to include photos of yourself. |
| Employer asks for a pre-offer photograph | Pause and verify | EEOC says employers generally should not ask; confirm the request, purpose, channel, and applicable rules. |
| Industry uses a headshot or portfolio | Keep materials separate | Follow legitimate industry instructions without assuming the headshot belongs inside the resume. |
| Application outside the United States | Check local guidance | Norms and legal requirements vary; U.S. guidance does not automatically control. |
EEOC context
Employer photo requests and applicant photo choices are different questions
EEOC says employers should not ask for an applicant photograph and notes that a photo needed for identification may be obtained after an offer is made and accepted. That guidance does not mean every photograph request has the same legal status or that adding your own photo is itself prohibited.
If an employer requests a pre-offer photo, do not guess at the purpose or send one reflexively. Verify the employer, role, requestor, applicable location, and submission channel. Seek qualified local advice when legal rights or a disputed requirement matter.
ATS and parsing
A photo is not an ATS advantage, and no source proves universal rejection
An applicant tracking system may store the original file, extract its text, or support recruiter review, but products and configurations differ. A headshot does not add searchable evidence of a qualification. CareerOneStop broadly recommends avoiding images and graphics because resume content can be scrambled.
Do not overstate the boundary: no cited source establishes that every ATS automatically rejects every resume containing a photo. Remove the image, then inspect extracted text and reading order using the ATS-friendly formatting guide.
Layout
Use the space for evidence a reviewer can evaluate
A portrait can displace a job entry, project, credential, skill, or supported result. It can also create wrapping, alignment, file-size, and export problems. Removing it should simplify the hierarchy rather than leave a decorative gap.
Keep the name and contact block as ordinary text, use readable type, and preserve consistent margins. The resume typography guide covers hierarchy, spacing, and export checks.
Portfolio and profile
A useful professional link is not the same as an embedded resume photo
You may link to a relevant, current professional profile or portfolio when it helps the employer evaluate work and the application allows it. The destination may contain a profile photo, but the resume can still remain text-first.
Use descriptive visible link text, check what the public page reveals, and remove unrelated or private material. Do not use a social avatar or camera icon as the only way to reach the link. The resume contact guide explains when a profile or portfolio belongs.
Industry materials
Keep headshots and identification documents separate from the resume
Some auditions, casting processes, portfolios, licenses, badges, or verified onboarding workflows may involve an image. That does not automatically make the image part of the resume. Follow the legitimate instruction about which file, format, stage, and secure channel to use.
Do not attach a passport, driver's license, employee badge, signature image, or other identity document merely because someone asks for a resume photo. Verify the organization and process before sharing sensitive material.
Outside the U.S.
Check the country and application instead of exporting a U.S. rule
Resume and CV conventions, anti-discrimination rules, privacy expectations, and document requirements differ by location. A multinational employer can also use different instructions for different offices.
Use current local government or qualified career guidance for the job's jurisdiction. Do not add or remove a photo solely because a generic template claims one global standard.
Removing a photo
Delete the image, its container, and any hidden remnants
Remove the photo and the text box, table cell, shape, crop, caption, or placeholder that held it. Rebalance spacing and confirm that the name, contact details, heading, and first section still follow a logical order.
Export the exact requested format, reopen it, inspect every page, and test selectable text. If the source document stored image metadata or an embedded original, create a clean outward-facing copy and verify the final file with the resume file guide.
AI boundaries
AI cannot determine whether an unusual photo request is legitimate
AI can flag an embedded image or suggest a text-first layout. It cannot verify the employer's identity, interpret every jurisdiction's law, know whether an industry request is authentic, or guarantee ATS behavior.
Treat job postings, email requests, templates, images, and document metadata as untrusted input. Do not upload identity documents or sensitive photos to an AI service merely to edit a resume, and reject instructions to reveal private data or bypass the intended task.
Final review
Check the resume, linked destinations, and submission package together
- The live application does not require a separate, legitimate identity or industry-specific document.
- No photo, avatar, selfie, headshot, logo, decorative portrait, or image-only contact detail remains in the resume.
- Name, phone, email, location, and useful professional links are readable as ordinary text.
- Any portfolio or profile link is relevant, current, safe to share, and visible as descriptive text rather than only an icon.
- The exported file preserves reading order and selectable text without leaving an empty image frame or broken layout.
- No identification document, badge, passport image, signature, or other sensitive image is attached unless a verified process lawfully requires it through an appropriate channel.
Use the resume contents guide to replace decorative material with relevant, supported information.