Should You Include a Photo on Your Resume?

A resume is a formal document that includes a person’s academic, institutional background, work experience, and other relevant skills. This particular document helps one to secure a new job.

What does an ideal Resume look like?

This is a sample of a basic resume that will help you to create a great portfolio.

One of the most troubling questions that arise while making a resume is whether to include your photograph, is a photo necessary in a resume?

The answer is that it is not at all necessary to include a picture in your resume. However, most of the experts and recruiters have advised against the inclusion of a photograph due to a number of reason:

• One of the major challenges for both employers and employment seekers is a bias-free recruitment process. Not adding a photograph to your resume can help make the recruitment process bias-free and a lot less challenging.
• The absence of a photograph reduces the chances of the recruiters being accused of discrimination based on physical appearance, color and age.
• In case the picture is not appropriate, the recruiter could be inclined to reject your resume without reading it even once.
• Attaching URLs to the resume can get recruiters to see your complete profile, like your LinkedIn profile, which is far more professional than attaching your photograph directly to the resume.
• Global surveys conducted by various recruitment platforms have concluded that on average, a recruiter spends not more than 7 seconds on an application. Attaching a photograph would only give the recruiter lesser time to go through your complete resume.

However, attaching your photograph to the resume comes in handy when you intend to circulate it for networking purposes. The photograph will then help to be a greater network in which more and more people can easily remember and identify you.

What kind of photo to add?

In case you choose to add your photograph to the resume there are some basic ethics you should keep in mind while doing so:

• The picture should be attached at the top. Recommended: top left corner.
• The image should be a professional picture with a focus specifically on your face. Recommended: a professional headshot.
  
  Still, wondering how to write a perfect resume?

TIP: Board Infinity is a career-building platform that facilitates and guides job-seeking professionals and students to find the right place to work with the right resources like a perfect resume.