Should I put a picture of myself on my resume? Which countries require a picture on a resume?

Do not put a picture of yourself on your resume. (At least, for American jobs.)

For the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, resumes/CVs should NOT have a picture or headshot of yourself (What do these things all have in common? 🤔🇬🇧)

You don't want to include a picture on your resume for three main reasons:

1. Anti-discrimination laws – Companies may not want to touch you with a 10-foot pole if there's any way you can claim that they did or did not hire you based on your protected statuses (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender). And nearly all interviews take place within 10 feet, so don't make them break out the pole.
   
   
2. Actual, literal discrimination – Look we get it, it's the 21st century, it's the future... people and companies don't discriminate! We're in a post-racial society, baby. Nobody has experienced discrimination in America in years.
   
   *checks today's news*
   
   Oh sweet God. Ok nevermind, maybe there's still some discrimination in the world today.
   
   Look, in all seriousness, everyone has their biases (even me, I'm sure). Some are conscious, and some are subconscious. Putting your face on your resume introduces a visual element to what should be a strictly qualifications-based judgment call. Even if a resume screener isn't a foaming-at-the-mouth racist, they may have a subconscious preconception about which gender this job is better suited for; they may have a mental image of who the "perfect" candidate is; heck, they might just not like your face (I personally have a face made for radio).
   
   
3. It's just kinda weird – In America, it's just sort of odd if someone has their headshot on their resume. Any weirdness (like colors, swirlies, icons, graphics, etc.) can short-circuit a screener's brain as they speed through their pile of 1,000 resumes. And it's almost guaranteed that they'll immediately put you in the "no" pile without even reading your resume, so they can move on to the other "normal" resumes.
   
   So err on the safe side, and avoid putting a picture on your resume. It only has downsides.

Then, you may ask, why do other resume builders include images on their resumes? Good question. Probably because they're trying to sell you something, and you're probably more likely to buy a membership if they let you upload a cute professional headshot on your resume. I mean, look at that resume – it has your face on it! You definitely need to buy it now. I.e., they'll let you do whatever makes you feel good and most likely to convert, not what's most likely to maximize your interview rate. But here at SheetsResume.com, we do things differently – we'll tell you the truth about what's most likely to land more interviews, even if it hurts our conversion rates.

Now, apparently other countries do exist besides the USA (news to me). And in some of those other countries, it can be customary to include a picture of yourself on your resume. Here is a comprehensive (but not exhaustive) list of countries where it is more acceptable or encouraged to include an image of yourself on your resume:

Europe

1. Germany
2. France
3. Spain
4. Italy
5. Austria
6. Switzerland
7. Belgium
8. Portugal
9. Netherlands (optional but common)
10. Czech Republic
11. Poland
12. Hungary
13. Slovakia
14. Luxembourg

Asia

1. China
2. Japan
3. South Korea
4. Thailand
5. Vietnam
6. Indonesia
7. Philippines

Middle East

1. United Arab Emirates (UAE)
2. Qatar
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Kuwait

Latin America

1. Mexico
2. Brazil
3. Argentina
4. Colombia
5. Chile
6. Peru

I am applying for jobs in one of these countries. Where can I insert a picture of myself on your resume?

We'd recommend in the header at the top right, just to the right of your contact information. After using our resume builder, you can export your finished resume as a Google Doc or MS Word document, and insert your headshot in the top right corner where there's some blank space.