Photos on a resume
The builder can hold a photo and crop it. Whether to include one at all depends on where you are applying, and the answer is not the same everywhere.
Templates that support a photo have a slot for one, with a cropper so the framing is yours rather than whatever the original file happened to be.
Whether to include one#
There is no universal answer, and anybody who gives you one is describing their own market.
| Where | Convention |
|---|---|
| India | Common and generally fine. |
| Europe (much of it) | Common, sometimes expected. |
| US, UK, Canada, Australia | Usually leave it out. Many employers discard resumes with photos to reduce bias-claim exposure - the file can be rejected before anyone reads it. |
If you include one#
- A plain background. Anything busy competes with the text beside it.
- Head and shoulders, looking at the camera. The cropper is square by default for this reason.
- Dressed as you would be for the interview, not more formally and not less.
- Recent. It is a recognition aid for whoever meets you.
Avoid a group photo you have cropped yourself out of - it is always visible, and it is always someone else's shoulder.
Removing it#
Remove the photo and the layout closes the gap rather than leaving a hole. You can switch to a template without a photo slot at any time and the image stays in the document in case you switch back.
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