# 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.

Source: https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/photos-on-a-resume
Last verified: 2026-09-03

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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. |

> **Warning** - This is the one design decision that can get a resume discarded unread
>
> Not because the photo is bad, but because of how the receiving company handles them. If you are
> applying across regions, keep two resumes - the builder holds ten, and duplicating takes a click.

## 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.

- [Templates and design](https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/templates-and-design) - Which templates have a photo slot.

- [The ATS check](https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/the-ats-check) - What machines do with a photo.