Should you put your photo on your resume?
Unless you look like Brad Pitt, it’s totally up to you! However here are some quick pointers in case you weren’t aware of them;
Unless a job posting specifically asks for your picture (and very few jobs will), don’t include it just for fun. Not only are your looks irrelevant to your potential as an employee, but you’re putting employers in a bad spot. If they have a picture of you and choose not to hire you, it’s possible that you could come back with a discrimination lawsuit. In most cases, they’ll throw your résumé away without looking at it, to avoid the issue altogether.
Some factors that might not have occurred to you;
Discrimination:
A picture’s worth a thousand words, and recruiters and employers would rather not hear most of them. It’s illegal to consider factors like age, race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability status in hiring decisions. So hiring authorities prefer to not “officially” know whether you’re a member of one of these protected classes.
According to Julie O’Malley of Pongo Resume If you put a photo on your resume, you reveal some of these details. If the employer later interviews you but doesn’t hire you, it opens the possibility of a discrimination claim. Some companies will even flat-out reject resumes with photos, just to avoid that potential accusation!
Technology:
Big companies use applicant tracking systems (or ATSs) and databases to digest resumes into standard chunks of text that can be searched based on predetermined criteria. A photograph is a non-standard chunk, and that can cause technical difficulties if the ATS doesn’t recognize the photo file or format.
However, there are reasons why you should put a photo on your resume as it humanises you and makes you stand out. Certain industries do require your photo e.g. modeling, acting, fashion etc.
If you do decide to put a photo on, make it a good one. Make it discreet and fit the theme of the resume. Be professional if you want to be taken seriously!