Should you include a photo for your resume? It depends.

A picture speaks a thousand words. Think about your resume as a marketing brochure. The one with the picture will definitely be more memorable to the hiring manager.

You should definitely include your photo if the job advertisement specifically requested for one. This is normally required for frontline/sales roles. This will save you the time and effort for attending face-to-face interviews if your appearance is not in line with the image the company wants to portray.

Guidelines for photos to include in resume

• Wear a business suit/ corporate attire, nothing too sexy or inappropriate
• Your photo should follow the typical passport size photo standards (include head and your shoulders); full length photos are not required
• Avoid using photos taken by webcams or at social occasions such as weddings and birthday parties
• White or plain background is preferred. Avoid scenic, buildings and kitchen walls as background
• Do not use photos cropped out from group photos. Such photos normally look odd, especially if you have cropped off your friends’ heads or bodies!
• Reduce the resolution for your photo such that your resume (with photo) is less than 200KB. Nobody appreciates a 5MB resume!

The picture on your resume is meant to help you increase your chances of getting an interview. If you include a bad picture, it may turn the hiring manager off from reading the rest of your resume. You should include the photo that makes the interviewer think “I want to meet him/her“.