Top Resume Mistake: Including a Headshot

Everywhere you look lately, you’ll come across resume templates that include a headshot. They’re everywhere. But that does not automatically make it a smart idea. It’s not because everybody’s jumping off a bridge that you should too.

The reasoning usually goes something along these lines: “the employer will end up seeing me anyways, and they can look me up on social media and LinkedIn. So why not just include my picture on my resume? A picture is worth a thousand words, it will make me more memorable to the employer.”

Discrimination Issues

Unless you are living under a rock, you should be aware that these days racial biases (Black Lives Matters just to name one) have been at the forefront of concerns in our society. Employers are concerned about this as well. They have been aware of recruitment bias issues for a while, but now, because of these movements in our society, they are more and more forced to act with tangible actions to prevent biases in their recruitment efforts.

Discrimination issues are a real concern, a legal one at the very least. Laws in many jurisdictions prevent employers from asking questions to and discussing with a potential candidate about their race, age, gender, weight, etc. Many personal elements should never be addressed.

But when an employer is faced with a resume that includes a picture of the candidate, it puts them in a situation in which they do not want to be, namely a situation where they could be accused of allegations of discrimination. The picture can communicate many these aspects that should be kept off the table during a recruitment process.

It also undermines the efforts that employers are putting in trying to remove unconscious bias. In some companies, applicant tracking systems actually remove the names of the candidates as well as any other information that could fuel a bias before a hiring manager even sees a resume. Including a picture only adds one more step to their efforts.

Are you applying for a modelling job or an acting gig?

Appearances matter. Especially for actors and models because their jobs are directly related to their looks. But unless you are an actor or a model, you simply should not include a headshot on your resume.

Adding your headshot to your resume is actually a shock factor, and not a good shock! It can be upsetting, very surprising and even jarring to HR employees. At the very least, a hiring manager will seriously question your judgment and will probably perceive you as unprofessional, self-centred and egotistical. You may also become a laughing stock within the HR department, and not because of your looks, but because of your poor reasoning and professional acumen. This is not a good way to become memorable.

An argument often used to try to swing including a picture on a resume is that an employer will look up the candidate on social media anyways, and therefore end up seeing what the person looks like. Yes, they will look you up. However, the very important difference here is that the hiring manager actually gets to choose if and when they will look you up on LinkedIn… and you should provide your LinkedIn profile link on your resume to make this easier for the recruitment team.

There are mainly two reasons for an HR recruitment employee to look you up on LinkedIn: to see how you look (after they have reviewed your resume), and to see if there are any inconsistencies between your resume and your LinkedIn profile. In any case, they get to decide to take a look at your picture after they have confirmed their interest in your candidacy.

By including a picture of yourself on your resume, you are actually imposing yourself on the hiring manager, and potentially undermining the employer’s process for mitigating unconscious hiring bias. Not a great idea. Instead, let them look you up on LinkedIn.

So what about my LinkedIn profile picture?

This brings the topic of your LinkedIn profile picture, because yes, you should have a headshot on your profile. So what does a good headshot look like? Here are some examples.

All these examples have a few things in common. Everyone in these headshots is looking straight ahead and are smiling. They emulate a positive friendly vibe. They all look professional, yet also convey approachability, charisma and confidence. They all show great attitude and are dressed in professional attire relevant for their occupation.

The pictures are also sober, simple and of good quality. They have good lighting, are centred, are not blurry or grainy, and do not have any obvious filters or effects. The backgrounds are also uncluttered, sometimes blurred, and do not distract at all, so the focus is kept on the individual’s face, as it should be. They are also taken from the chest up, showing the shoulders and the complete head (head is not cropped), which allows a good ratio to see the person’s face properly.

Here are some elements you may want to avoid for your LinkedIn profile headshot:

• Busy backgrounds that draw attention and distract
• Flirty over-the-top vibes and dramatic moods (this isn’t Tinder or Instagram)
• Looking away from the camera and/or a fashion/modelling vibe (you’ll just ridicule yourself and be an object of mockery, this isn’t Vogue)
• Obvious cropping (don’t crop yourself out of a group or any other kind of picture, even if you are wearing professional attire as this will look sloppy)
• Pictures taken while on vacation, at a party or other type of social event (this isn’t Facebook)
• Wearing clothing you would not wear to go to work
• Full-body pictures (people need to be able to see your face)
• Dark or bad lighting

Every industry being different, if you find yourself hesitant and in doubt, search for the LinkedIn profiles of high-ranking employees in companies you are interested in working at. Look at their pictures, find the ones that look professional, and try to emulate (not copy!) the look and feel of these headshots. Always try to convey a professional image that is similar. In other words, dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

Professional Photography or Not

By now, you might be thinking that the people in the examples above had professional photographers take their picture. And yes, they did. And if your budget allows it, then this might be something you should consider doing. However, most people simply don’t have the budget for this.

The next best thing would be to hire a student photographer. You might be able to hire one for a modest fee, or maybe even for free, by contacting a school offering photography courses. Another option, if you don’t have any friends or family that may be able to help out by providing their photography hobbyist talents, would be to do it yourself, or with a friend for a second pair of eyes, which is often better. In this case, try to look up a photography guide on the Internet to help you with various aspects of photography such as lighting, and try to follow the recommendations listed above.

Summary

Avoid including your picture on your resume, as for most HR employees, this just may be a deal breaker. Consider that adding your headshot to your resume would not add any value to your application. It simply is not worth the risk of having your candidacy thrown into the recycling bin. Instead, focus on a great headshot for your LinkedIn profile.