Quick answer
For U.S. applications: don’t include a photo, and don’t include personal details like age or marital status.
Keep the document focused on experience, skills, and results. If you need a longer academic-style document, that’s typically a CV (used in academia/research), not a standard U.S. resume.
ATS reality: images and “designed” elements can harm parsing. Even if a photo is culturally normal elsewhere, it’s usually a downside for U.S. portal applications.
Should you include a photo?
Safe / Recommended
Risky / Avoid
Safe / RecommendedU.S. resumeNo photo (use LinkedIn for a headshot if you want one)
Risky / AvoidPhoto on resumeCan distract, create bias concerns, and can break text-based parsing
Safe / RecommendedFocusSkills, experience, measurable impact
Risky / AvoidImage-only PDFATS may treat it like a picture (hard to extract text)
Personal info to omit (U.S.)
Leave these off U.S. resumes
- Photo
- Age / date of birth
- Marital status / children
- Religion / health information
- Nationality (unless required in a specific context) / personal ID numbers
In the U.S., employers generally don’t want this information on a resume. Put only what helps them evaluate your fit for the role.
CV vs resume: what employers expect
Resume (U.S. jobs)
- Concise, role-targeted
- Skills + experience + outcomes
- Usually 1–2 pages
CV (academia/research)
- Comprehensive academic record
- Publications, presentations, teaching, grants
- Can be multiple pages
ATS formatting reminders (works internationally too)
- Single column; avoid tables/text boxes/icons/graphics.
- Standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills).
- Contact info in the body (not header/footer).
- Use keywords from the posting (truthfully), including long-form + acronym once.
Checklist
International → U.S. conversion checklist
- Removed photo + personal data (DOB, marital status, etc.).
- Converted CV-style content into role-targeted bullets (impact + metrics).
- Kept ATS-safe formatting (single column, no tables/text boxes/icons).
- Used U.S.-standard headings and job-description keywords (truthfully).
Sources
- MIT CAPD: “Resumes” (photos generally not preferred for U.S. resumes; avoid personal information like age/marital status/religion/health). View source
- NIH (U.S. federal guidance): “Federal Resume Tips” — Do not include a photograph or sensitive information (age, DOB, marital status, SSN, etc.). View source
- Oklahoma State University: “Resumes and CVs” (difference between resumes and CVs; don’t include pictures/personal details; templates/columns/text boxes can break ATS). View source