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Create CVIn the United States, a software developer resume should not include a photo.
This is not a stylistic preference. It is a compliance and screening reality.
US hiring practices are structured to minimize bias risk and legal exposure. Including a photo:
•Creates unnecessary bias concerns
• Introduces legal risk for employers
• Signals unfamiliarity with US hiring norms
• Distracts from technical evaluation
• Reduces perceived professionalism
This page explains why a no-photo resume is standard for US software developer roles, how it impacts ATS screening, and provides a fully optimized executive-level template aligned with US hiring expectations.
Unlike some international markets, US companies avoid resume photos to reduce:
•Age bias
• Gender bias
• Ethnicity bias
• Appearance-based discrimination claims
For software developer roles, recruiters expect resumes to focus exclusively on:
•Technical stack
• System impact
• Architecture ownership
• Measurable engineering results
A photo adds no value in technical screening and can create subtle negative perception.
In some cases, it signals that the candidate is unfamiliar with US hiring standards.
Many resume templates that include photos use:
•Two-column structures
• Graphic headers
• Design-heavy formatting
• Embedded image blocks
These layouts often:
•Break ATS parsing
• Misalign text extraction
• Lower keyword ranking
• Hide technical skills from search queries
A no-photo resume is almost always cleaner, simpler, and more ATS-safe.
A strong US-optimized layout includes:
Single-column.
No icons.
No images.
No tables.
Clarity and signal density matter more than design.
Text-only format:
Full Name
City, State
Phone
Professional Email
LinkedIn or GitHub
Do not include:
•Photo
• Date of birth
• Marital status
• Full street address
US resumes are concise and professional.
Example:
Senior Software Developer with 9 years of experience designing scalable backend systems using Java and Spring Boot. Expertise in AWS cloud infrastructure and containerized deployments with Kubernetes. Led microservices transformation supporting 8M+ monthly users and reduced system latency by 36% through architectural optimization.
This summary communicates:
•Experience level
• Stack clarity
• Infrastructure exposure
• Quantified engineering impact
No personality branding language.
Programming
• Java
• Python
• Go
Frameworks
• Spring Boot
• Django
• React
Cloud & DevOps
• AWS
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• Terraform
Databases
• PostgreSQL
• MongoDB
• Redis
Flat text formatting ensures clean parsing.
Chicago, IL
matthew.harrison@email.com | linkedin.com/in/matthewharrison
Senior Software Developer with 11 years of experience architecting distributed systems in enterprise SaaS environments. Specializes in Go, Python, and AWS cloud infrastructure. Led platform modernization supporting 15M+ monthly users and improved API performance by 42% through system redesign and caching strategies.
Programming
• Go
• Python
• JavaScript
Frameworks
• Django
• React
• gRPC
Cloud & DevOps
• AWS
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• CI/CD pipelines
Databases
• PostgreSQL
• DynamoDB
• Redis
Senior Software Developer
Enterprise Technology Company
2017–Present
•Architected microservices platform supporting 15M+ monthly active users
• Reduced system latency by 42% through database optimization and caching implementation
• Deployed Kubernetes-based infrastructure improving uptime to 99.99%
• Automated CI/CD pipelines reducing release cycles from bi-weekly to daily
Software Developer
Cloud Services Firm
2013–2017
•Developed REST APIs using Python and Django supporting high-volume transaction systems
• Implemented monitoring frameworks increasing system reliability
• Optimized query performance improving response time by 28%
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of Wisconsin
•Fully ATS-compatible
• Strong stack visibility
• Clear seniority signals
• Measurable impact
• Clean hierarchy
• No compliance risks
It reflects standard US expectations across startups, enterprise firms, and major technology companies.
•Including a professional headshot
• Using European-style CV templates
• Adding personal demographic details
• Using two-column layouts with image sections
These immediately signal unfamiliarity with US hiring standards.
For US software developer roles, technical credibility must dominate presentation.
Almost never for software engineering roles in the US.
Exceptions typically apply to:
•Acting
• Modeling
• Media-related professions
Software engineering is not appearance-based hiring.
Including a photo offers no competitive advantage.
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