In the ESL industry, including your photo on your resume is common practice. Now, this is not an article on whether it is right or wrong, the industry is what it is and there are various reasons for doing so. In saying that, consider the local laws where the job is located too.
For example, if you are applying for a job in a language school in the UK or Australia, then it is considered unethical to request a photo of you, and it could also open them up for anti-discrimination lawsuits.
If you are looking to apply for jobs in Asia or the Middle East then you may diminish your chances of getting an interview without supplying a photo.
But have you ever wondered what your photo should and shouldn’t look like to put on your resume? If you’re thinking, I’ll just use my Facebook profile pic, think again!
Remember, you are applying for a professional position, so you need to treat it that way. Just because you’re qualified with your TESOL Certificate and ready to travel does not mean an International School in Tokyo or Beijing wants to see you catching that big fish off the coast of Puerto Rico on your last holiday!
Or just because you’ll be applying for online teaching positions and working from home does not mean you should present yourself lounging around home in track suit pants surrounded by ‘stuff’.
Nor do they want to see selfie’s in the car or you all glammed up on your wedding day….yes, we’ve seen those too.
You want the recruiter to see you as a potential teacher for their children, so you need to make it easy for them and actually look like a teacher.
Here’s our top 9 tips for producing the best photo to put on your resume.
Do’s and Don’ts for Resume Photos
1.Think about what’s in the background, try to have a plain light-coloured wall behind you
DO dress nicely but DON’T have a distracting background 
DO take the photo inside but DON”T take it in the kitchen!
2. Keep it indoors
NO holiday snaps! 
NO selfies in the car!
3. Dress appropriately
It’s a nice drop, but probably not the best choice of shirt! 
Definitely no singlets and SMILE, it’s not a mug shot!
4. Don’t hide your face… so no sunglasses either. Also watch for glare and reflections off glasses
DON”T accessorise unnecessarily 
DON’T have hair over your face
5. No bright lights or windows in the background
DON”T have windows behind you 
This is just wrong on so many levels!
6. Put some effort in to looking your best… and smile!!!
Almost got it right. Guys, have a shave! 
Try and look friendly and personable!
7. Get the angles right and look at the lens of the camera
DON’T look down at the camera 
Look at the lens of the camera!
8. It’s a head shot of you… not a pic for the family album! So crop it to just your head and shoulders
Get a close-up picture and crop it 
Did we mention SMILE?
9. Don’t use low quality images. After it’s cropped try and make sure it’s at least 800×800 pixels
And Finally… Some Good Resume Photos
That’s Better… 
We got there in the end!
We hope this makes it easier for you. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort to get a presentable photo or yourself, nor do you have to get a professional photographer to do it either.
Take 20 shots if you need to, with different coloured backgrounds and slightly different angles. Keep snapping until you’re happy with the end result.
Having a poor photo on your resume is worse than having no photo at all!