I am applying for MS programs in the US, and I'm wondering if I should include my photograph in the CV.
According to this post one should never include photos because of anti-discrimination laws. But my CV would also include links to my linkedin, github and my website, all of which have my photo. Should I not include these links as well?
Don't include the photo.
Yes, it's possible to figure out on the internet what you look like. But one would still have to figure it out. By including a photo, you make it impossible not to know how you look.
If in doubt, always follow the customs of the place where you apply.
As per the question, this answer applies mainly to the US.
In the US, none of those things should be considered in an application. It is your academic record, perhaps a statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation that will be determinative.
I suggest leaving out everything that is irrelevant. Even a link to your linkedIn profile is noise. The other things (personal website...) are fine if they contain relevant things, such as papers and projects you have worked on.
But if someone needs to go to the web for needed information, you are doing yourself no favors.
Basically, the world today is so complex that anything that can be interpreted positively can also be evaluated negatively. After all, each coin has a flipside.
My personal experience is that one's own openness also generates such on the other side and one does not always have to assume negative intentions (discrimination, etc.).
I always attach my photo everywhere and had no negative experiences. Ultimately, what counts is what you do, how you think and what you want (and not how you look like). But of course, that can always look completely different from industry to industry.
Of course, if it is clear from the outset that it will be interpreted negatively to include one's photo (one is assumed to be trying to gain an advantage), then I would refrain from including the photo.
If you get an invitation for an interview soon, it's likely to be virtual due to COVID, so they will likely find out what you look like soon enough. It also seems to me that there are some European countries that do this, so their applicants also do. I say "seems" due having virtually no US-based applicants who have ever included a head-shot. Thus, I agree with those who say to leave it out of your application. Lots of people in the US will find in strange and maybe off-putting. It gives a further chance for implicit bias, and perhaps even explicit bias that will never be detected. They will get their chance to see you when you give your job talk/virtual interview.
