What’s a QR Code?

A Quick Response (QR) code is an image made of square-shaped patterns. QR codes can be scanned, and many smartphones and tablets have QR readers built into their cameras. When the QR code is scanned, it sends data to your device. For example, you could include the URL of your website or LinkedIn profile in a QR code for networking contacts or recruiters to review.

QR Codes on Resumes

A trend is for job seekers to include a QR code on their resume or business cards. It’s not required, of course, but it can be a way to add a coolness factor to your resume and get your resume a second glance from a hiring manager. Plus, if there is a particular online destination you want hiring managers to visit—like your online portfolio—it’s a good way to encourage a visit. 

Reasons to Use a QR Code on Your Resume 

Here’s more on using QR codes on your resume or business card to stand out from the crowd with a QR code on your resume from James Alexander, former Chief Executive Officer, Vizibility, Inc.

Reasons Not to Add a QR Code to Your Resume

There are a lot of perks to using a QR code. There are also some downsides. For one thing, many hiring managers may not be equipped to handle reading the QR code. In that case, it becomes a waste of valuable real estate on your resume. The hiring manager doesn’t want to hunt for the details. Hiring managers may expect to have your resume provide all the information they need on your work experience, and they could feel frustrated at the need to use the QR code to learn your full job history.  How does a QR code help your candidacy? Think through what information you’ll have at the destination of your QR code. What does your LinkedIn profile offer that your resume does not? Could you incorporate that information in your resume or cover letter? Before investing the time to create a QR code, ask yourself if it will be advantageous to have it on your resume, and consider how the people viewing your resume—hiring managers and interviewers—are likely to react to it (this can vary, depending on your industry).