Surface guide
QR codes on cvs and résumés
A résumé QR code should be 2 cm and point at a portfolio or LinkedIn profile. The important caveat is that most résumés are read on screen or through an applicant tracking system, where a code is useless: print a visible URL too.
| Typical scan distance | 20–30 cm |
|---|---|
| Minimum code width | 2–2.5 cm |
| Error correction | M |
Assume it will never be scanned
A résumé is usually opened as a PDF on a laptop, or parsed by an applicant tracking system that strips images. In both cases the QR code does nothing. Always print the URL as text next to it. That is the version that works.
The code earns its place at a careers fair, at an interview where you hand over a printed copy, or on a portfolio leave-behind.
What to link
A single page you control: portfolio, work samples, a longer profile. Not a homepage.
Avoid encoding a vCard: recruiters do not want a contact record, they want to see the work, and a vCard is a much denser payload for a worse outcome.
Placement
Top right of the first page, or in the footer. Keep it out of the way of ATS text extraction, codes placed in a header sometimes confuse older parsers.
Never place it over a page break in a two-page PDF.