The short answer

For most traditional resumes and cover letters, especially in corporate, legal, financial, or academic fields, emoji should be avoided entirely — hiring managers in these fields generally read them as unprofessional.

Where the exception applies

In some creative or startup-adjacent roles — social media, some design and marketing positions — a very restrained use of a single relevant icon-style symbol in a portfolio or personal website (not the resume document itself) may be acceptable.

Applicant tracking systems don't read emoji well

Beyond etiquette, many resume-scanning systems don't parse emoji characters correctly, which can create formatting issues or make sections harder to read automatically — a practical reason to avoid them regardless of tone.

A safer alternative for visual structure

If the goal is simply to make a resume more scannable, standard bullet points, bold section headers, and consistent spacing achieve the same effect without the risk emoji carry in a formal document.