{"id":456728,"date":"2017-04-04T01:24:11","date_gmt":"2017-04-04T00:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/welovesalt.com\/news\/2017\/04\/photo-cv-may-not-best-idea-3\/"},"modified":"2023-08-25T12:46:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T11:46:42","slug":"photo-cv-may-not-best-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/news\/career-advice\/photo-cv-may-not-best-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a photo on your CV may not be the best idea"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ruby A. Celine<\/strong><\/p>\n

A picture speaks a thousand words. Yet, taking the perfect photo that captures it all within a frame isn\u2019t always as quick and simple as a snap, especially if it\u2019s intended for a CV or job application. How can we adequately portray an image or identity through a static portrait? Should we go with a smart-casual or a suit-up professional?<\/p>\n

Frankly, it shouldn\u2019t matter. If there\u2019s one career advice we should all question, it would be to include a photo on our CV. It may seem like a norm, and surely it\u2019s with good intentions, but perhaps we could be revealing more about ourselves than necessary. Besides, isn\u2019t it the hard facts of our achievements and professional credentials that truly matter?<\/p>\n

Personal preference aside, there are a few reasons a photo on a CV isn\u2019t always the best idea.<\/p>\n

Subjective interpretation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Being visual creatures, we\u2019re naturally drawn to pictures and graphics over plain text. What better way to beckon for attention than to include a striking element. A pop of colour. A photo.<\/p>\n

In a way, having a photo on our CV gives us a sense of ownership \u2013 but every photo tells a story, and it is important that we recognise that this is often subjective. The interpretation of what we put on our CV is from the point of view of the beholder who, in this case, is our prospective employer. What\u2019s more, with the WWW providing free access to our online profiles, we really have no control over their perception of us right from the get-go.<\/p>\n

We can never assume that the person on the other end is going to see what we see. What we may consider a harmless visual attraction may come across as totally inappropriate, maybe even tacky and distracting. Why take that chance?<\/p>\n

Unneeded distraction<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of distractions, most recruiters or hiring professionals are oftentimes snowed under with stacks of job applications that only a few seconds is spent scanning through each CV. Include a photo and we inevitably risk diverting their attention away from all the pertinent stuff during this small window. Pictures first, text later. It\u2019s like a force of nature \u2013 we all do it! Sadly on a CV, visuals (or anything irrelevant for that matter) will only dilute the key messages.<\/p>\n

Personality, pluck and prowess \u2013 let\u2019s face it, there\u2019s so much to our delightful self that we couldn\u2019t possibly convey through a mere mugshot anyway. Best let our track record do the initial narrating and be justly evaluated based on all the remarkable things that we can bring into a job.<\/p>\n

Think about areas worth highlighting; feats that merit a shortlist or at the very least, a phone call. These should be the driving factors that determine our faith \u2013 not our hairstyle, facial features or overall visual impression given from a photo.<\/p>\n

The idea is to engage the beholder with our skills and get them tingling with excitement about us before<\/em> they get to see us.<\/p>\n

Misrepresentation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

As we know, photos aren\u2019t always the most accurate representation of reality. Quite effortlessly, they can be edited, enhanced and made alluring with the tinkering of modern day tools and applications.<\/p>\n

Seeing how job hunting can be a wearying process, we are constantly finding new ways to stand out. Most of us who have been through it would have come to realise that we live in an increasingly tough world.<\/p>\n

Frantically tracking down the right opportunity for a move is one thing. The ultimate challenge is navigating and trying to penetrate an overcrowded market of competition \u2013 with everyone vying for the same opportunities \u2013 coupled with the terrifying prospect of unemployment. It\u2019s no wonder we\u2019re in a tizzy when job-seeking.<\/p>\n

We often try hard to jazz up our profile. We want to get it right so bad to get noticed. We seek fresh angles to string our story and make every effort to craft a personal brand that most accurately captures our identity and professional trajectory \u2013 not to mention the near limitless options of fancy fonts and free template styles we have at our disposal.<\/p>\n

Understandably so, it\u2019s important that we make a good impression, and our CV is our first shot at that. But could we be trying a little too hard?<\/p>\n

Too much information?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a crucial one.<\/p>\n

Photos reveal a lot about us; details we may not typically be comfortable sharing like our age, gender, nationality and physical characteristics. Unless you\u2019re a model, presenter or performer of some sort, these factors shouldn\u2019t affect your chance of scoring an interview. Sounds like common sense, right? Yet, we come across corporate job ads that specify a headshot as a requirement. If anything, this should come after <\/em>the qualification round or pre-screen.<\/p>\n

While some employers may flat out disregard applications without a photo, there are countries where labour and anti-discrimination laws restrict the request for personal information, photos included. In some cases, employers would ignore CVs with photos to avoid any possible accusation of discrimination later in the process.<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t a clear-cut no-photo rule around this in every country but truth be told, we are instinctively judgemental beings, and we\u2019re governed by prejudices and penchants. Conscious or subconscious, we can\u2019t help but form biases, and these may play out during the early stages of screening and shortlisting. A photo essentially paves the way for judgement.<\/p>\n

Closing thoughts<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Indeed, some companies may have a photo policy as part of their application process, perhaps it\u2019s a service or customer-facing role \u2013 by all means, but keep it professional (selfies are a BIG no no! Obvious but not uncommon). Otherwise, the risks of including a photo on a CV far outweigh the advantages.<\/p>\n

If we want to be taken seriously and invited through the door, a CV can be an effective reference piece to make it happen \u2013 so long as every element we include is in its place for the right purpose. We get to set the stage for what\u2019s to come (how exciting is that!), and this will determine whether we stand out or pale against others in the pile.<\/p>\n

So, if a photo isn\u2019t relevant to the job we are applying for, it shouldn\u2019t show up on our CV – irrespective of how incredibly photogenic or irresistible we may think we are. There are other creative techniques we could explore to make better use of the space.<\/p>\n

A general rule is to strip it down to what\u2019s truly important. No frills. No fluff. And let\u2019s save superfluity for our diary. Simple, factual and relevant is the way to go.<\/p>\n

Visit our job page<\/a> to find your dream job with Salt Digital Recruitment Agency in London<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ruby A. Celine A picture speaks a thousand words. Yet, taking the perfect photo that captures it all within a frame isn\u2019t always as quick and simple as a snap, especially if it\u2019s intended for a CV or job application. How can we adequately portray an image or identity through a static portrait? Should…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7997],"tags":[2093,3615],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456728"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456728"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":527522,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456728\/revisions\/527522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=456728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=456728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}