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Should I include a Photograph in my Resume?

Written by: Tom Hannemann

Article Overview: Unless you are applying for jobs where a certain type of physical appearance is necessary to do the job such as modelling or acting or being an extra in a TV commercial or where employers specifically request a photograph, I do not recommend including them in your resume.

Should I include a Photograph in my Resume?

Some people believe that a photograph enhances their application because it allows the reader to "put a face to a name". If you can provide valid evidence that a photograph will enhance your chances of being interviewed, please do so. However, until then, I do not recommend including a photograph. For one thing if you use a colour photo, the black and white laser printer the recipient uses to print it will eliminate any benefits of colour. And, by the time the document is photocopied a couple of times you might as well send in a picture of your pet or a pot plant. Secondly, unless the photo is of professional quality (taken by a professional photographer under proper lighting with a high quality camera) the end result is usually rather disappointing, not to say unflattering. In addition, resumes are often scanned into databases by recruitment firms and employers and you have no way of telling what that software will do to distort your carefully posed image.

More important is that you have no way of predicting the reaction of the reader. Will they like the look of you? Will they think you look similar to someone they dislike? Will they think you are too attractive for their organisation or work area ("I'm not employing someone who is better looking than me" or "They'll end up distracting everyone else"). Will they think you are not sufficiently attractive ("They'll scare away the customers" or "I could not stand to look at that mug all day"). Will they draw erroneous conclusions about your personality or style based on your appearance? ("They look like a crim" or "They look like someone you wouldn't introduce to your parents " or "They look a bit too traditional or boring or radical or way out for our culture").

If you think that a person's personal appearance has no impact on people's perceptions then talk to a magazine publisher or to a TV program or movie producer or a model agency or to a psychologist. Why do we dress up and pay more attention than usual to our appearance when we go to an interview?

A few years ago, a client insisted that her photograph be included in her resume because she was considered by many people to be particularly attractive and that males would want to include her in the short list based on her visual appeal. I provided the usual warnings and disclaimers to no avail. I obtained feedback from a couple of recruitment consultants to whom she had sent her profile that she was not considered because the (male) employer saw straight through what they said was a "manipulative attempt to ingratiate herself" and that she should let her achievements do the talking, not her appearance. She missed out on a job for which she may have been the best candidate, but the use of a photo had the opposite to the intended effect. Needless to say, she discontinued this practice.

In short, the risks of using a photograph outweigh any potential benefits.

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  Should You Hire A Professional Resume Writer?
  Understanding Resume Styles
  Where To Send Your Brilliant Resume

Article Tags: colour photo, conclusions, crim, end result, laser printer, magazine publisher, model agency, perceptions, personal appearance, photograph, pot plant, professional photographer, professional quality, proper lighting, psychologist, quality camera, recruitment firms, resumes, tv program, valid evidence
Referred by: http://www.kyliehammond.com.au



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