Comments...

• I like to see a photo. Saves me from writing 'short sweaty lad with bad dandruff' on his CV to remind me who he was. Anyone that says they are no use is talking complete tosh!!
  05/09/2012 by Anira
• The pictures I have seen say more about how the people like to think about themselves ( largely unconscious) and not about the conscious image they may need for the market place. They have ranged from man with big gun held strategically across his chest, woman with headscarf posing as a Knightsbridge knotty, chap with shirt undone and whiskers showing – I could go on. Personal branding is an area that needs to be explored and the image that is created and held in the mind will include the CV and the history of their social network activity. The CV may be part of the process, but your whole public profile and your life on line is there to view - pictures and all - we can no longer contain, and compartmentalise ourselves. As Mike says, a picture may be a cultural requirement - if so, get a professional to take it. And bearing in mind you may not be in Thailand - use it on the social network sites.
  12/09/2012 by Rosie Phipps
• A lot of reaction here! In my experience (both sides of the table and especially as someone who recruits frequently), in UK terms, for most posts a photo is probably unhelpful and can look flippant. When we recruit for China or Malaysia we get a lot of photos - it's a cultural nuance and you work to that if you are looking globally. Employers will google you, look at LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube so ensure "your brand" is flawless online and your privacy settings are locked down as a belt and braces. As an employer, your hobbies are nice to know but not essential and can sometimes make you look downright weird and not a great fit even when we work to stringent HR rules. Ian's suggestions are right on the money - and being "creative" if you can't spell, fluff the covering letter (and mess up who you are addressing it to with the sign off etc) are total deal breakers. In most areas at the moment it's a buyers market and whilst I like "stand out" if you go too far and you make yourself an unemployable gamble.
  19/09/2012 by Emma Leech
• Ian's advice does seem pretty solid and I firmly believe that applicants should not put a photo. However, it is worth mentioning that graduate jobs are hard to find so I wouldn't be surprised if graduates are including their photo just to stand out against other applicants. Therefore, making it easier for recruiters to overlook potentially ideal candidates.
  20/09/2012 by Harry Picken
• I just want to build on Emma's comment that different countries have different requirements. In German speaking countries the inclusion of a picture is compulsory as well as adding proof of qualifications and letters of recommendations from previous employers. I wouldn't over think it but regard any attempt to stand out from the crowd as a good thing.
  21/09/2012 by Ingrid Anusic
• I am a student in the marketing field. As recruiters, I'm interested to find out your thoughts. If I were to submit 2 CV's for each job, one with a photo, stripped down to 1 page, no hobbies or personal statements included as suggested by some above, and one strictly text based - to test out which was more successful (similar to experimenting with email marketing for example), would this be frowned upon if noticed? Or thought as being creative perhaps?
  21/09/2012 by Emma
• I have been made to believe that it is rather simple, i.e. no photos in the UK. In some other countries a photo is an absolute must, e.g. in Germany and some EU countries. Also, as someone mentioned before most people are on some network or the other - with a photo.
  24/09/2012 by Barbara Ann May
• Having sat both sides of the interview table, I would definitely not use a photograph in a CV for three reasons; - As most marketers know, there are few images as evocative as the human image and we are conditioned to make snap judgements. If one is unlucky enough to have the ‘wrong’ face, the precious 4 seconds in which to sell at least one of your skills is eroded to almost nothing. - If you want your photo to be clear, it has to be large enough on the page and that takes up premium space. Sure, you can reduce your word count to accommodate but that can mean a serious adjustment in your sales pitch. - As most recruiters now turn straight to Facebook or Linkedin (at least for candidates they are interested in!) there is plenty of opportunity to share your mug shot if it is that important. Rules are there to be broken and maybe a photo is the device that gets some candidates to interview but self-portraits are a dangerous gamble.
  30/08/2012 by Alastair Cook
• Forgive this provocation- and in deference to all the expert contributions but surely your 'linked in' profile IS your cv... or will be ? and is rapidly becoming your personal business profile, so it won't be too long before never mind about a photo- you will need a video of you- introducing yourself and referencing your achievements which may include links to pieces of work you have done -and brands you have worked with and links to references and testimonials from people you have worked with eg " I delivered this major project and here is the link to the 1 minute animation which explains what it was and how it worked". So the printed CV that we are all very familiar and comfortable with has only got a limited lifecycle- and as with most things- will be digitised before we know it!
  26/09/2012 by Sean Randles
• I like to see CVs that stand out a little - especially from marketing people. So a photo could be a part of that. I don't believe that 88% are rejected on the basis of a photo. Maybe 90%+ without a photo are rejected?
  17/08/2012 by John D.
• I think there is a perception of eye-watering vanity associated with a CV with a pic. I must admit I'd be put off, especially if it was a posed studio shot, or even a tasteful nude. Now that would be scary!!
  17/08/2012 by David B.
• We live in a visual word. Just because CVs used to be punched out on typewriters doesn't mean you have to be a slave to our text-only traditions. Get a professional photo taken, include it subtly on your CV (small, in the corner, like a web avatar) and use the same image across your online accounts too. This makes you easily discoverable, builds your personal brand and should help you stand out in the crowd. Of course, do it badly and you might as well smear **** over your CV. The secret lies in doing it intelligently, never brash or over-confident. Besides, who would want to work for a company that is so prejudiced they would automatically reject a candidate based on their face? It's true that the subconscious desire to spend time with people like us plays heavily on our minds, and that alone does not make us prejudiced. If candidates want to play it safe and avoid this risk of instant rejection then *not* including a photo on their CV might be good advice. Excluding hobbies, their date of birth and their address might also help, but where should this exclusion principle end? Our world is changing and while many recruiters remain firmly entrenched in the past, some more enlightened employers, as Alastair has observed, know how to use the internet and social networks to research candidates more deeply. For me, the balanced guidance would be that candidates should make a considered judgement on the merits of including or excluding a photo on their CV. There is no one-size-fits-all rule here - the answer lies in the goal the CV is trying to achieve. As with all other CV content, any photo should be tailored to the opportunity they are pursuing. And, crucially, there's should be no dissonance between the presentation of the offline and online personality; this would likely ring more alarm bells than anything one could present on a written CV alone.
  05/09/2012 by Allister Frost
• Ian has said 'no photos and no hobbies ... get to the point'. From an employer's perspective when so many CVs are artificially manufactured and read a tad too fantastic (like many x-factor hopefuls) it is important to see what lies beneath the personal marketing blurb and leisure pursuits can offer some additional insight. I would guess that a photo would also be helpful. We constantly look at faces and eyes (the windows to the soul) and sometimes we look for similarities in people that match where we have had a positive experience in the past with others. Of course this is often flawed :) Staff selection will always be very difficult if we expect perfection as it does not exist. We all have our human weaknesses and often what we see at an interview is initially only the tip of the personality/character iceberg. I guess the problem about 'getting to the point' is that we are not looking for robots but grounded people that can interact with all.
  21/09/2012 by Frank Thomson
• I absolutely agree that we do not want to hire robots. However Frank has made my point rather neatly. I dont judge Frank at all but if Frank is using appearance and hobbies as a reason to select or reject applications at CV stage he is potentially excluding people who could be better at the job. For example if they like or dislike certain hobbies. Technically this may risk discrimionation claims. I refer back to previous contributor who say they would be concerned about working for someone who would judge them on appearance. Of course gaining a greater insight is important when considering a candidate. My view (an experience) is though that employers do this at interview from a short list of people who, on paper, are capable / suitable. the purpose of the CV then is to very quickly demonstrate and make obvious your ability at the role. thereby securing an interview. I would also agree with Frank that even at interview the process is not foolproof and i have never me anyone who has never made a mistake when hiring.
  21/09/2012 by Ian Roe
• Have to agree with much of Ian R's post, avoid portrait photos, especially pretentious 'look at me being serious with my hand on my chin' posed ones, you'll just rub people up the wrong way. Succinct, clearly laid out CVs are the way forward, and aim for single page too. However, as with everything in life, there are always exceptions to the rule, here's someone using a portrait photo to great effect, enjoy - http://vimeo.com/21228618
  22/08/2012 by Andy Chesters
• I would be impressed, shows some level of effort/hustle, which is crucial in SEO roles IMO.
  05/09/2012 by Colin McDermott
• I'll declare and interest - I'm a recruiter. Most people, and especially creatives, misunderstand what a CV is for. The CV is to get you the interview and everything about it must be geared towards that. The idea is to stand out rather than being ruled out. I'm not surprised by these figures and have seen plenty of evidence of it. I would strongly advise the following: No picture No hobbies or interests No personal statement Get to the point Typically a CV gets less than 15 seconds. The head of a design agency I know indicated he would make a judgement within 4 seconds. Pictures have no relevance on a CV unless you are a model. Hobbies have no relevance on a CV unless the hobby is directly and I mean directly linked to the job. The major down side to both of these is falling foul of prejudice without an opportunity to address it. Don’t get too upset about the word prejudice - I use it in the sense of preconceived ideas rather than out and out bigotry. At a trivial level let’s consider an example of someone who plays squash. They enjoy it and be proud of how fit they are. If the employer has someone on long-term sick leave because they damaged a knee ligament playing squash they may decide not to interview another squash play. So think of it; unless you are applying for a job as a squash coach it does have any positive value on your CV but it could get your CV binned. Very often employers or recruiters get rid of the CVs they don’t like first and then pick from what’s left. As an applicant you send your CV and if the employer has a concern or doesn’t like something you cant see them and address it. So if you haven’t already thought of what the employers concerns and reservations might be and tweaked your CV to suit you could be dead in the Personal profiles are an annoyance. They are always overly positive and flowery and so everyone I know ignores them. However the down side is they shunt the interesting stuff I’m looking for down the page or onto the second page - meaning there is less chance of me finding what I want in the proverbial 15 seconds. The other thing that creatives get badly wrong is turning the CV into some kind of portfolio. I’ve lost count of the CVs I’ve seen in the for of magazine pages, with colourful graphics etc. and frankly they’re a pain in the a**. Anything you do which make the CV difficult to read or makes me have to search for information is not making it interesting its getting it binned. Recruitment consultants could be reading 50 CVs a day, employers could receive 20 or 30 for a single vacancy – make it easy for them to find what they are looking for. The same head of design agency above said he is more interested in where someone studied and where they’ve been working. Then a very quick look through a portfolio will suffice. Facebook is becoming more and more important and it very definitely isn’t to see what you look like. Its all about what you are up to. Now then is you are going for a role in digital media your on-line presence could effective be your portfolio, but trust me no employer in any sector wants to scroll through pictures of a candidate in a Pi**ed up state, or in questionable circumstances. Again expressing strong views about football teams, hobbies, religion and politics runs the risk of turning off the employer; so make your profile private using the security settings. A caveat to that which many people miss is that their pages may be hidden but the have dumb looking profile and cover pictures. So whether it your CV or your Facebook profile take a deep breath and look at them from the employer’s perspective. Think if I was the employer why should I or why wouldn’t I employer this person? What’s in it for me?
  17/08/2012 by Ian Roe
• Don't overlook cultural factors! In Thailand for example is is expected that job seekers include a photograph - in fact many employers request it. The personal details that job seekers go into on their resumes in this part of the world is bizarre at times (height, weight, blood type etc.). So my response would be to keep an open mind - if you don't like photos being included remove them or don't look at them.
  12/09/2012 by Mike Holloway
• Couldn't agree more. Narcissism in it's highest form. Granted that models, CEO's and high level directors, even writers (even politicians, though this is debatable!) all may need one on their CV at some point - but 99% of us don't. Unless you do one of these jobs, by putting a picture on your CV, you're really saying "Hire me ...and don't I look nice/hard-working as well, eh?". (Hint: Actually, no. You probably don't. Regardless of what your mother has been telling you all these years.) What those people (who probably judge others more than most based on looks) fail to realise, somewhat ironically, is that people DO judge you based on looks. Unlucky! Proud of your hairstyle? Think the facial expression (and designer stubble) you're displaying on your CV is appropriate? Are the clothes you have on in the photo at the forefront of fashion? Do you think you look interesting? Think. Again. All of the above - especially YOUR FACE - is subjective and risks undoing all of the work you put into your CV. If anything you risk giving an impression which goes something like "well, there probably isn't THAT much to impress you on my CV ...but at least (I think) I look good! ...right?!" Wrong. Let your employment history, your achievements, your problem solving skills, your experience, your personality and your references do the talking. Your image should then take care of itself. (Unless you're a politician! ;)
  05/09/2012 by @TheWriteGuyUK (Matthew)
• What about a drawn/ illustrated portrait of yourself? As a designer/ creative looking for a creative role.
  21/09/2012 by Marty