Opinions on including a picture of yourself on your CV?
I'm debating whether to include on or not, everyone says different things?
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- I’ve never used a photo in the UK, Asia, or Australia. If they really wanted to look at your appearance (which I think is odd), they will look at your social media pages anyway.
- Perhaps at the heart of a reply to your question is how does your CV strike the balance between you being seen to be an individual and promoting your skills and experience. As a graphic designer the look of your cv is important to you - design, font, colour, images perhaps. But a photo? Like some of the replies here suggest, it’s an individual choice and influenced by what it is you are expecting your CV to do. For example, are you applying for a specific job – or just looking for it to stand out in a crowd? Recruitment practices have varied widely but now, rightly, diversity and inclusion should be at the forefront of concerns. It may be worth checking out the company to which you are applying. Does it have a published policy….? That might help you decide if it’s appropriate to include a photo – perhaps even if you should be applying! Traditionally CVs never had photos…… but with the influence of social media and digital cameras, they have almost become ‘normal’ on CVs within the broad spectrum of creative services. However perhaps what is best is more confusing. If the employer is using a full diversity and inclusive recruitment process, unless they have what is called objective justification, they should remove a photo along with your personal details before the CV reaches decision makers. For us as recruiters we have absolutely no interest in a photo – gender, age, race or disability have no relevance at all. Photos are very good at enabling such potential discrimination. The main things to concentrate on are aspirations, skills, experience and career.Good luck!
- A photo seems to be commonplace here in France, which made me cringe when I first found out that I had to add mine, but actually, now I think it's not too bad....
- In my opinion, it depends on how well attuned you are to the culture of the people you're hoping to work with - and whether you're making a direct approach or via an agency.I have a picture of myself on the career bio that I use when searching for freelance commissions. Direct recipients often comment (positively) on the vibrant style. But, I once uploaded it to a 'traditional' mainstream recruitment site that offered free resume feedback and it was met with ABSOLUTE HORROR! From their perspective, anything other than a Word Doc with 1.5-line spaced Times New Roman was a sign of someone wildly unprofessional.So, it's a case of knowing your audience.
- There is no point - many HR departments are removing faces and names from CV's now, to make the act of hiring someone objectives and not alligned to racial and social bias.
- I don't think it's necessary and some companies will surely judge you based on appearances, even if they say they're an "equal opportunity employer". However saying that, I now live in Spain where it is kind of expected so my current CV has a photo. If you're in the UK though I really don't think you need to.
- Not a good idea (unless you're an actor). Just inviting someone to reject you on that most superficial basis, your appearance.Let them reject you in person. (Joke.)
- Definitely a no no for me. If I am sent a C.V. for a contract position I am advertising I instantly think 'Unexperienced'. Not to say that everyone should have 10 years experience etc... but for the type of people I look for, I am looking simply at their credit list, their IMDB, showreel and the skills section.
- Working in a design field you can include an illustrated or graphic self portrait of some sort. Showcase your skills as part of your CV in that way in order to adhere to the old adage "show don't tell".
- More brilliant advice on this topic here: https://the-dots.com/asks/should-i-add-a-photo-of-me-and-my-birth-date-age-on-my-cv-for-a-creative-application-in-the-uk-16667I hope it helps :-) x
- I put a photo on mine - I felt like it made me seem more of a person than just a name on paper!
- Your application should be viewed on your portfolio and experience not your appearance.Personally would say no.
- No reason why not - your appearance will be judged at interview stage anyway.If anything it can be chance a way to convey the work persona you want to project. You could look serious, professional, or smiley, friendly, fun / wild & kooky. It depends the nature of you want to work for. If it's knightsbridge financial or property firm - defo serious. If it's a creative studio in somewhere cool, maybe less formal. So could be worth having two profile pics despending on the you you want to convey? (For what it's worth I'd avoid any hands over mouth etc and make sure the pic is centrally composed)
- @Daniel Tidbury I may agree, but you do not have a personal pic here :D
- I think that the way you choose to present yourself to a company can really help you find the best fit for you.I have a story here. I live in Italy, where both a portrait and other personal infos are usually shown on CVs and portfolio. In my portfolio, though, I have not specified my gender, age, or where I am based. As a response to one of my job applications, I had a reply that read "Nice works, but I can't find your age". This person did not comment at all on any of the other points I made on my portfolio. At that point, I knew we did not share the same view on something so important such as personal data privacy. I replied with a brief explanation and said goodbye.Long story short, if you work as an employee you should find a place you are happy to spend your time at.
- I'm one of those that thinks we shouldn't include a picture in our CV, the reason behind is that we should make sure bias isn't in place in the hiring process , and our work should be enough to get you a interview, saying this, there's still a long way to go, some even say in the future we should go even further abd hide names. The reality is that a foreign name or a picture from a minority background person will be a disadvantage, that's for sure.
- I have an image my myself on my CV... I think if it's a professional looking image It can help create a better connection. But I'm sure others would argue against it...
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