In job hunting, every detail of your résumé can make or break your chances of landing an interview. One question that often sparks debate among job seekers and career experts alike is whether you should include a photo in your résumé.
Fredrick Komen, the General Manager at Mace Food says it is not necessary to have your photo unless expressly requested.
"How you look has nothing to do with the job. What recruiters are looking for is your qualifications which if well highlighted in your curriculum vitae (CV) they can see you during the online or physical interview."
Does it affect hiring decisions? "It depends on the organisation but…you have to keep in mind that recruitment is done by human beings and if that person has particular biases, then you might not be considered."
Highlighting a past experience, Mr Komen says, "I was in this interview attending as an observer and noticed that the CEO was particularly aloof to graduates from a certain university.
Later, after the interview, I asked him why and he said, 'One day when I was driving from my home to town, there was a riot, and he broke my car's window.' So, you see, he formed a personal opinion."
Deviating from the rule
Nonetheless, Mr Komen says that there are certain positions where having a photo is necessary. For instance, a receptionist, salespersons, and positions that hold high responsibilities like financial managers.
"If I'm hiring a finance person, I like to get as many details as possible of the person. So that in the event something happens, and I call the police, I can give a clear description from their photos."
Type of photo to send
Vanice Olal, a Human Resource officer shares that different organisations specify which particular photo they need from the candidate.
For example, if you are applying for a modelling position or in the creative industry, the recruiter might need a full-body photo of yourself.
"Try as much as possible to be very professional in how you look even though they need a passport-size photo."
However, at the crux of personal biases, Ms Olal shares that professionalism should dictate the hiring of candidates.
"Even when using artificial intelligence, it is better to feed it with the job description you need rather than how one looks like."
Additionally, Ms Olal advises that if a recruiter is using the application tracking system (ATS) for shortlisting, they should give it a range of the photo specifications needed depending on the policy.
Altered photos
While we live in an era of photo-enhancing techniques, Mr Komen warns that candidates should not use them on their job documents.
"My first impression will be that you are not an honest person. I feel cheated," he says.
Additionally, altering the photos can make a recruiter question your self-esteem. "How do you think of yourself to the point you need filters to feel acceptable."
Having encountered such a case, Mr Komen shares, "This candidate looked similar to one of his cousins and had used his documents to apply for the job.
"We did the interview, and the guy was very prepared. But something was a bit off for me during the interview.
This guy could remember things but not dates. For example; when did he graduate? It is not something to think about because it was your big day. So, when someone starts struggling and looks at the paperwork it prompted me to dig further."
What the future holds
While there can be a mismatch between how one looks and the photo they send, Ms Olal says that during the virtual interviews, she highly advocates for the switching on of cameras. "It is just for familiarity purposes."
However, Ms Olal notes that in the future photos in one's résumé will be replaced by video résumé.
"This is because bosses are now preferring to hire based on one's attitude more than qualifications hence with the video résumé one will be able to see the mannerisms of the candidate; though it is a long shot."
