Recruiting Blog Home > TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE? Photo-inclusive resumes are the question

Oct 17, 2009

This woman’s eyes were so scary, they made me shudder. Her toothy rectangle of a smile was frozen under a clearly cosmetically enhanced nose which formed the T-square support for a pair of repulsively bulbous orbs. I think she must have been a Crappie fish in a former life. When I was flipping through a mound of applicants and turned over her resume, I let out an involuntary “Aagh!” and dropped it like it might give me the flu.

Perhaps I should have considered that her choice to adorn the top of her CV with her 4-color head-shot was a declaration that her bold confidence and brazen assertiveness made her worthy of an interview for her fortitude alone. She must have been proud with this mug. And maybe her perspective of the overall relevance of physical beauty is much less shallow and superficial than mine. Kudos to her for that. But her Portraits-R-Us special also revealed one very noticeable factor. She was likely in her mid-to-late 50’s.

Unless we were in the acting business, why would a candidate openly advertise their age?

In an era of continuously increasing discriminatory hiring practices, the fact that this candidate would shine a spotlight on her maturity simply has to raise a few eyebrows. Age discrimination charges, according to the EEOC, numbered over 24,000 in 2008 (http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/adea.html), and as the workforce continues to age exponentially, these claims are likely to only increase.

It’s possible that the photo-inclusive resume is a much more common practice for a PR role or marketing, and understandably to a certain extent. But to add a 3x5 glossy when applying to a clerical role within the financial services industry seems to serve little purpose. It is very interesting, too, that of the dozen or so photo-inclusive applications I have received in the last year have all been female.

I have to wonder why that is. Are the females simply more aware of the unspoken tendencies within marketing to lean towards what is considered attractive by our society? Or are we simply just better to look at than most men?

Of course her age doesn’t matter.

At least I know for certain it truly doesn’t matter to me, and I know that according to the EEOC, her age shouldn’t matter. But the sad reality is, it will matter to some employers, and this candidate’s resume will go quietly into the circular file without her ever knowing why she wasn’t considered for a job she may have really been qualified for. It would be a very interesting experiment to recirculate this particular resume sans the photo, and see how many more responses she receives compared to the responses from her first go around.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in recruiting, for me it’s only worth three. “Don’t do it.”

 

Nanci Lamborn

BrightMove Team Blogger/Writer

 

Nanci Lamborn is a 20-year veteran of human resources and recruiting. She   currently recruits in the Atlanta area for the insurance industry and recently obtained her SPHR designation.

Important Note: This article is not speaking about a specific incident but is trying analyze the realities of using photos in resumes. We do not condone or support interviewing, recruiting or hiring based on age, race or physical appearance.

 

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By Allie M. on Oct 12, 2009

You are so right. If she interviews well and is a personable candidate, her appearance won’t matter. But in today’s society, unfortunately, that photo on the resume is their first impression, and the truth remains that we are all pretty particular in what we deem “attractive” in the corporate world.

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By Karla Porter on Oct 12, 2009

It’s interesting, I worked in Latin America and Europe where photos are required attachments to resumes. People are employed, economies move and the work gets done. However, in the U.S. we have maintained the facade of a highly sanitized system where it’s taboo to “look at a candidate” before the interview. In today’s web 2.0 world, “if you don’t have an internet presence you don’t exist” and if you have one your pic is out there.

So, really now, you can’t keep yourself a secret any longer before the interview. And frankly, if the Recruiter or Hiring Manager is good or great they have always been able to find out about you (and what you look like if they wanted to know) before meeting you. Candidates are marketing themselves via video these days and embedding links in email, resumes and cover letters.

We’re going to have to loosen up a bit in HR, not be so anal and learn that we’re dealing with people. It’s been our custom but it’s not a law.. Like I always say, “Get onboard the change train and enjoy the ride”. ~Karla

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By Mike Brandt on Oct 12, 2009

Karla,

Love your comment. I worked in Asia Pacific for years and photographs are very common in Asia. Unfortunately, in some countries, they still make decisions based on physical appearance. I had an unnamed customer in the airline industry that hired based on looks as a prerequisite. It baffles me that companies cant see that this hurts them in the long run. That being said, I still believe professionally groomed and dressed is important. Does anyone know of any legal history on hiring based on dress and grooming?

-Michael Brandt
COO - BrightMove

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