Include photo in CV

[HappyCat13]

I searched and found that nobody has brought up this point in the forum. Here is my question:

Do you think it is appropriate to put your passport-sized photo in CV? I am thinking of putting one photo on the top right hand corner of my CV, but I'm not sure whether this makes me too very weird.

I am definitely not referring to that kind of casual photo which downgrades the seriousness of your CV. I refer to that kind of photo which look professional, clean, tidy, smart and pretty (for girls, pretty, for guys, handsome ).

Please share your views!

[comp12]

I think this is an interesting question. However, I think the potential good about having it is not substantial, at least in comparison to potential negatives. For example, I know in job searches, many employers are afraid that they will be accused of discrimination, and cut out the picture alltogether before review. I think the risk outweighs the reward in this case. I'm in the camp of keeping CVs as simple and plain as possible. Nobody will deny someone because they found the layout too plain and generic if the content was great. OTOH, many will have no qualms about denying a person for an overly flashy, bad taste CV presentation. I think it is best to be conservative here.

Of course, there are some fields (such as theater, performance, etc.) where headshots are required.

[guttata]

No reason to. Like comp said above, the only thing it really does at this point is add the possibility for discrimination, or it gets removed and not considered anyway. FWIW, I've never seen anyone with a picture in their CV. They'll get to see your face during the interview process anyway.

TL;DR: No, don't put a photo in your CV

[sareth]

To expand on guttata & comp12's comments, in the U.S. it is generally a bad idea to include birthdate, marital status, and/or a photo in a C.V. or resume. If it's included by an applicant, the information is often removed prior to review. I know this isn't true in other countries.

For a program in computer science, a photo is not going to help you, and it may hurt you.

[ktel]

It's not appropriate in Canada or the US to include a picture with your CV or resume. In contrast, when I was in Germany it was expected.

[Hatem]

I think your photo will be on your undergrad transcripts/ certificates, so why do you want to put it on your cv. Also ETS will put your photo on your GRE report when sending it.

[HappyCat13]

Oh... Wow... So many negative comments about putting a photo in CV ... Seems like this is really not a good idea for applying CS research graduate degree in Canada & US...

I was thinking photo is a benefit because:

1. I was initially thinking of writing the CV as similar to the one I wrote for my job application. Normally, in a job application, a photo will catch the reviewers' attention and make them read the other parts of the resume carefully...Also, it will leave more impression for the reviewers.
   
   
2. I read from an Asian forum that there is this suggestion to female applicants: the suggestion says there are plenty of male PhD students in Engineering side and their lives are relatively dull, and sometimes professors might ask their PhD students to take a look at the applicants' CV and made some comments to help professors' decisions. So obviously in this case a pretty girl's face (even an unpretty girl's face in a well-shot photo) would definitely catch attention, even though the other credentials are more essential. But here the suggestion says: the photo already serves its positive purpose in catching that attention.
   

But from the reactions above, it seems that such suggestion is a no-no because of the very strict law and cultural habits in preventing discrimination in Canada and USA there.

Really thanks a lot for the advice!

I think your photo will be on your undergrad transcripts/ certificates, so why do you want to put it on your cv. Also ETS will put your photo on your GRE report when sending it.

Err...ETS will send the photo? Oh no I looked ugly on the exam date... I didn't comb my hair properly because I was too focused on preparing for the exam...So the admission office will see my GRE photo? Then in this case, I'm worried about discrimination as well...

Edited September 23, 2012 by erencie

[child of 2]

nerds always have the internet. they don't need girls

[ktel]

But from the reactions above, it seems that such suggestion is a no-no because of the very strict law and cultural habits in preventing discrimination in Canada and USA there.

Precisely this. Definitely just a cultural/legal thing in North America where discrimination on the base of gender, age, sexual orientation, etc. is illegal when it comes to job applications.

Besides, do you really want to be admitted just because you're a girl?

[sareth]

I think your photo will be on your undergrad transcripts/ certificates, so why do you want to put it on your cv. Also ETS will put your photo on your GRE report when sending it.

Err...ETS will send the photo? Oh no I looked ugly on the exam date... I didn't comb my hair properly because I was too focused on preparing for the exam...So the admission office will see my GRE photo? Then in this case, I'm worried about discrimination as well...

ETS does not send photos with scores. The score report schools receive is much like the one you'll get in the mail, and you can see a sample report here: http://www.ets.org/s...core_report.pdf

I've certainly never heard of an institution in the U.S. that includes photos of students on transcripts or diplomas, I don't know about non-U.S. institutions, though.

Edited September 23, 2012 by sareth

[guttata]

ETS does not send photos with scores. The score report schools receive is much like the one you'll get in the mail, and you can see a sample report here: http://www.ets.org/s...core_report.pdf

I've certainly never heard of an institution in the U.S. that includes photos of students on transcripts or diplomas, I don't know about non-U.S. institutions, though.

Having worked in a US registrar's office during undergrad, it's common for institutions abroad (although not in typically "Western" universities, ie France, Germany, UK, Canada, etc) to include a photo on transcripts. Its unheard of for a US school. And Hatem has no idea what he's talking about. Did ETS even take your picture when you took the GRE? They sure didn't take mine.

[HappyCat13]

Did ETS even take your picture when you took the GRE? They sure didn't take mine.

Yes they do take photos on the exam dates. I heard that ETS did so as to prevent some unhonest people paying "professional" GRE takers to take exams for them. Perhaps US students were not taken photos by ETS.

[Hatem]

ETS does not send photos with scores. The score report schools receive is much like the one you'll get in the mail, and you can see a sample report here: http://www.ets.org/s...core_report.pdf

Oh, I made a mistake about that point. Actually it was TOEFL test scores that were sent with my photo on it.

In Egypt, where I took both the GRE and TOEFL test, the testing center takes photos for the applicants to send them to ETS to ensure that you are the same person whose photo appears on ID and passport.

I received my TOEFL test score report and I found my photo included in the report. but for the GRE they didn't do that it was just my scores in there.

I've certainly never heard of an institution in the U.S. that includes photos of students on transcripts or diplomas, I don't know about non-U.S. institutions, though.

In many non US institutions the student's photo must be attached to transcripts and certificates and must be sealed too.

[sareth]

In many non US institutions the student's photo must be attached to transcripts and certificates and must be sealed too.

Interesting! Official transcripts in the US are always sealed too, but the photos are news to me.

[kaykaykay]

1. I read from an Asian forum that there is this suggestion to female applicants: the suggestion says there are plenty of male PhD students in Engineering side and their lives are relatively dull, and sometimes professors might ask their PhD students to take a look at the applicants' CV and made some comments to help professors' decisions. So obviously in this case a pretty girl's face (even an unpretty girl's face in a well-shot photo) would definitely catch attention, even though the other credentials are more essential. But here the suggestion says: the photo already serves its positive purpose in catching that attention.
   

.

Your thinking is very very inappropriate. If the department want to have a diverse class they might take into account your gender or background (they will see that on your application), but trying to appeal to reviewers with being a pretty girl sounds an amazingly wrong . And this is coming from a girl.

[HappyCat13]

Your thinking is very very inappropriate. If the department want to have a diverse class they might take into account your gender or background (they will see that on your application), but trying to appeal to reviewers with being a pretty girl sounds an amazingly wrong . And this is coming from a girl.

Hi such thinking is not coming from my side. I read it from somewhere else and was wondering whether it is correct. The reason I take the initiative to post this thread is that I had doubts on this thinking.

And well, such thinking is strictly prohibited in USA and Canada. But it is quite a popular view in some other countries. Of course, quite many people dont like it.

[comp12]

Hi such thinking is not coming from my side. I read it from somewhere else and was wondering whether it is correct.

It is incorrect.

[HappyCat13]

It is incorrect.

Yes I know that now if you read my second response above. I used past tense "was" instead of "is" to indicate that I did not know in the past but now I know.

[HappyCat13]

I think "kaykaykay" and "comp12" totally misunderstood my point. I don't bother to explain here. I was just asking one simple question where I already acknowledged the correct answer in my second response. Don't understand how these people read English.

[comp12]

Erencie,

What I called "incorrect" referred to the line of thinking that you read from somewhere, as in "I read it from somewhere else and was wondering whether it is correct." I was not speaking about your own personal judgement.

[Germany2012]

In Germany and without much knowledge I dare to say also in the US the picture is a plus, it's an extra info, however important, probably not much. It's today's Zeitgeist (according to my dictionary this German word is also known in English language) to be non-dicriminatory (race, gender) and to not even care about how somebody looks like, if he, she is a rocker or a bombshell and what kind of. This is the official politics in political debates and PR statements of big companies and the true belief of some left wing activists.

But speaking as a personnel decision maker not publishing any photos of himself I can say that I appreciate photos and not any politician or HR "scientists" will change this, ever. I am aware of the bias risks with photos and I weight this as I myself want to. The photo itself is almost never deciding, rather the lack of it. Well, a Google PR employee maybe cannot tell the truth.

In the USA it is much more important which company and university you attend and there could be clean white and clean black universities with self-accelerating effects making it worse. Still I think you should add the photo, no matter how you look like. With a suit, looking good, not annoying, unobtrusive and receptive. I don't think that the no-photo policy is really sustainable though I understand the idea.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Germany2012

[Duna]

In Germany and without much knowledge I dare to say also in the US the picture is a plus, it's an extra info, however important, probably not much. It's today's Zeitgeist (according to my dictionary this German word is also known in English language) to be non-dicriminatory (race, gender) and to not even care about how somebody looks like, if he, she is a rocker or a bombshell and what kind of. This is the official politics in political debates and PR statements of big companies and the true belief of some left wing activists.

But speaking as a personnel decision maker not publishing any photos of himself I can say that I appreciate photos and not any politician or HR "scientists" will change this, ever. I am aware of the bias risks with photos and I weight this as I myself want to. The photo itself is almost never deciding, rather the lack of it. Well, a Google PR employee maybe cannot tell the truth.

In the USA it is much more important which company and university you attend and there could be clean white and clean black universities with self-accelerating effects making it worse. Still I think you should add the photo, no matter how you look like. With a suit, looking good, not annoying, unobtrusive and receptive. I don't think that the no-photo policy is really sustainable though I understand the idea.

1. You do not need to be a left wing activist to be sensitive to race or gender bias or simply to our naturally implemented bias towards symmetrical faces.

2. Really? It's "today's Zeitgeist to be non-discriminatory"? Fashionably liberal? This just sounds wrong.

3. What do Google PR employees have to do with this?

4. "(You are) aware of the bias risk with photos (...) weight this as (you yourself) want to." This comment clearly shows you are not.

And the "clean" universities... I do not even want to address that.

I have seen several companies in Germany that switched to the no-photo CV policy and I like where this is going.

However, pictures are not to be included in CVs / resumés in the US (and several other countries, of course). I even think that it could make it harder for you to get in because no one wants to risk appearing biased. In addition, one could argue that researching grad schools in a foreign country and applying would include researching such customs and not making stupid mistakes...