by Julie Desmond

Job Seeker Cyndi asks, “I have heard that it's important to have something about your resume that stands out from the rest. Should I put my picture on my resume?”

The short answer is, No.

With 300 or more competitors for some of the jobs posted today, standing out is not only a good idea, it’s mandatory. Adding a photo to your resume will definitely set your resume apart from the rest, but not in the way you might expect.

In spite of the Facebook Frenzy happening around us, the vote is still solidly against photos on resumes - so much so that your resume might not get read at all if it has a photo on it. This makes no sense at all, because any hiring manager who wants to know what you look like can, with a click or two, Google your image on the internet and discover not only what you look like, but quite possibly what you look like in a bar or bikini or on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Not the first impression you or your employer is hoping for. However, the resistance to photos has its history, and it’s a tough one to undo.

Companies are always on the lookout for qualified employees, regardless of national origin. But a high volume of applications, coupled with managers’ heavy workloads, requires that the field be narrowed in a somewhat cursory fashion. Photos on resumes have been standard in Europe forever, so those who do it here risk being viewed as outsiders who might not be up to speed on American culture. This makes a resume with a headshot an easy target in the elimination game. Successful recruiters locally, who sift through literally hundreds of resumes per week, still view photos on resumes as a red flag, an easy way to eliminate someone and pare down the pile of applicants.

My friend Paloma is a Marketing professional in Madrid, born and raised in Spain, and well-traveled both professionally and socially. She sees the US attitude against resume photos as ludicrous. She points out that employers will eventually have to see what you look like and she adds that appearance truly does speak volumes about a potential hire. Over the course of some animated discussion, she came to understand the very American view against it, which has its roots in anti-discrimination efforts so important to a country whose history includes callous maltreatment of specific groups of people.

Psychologists have run some interesting tests to determine whether people do actually discriminate based on appearance. In one case, they showed employers a series of resumes and asked them to assess the candidates’ likelihood to succeed on the job. Each resume had a photo attached, with very different photos coupled with identical resumes. The photos shared certain attributes: apparent age, and ethnicity; but one photo was closer to what employers in the study had initially labeled “more attractive,” and the other aligned with looks that were earlier dubbed, “less attractive.” Although the resumes were identical, employers rated “attractive” candidates higher in the likely to succeed category than candidates with a less attractive appearance.

Pictures do have their place in hiring. Obviously, performers always submit professional headshots. However, in most professions, employers truly want to consider qualifications over appearance. If you truly want to stand out, eliminate the photo on your resume and be one of the few applicants who can prove that your education and past experience will add value to this employer; demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the position, in spite of those two heads and three noses you sport in real life. When they know how good you are, employers will quickly get over any quirks in your appearance.

Julie Desmond is a long-time recruiter and career advisor. She currently recruits for accounting and finance with Express Employment Professionals, and leads job search workshops throughout the Twin Cities for Help Wanted! Workshop. Write to julie@helpwantedworkshop.com.