Should I include a picture on my CV?

In recent years, recruitment firms and employers have reported an increase in CV’s that include a picture of the candidate.

Whilst some have welcomed the trend, there are those who like to keep things traditional and prefer a CV to concentrate purely on the skills and qualities. Because of this, it has become a highly debated topic between recruiters, employers and CV experts alike.

What with LinkedIn and Facebook, it’s not a difficult task to find out what a potential candidate looks like but what benefit would a person’s look give to an employer? Isn’t an employer likely to be more concerned about a candidate’s skills, qualities and experience?

Ultimately, it does seem down to the recruiter and the job role itself. A data driven role that deals with analytics, numbers and statistics may not expect to see a picture on a CV. However, sales roles may welcome the idea of seeing a picture of a potential candidate as it expresses their individual presentation, a trait that has more influence over these types of positions.

Either way, how you look shouldn’t really affect your job prospects so including a picture may not seem necessary, but it will almost certainly make your CV stand out from the others which is what you want it to do. But is this move welcomed by recruiters or could it be seen as an obvious way to seek attention and have your application put aside as a consequence?

To answer this question, we got in touch with a Nick Caley, Head of Permanent Recruitment at Client Server, to share his thoughts on the subject.

Does a picture add value to a CV and help it to stand out?

 “I think the short answer to that is yes, especially in the UK as pictures on a CV are a pretty rare thing, so anyone who adds one is likely to stand out.

It’s actually very common across mainland Europe, but in the UK much less so, instead the focus here generally being on skills and experience, and where you as a candidate can add value to the company in question.

However, I think an important consideration is the impression said photo, and of course the rest of the information detailed in the CV, is going to give.

Subjectivity is human nature, and you don’t always know who is going to be the recipient of your resume, so my advice would be to remove any photo and really focus on what you’ve achieved and why your experience is relevant to the job you’re applying for.

If indeed you are the right match then the rest should take care of itself!”

Do you agree? We would love to hear your thoughts on this subject so please get in touch by tweeting us @TechnojobsUK.