Photography skills apply in Jobhunts too

Dear Jobseeker,


I appreciate your efforts in inserting a photograph in your CV. But it is rather difficult for me to tell which of the five people in the photograph is you. 


From the Desk of a Recruiter


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Welcome to the first of my series in "Resumes" boo-boos. These are real-life mistakes captured in my daily routine of screening resumes. It may seem funny, but, imagine what happens to your career if you should make one of such mistakes. 


A perfect resume is like a perfect man/woman. It does not exist. As long as it is right for you, it's a good resume - Desk of a Recruiter.

Right about 6 months into my job, I stopped taking for granted that every CV I receive will have a decent photograph of the applicant. It seems to be a lost art to find a photo-booth, take a passport-size photo, scan it and include it in the CV.

I have received, till date:

  • Group photos. 
    • Erm... Erm... I can see that these people had a great time at a BBQ, but... which one is the applicant?

  • Pair photos 
    • This wouldn't be too bad, except both models in the photograph are of the same gender. I still can't tell who is the applicant

  • Self-taken photos in the mirror showing full-body portrait of the applicant and the background
    • Right down to the cubicle doors of the toilet it was taken in.

  • Self-taken camera photos from a top-down angle, showcasing originality in displaying home-made fish-eye effect 
    • For an idea of what fish-eye effect is, please click here

  • Self-taken photos using a web camera, with an arrow drawn using a thick red brush in Paint software pointing to the head of the applicant
    • ?????????????
Welcome to the top 5 most eccentric photos I have received. (In no particular order) 

To all of those who had made the effort to do a professional shot, or just a very simple passport photo from any random photo booth (automated or otherwise), kudos to you and please keep it up. 

Note to all CV-writers there: If you don't have a decent photograph, please leave it blank. If you have to include in a picture for the opportunity you're applying for, please make a trip down to the photo booth. Taking any random shots from your collection of photos in Facebook or harddisk might not impress the recipient of the email. 

Signing off
Adeline
From the Desk of the Recruiter

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