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Ask HN: Some countries require a photo included in your CV. Why?

7 points by fjdghsd ↗ HN
I'm from Germany and here we have a tradition of including our photo with our CV. Nobody knows why, but it's just "something you do." A CV without a picture is probably going to be thrown away.

German Wikipedia has this to say:

> In keinem anderen Land wird jedoch das Bewerbungsfoto in einem Lebenslauf so hoch gewichtet wie in deutschsprachigen Ländern. Lebensläufe ohne Fotos landen nicht selten bei den Absagen.

Or a translation (mine):

> In no other country outside of the German speaking ones is a photograph so important. CVs without pictures are usually rejected.

I haven't asked a Swiss or Austrian guy, but the Wikipedia entry leads me to believe photos are more or less required in those countries as well. I've also been told by a Spanish friend that it's normal to include in Spain as well. I'm sure there are other countries where it's required (in the sense that it's so normal) to include your picture in your CV.

My question is, why? I can only think of negative situations of including a picture where you're rejected due to your race or color, or that you just don't look "right" (ugly, queer, whatever) to the manager. On the other hand, I guess if you're an insanely good looking guy or girl then a manager might also give your CV more weight because they're attracted to you, which is also bad.

Also, what country are you from, and is it considered normal to include your picture as well?

12 comments

[ 4.2 ms ] story [ 41.3 ms ] thread
dscb
I'm from Canada and I've never heard of anyone including a photo in any sort of job application.
terrykohla
I can confirm that in Canada and US photos, age and family status are not required on a CV (unless you need security clearance), this kind of information is considered personal and could be used as a motive for discrimination.

However, this was common practice in the old days and it's still common practice in most 3rd world countries of European influence.

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mirano
In China, it's also the norm to include a photo with the CV. When I was hiring a team there, all of the applications were de-facto required to have it from the company perspective. Part of it was an age-ism thing (no older developers need apply was the underlying current), and in the case of office-reception type personnel, it was obvious that it was appearance based.
mjmcb3
Almost unheard-of in Australia, except in fields like fashion modelling, acting, etc. We also do not explicitly state age, marital status or religion on our CVs.
pathy
In Sweden it is a bit of both, it is not require per se but a lot of people seem to have photos on their CVs and 'CV guides' usually recommend photos.

My current CV doesn't have a photo but it is in need of a refresh so may add a photo to it this time around.

sdrinf
Plain old cultural inertia might play a big role here: businesses copied their Modus Operandi from older large corporations (who, in turn, copied a lot from the military) where a "job" could potentially last 10-30 years; so the criteria might stem from selecting whom you're going to spend this time.

(Originally from Hungary where it's required; moved to the UK where it's highly discouraged )

dhiren34
Its common in Spain and France too
wodenokoto
In Denmark photos are expected too. The argument is, that it gives you a better impression of the person. You do it for the same reason as why you show up to the interview in a suit and tie.

As for the race arguement: If the employer is going to cut you based on race or looks, it's better to save both of you time and cut out the first interview.

It is also commonplace in Japan and Korea. Other people in this thread seem to imply this is a 3rd world kinda thing. Not at all.

jorcsa
In Hungary it’s the same as in Germany: without photo your CV probably goes to trash. It’s like a first impression. Probably it’s a question of what you get used to. I just received an application CV an hour ago from the US with no photo and personal data (e.g. age). First thing I did was to search the guy on FB and LinkedIn to get an impression…
Ras_
Finland: Yes, perfectly normal.

I'm sure that our custom of including a line about military service would raise more eyebrows around the world. Yes, it's mandatory, but can't really be related to if the target country doesn't have conscription (you have a certain mindset of which kind of people seek to enlist). Which is why we are trying to drop it even from CV's intended for Finnish employers.