Lately, we have discovered a very bizarre trend. Some job listings (mainly found on Craigslist.org) requires you to send in a picture of yourself along with your resume to be considered for employment or an interview. Personally, I find this trend to to be very odd. A picture? Really? It’s already bad enough that when you apply for a job online these days that you are not sure who is on the receiving end of your information. Your resume has a wealth of information (that could be used against you) which includes your legal name, home address, e-mail address, primary phone number, where you went to school, where you’ve worked, and a website if you are in the creative field. Phishing scams are flourishing all over the Internet and are prevalent on job listing sites such as Craigslist.org, as well as on ‘reputable’ sites like CareerBuilder, and Monster just to name a few.
In some parts of the world it is acceptable to submit a picture of yourself along with your resume (some even submit their blood type, good grief). However, this trend is not at all common stateside.
Should you come across a job listing online that states that you must submit a picture of yourself along with your resume to be considered for the job – that should be a RED FLAG. If you are not an aspiring model/ actor or actress then submitting a picture of yourself for a job is UNNECESSARY!
Below are some tips for wary job seekers:
1. We’ve all been told in college and maybe in high shcool that we should put our address on our resume, but I disagree; especially if you are applying for jobs online on sites like craigslist.org. Instead, only put your name, primary phone number, and e-mail address.
2. Apply for a job through the company’s website, instead of submitting your resume through third party job listing site.
3. Do not submit a picture of yourself along with you resume.
4. Trust your feelings. If you think something is off and you don’t feel comfortable about the job listing, then trust your yourself.
Thanks for the comments and insight regarding the trend of adding a photo with the job ap. I agree with all your “Tips” since I too fell for the pitch made by “Will S.” at the agency he represented as “Gigats”. After spending all that time with the application process, I only received a list of partial company ads where links just keep looping back to the original ad. They also suggest a photo or even a video be added! It really surprises me they get away with aligning themselves with well-known names such as Monster and Indeed, not to mention the schools they refer to. I’m now suspicious of all the agency emails.