The article "Application photo? Yes, absolutely!" is a guest article by personnel consultant Frank H. Rockel:
The entry into force of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) in 2006 has led to an ongoing discussion about the necessity of equal treatment in the workplace. Application photos led. Companies in Germany are no longer allowed to request photos in the context of job applications. When asked, employers are happy to officially confirm that applications without a photo have the same chances as applications with a photo.
Is the application photo superfluous?
Is a Application photo thus obsolete become? I can answer this question with a clear No answer. As good as the intentions of the AGG are, at the end of the day an application process is a classic human-to-human interaction between company representatives and applicants. In addition to qualifications and experience, emotions and sympathy are equally important factors that influence the hiring decision. And a good An application photo also gives an application a face right from the start, i.e. an important Sympathy anchor.
Why is that? Of all the human senses, visual perception is the strongest. Moreover, it is not possible not to interpret what we see. So there is always a subjective evaluation visually recorded information. An application photo therefore plays a very important role that should by no means be underestimated.
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Decide on application photos
The photo is usually placed prominently in the application documents, reinforced by the fact that our gaze always perceives images first. The application photo therefore determines the first impression, which in turn significantly influences the further perception of the application. When the recruiter opens an application folder, he or she makes a judgement within a few seconds of seeing the application photo as to whether sympathy has been successfully mobilised. For this reason, an application photo is still a very important element of an application today, and its successful realisation should be pursued with the utmost care.
But how do you win with a photo Sympathy? This certainly depends on the industry and the desired activity, but as a generalisation one can list the following attributes that a good The application photo should convey: friendly, well-groomed, approachable, open, curious and intelligent.
Examples of better application photos
In order to achieve these effects, many features must be taken into account, e.g. colour or black and white, background, pose and facial expressions, clothing and make-up as well as post-production. Here you should definitely rely on the support of a Experts because an application photo that is perceived as unappealing reduces the chances of a successful application. A professional photographer with business experience is the ideal consultant. You should therefore not leave the choice of photographer to chance and not save money at the wrong end!
Finally, the question may be asked whether an application photo is therefore a Panacea is? Of course not. It does not replace a lack of qualifications, nor does it prevent a much better qualified competitor from being given preference. But a good Application photo helps you to stand out from the crowd of competitors at the beginning of the application process, which is initially characterised by anonymity to be perceived positively. For this reason, the same high demands should be placed on the application photo as on the other application documents!
Author: Frank H. Rockel, independent personnel consultant and expert in application photos, www.pb-r.de
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