How to choose the best CV picture?

29.07.2021

When looking for a job you should always send your Curriculum Vitae, a document where the experience and knowledge of the candidate are introduced and serves as a presentation letter to the people who oversee the selection process. As we detailed in another article, the CV must be brief: each detail provided should be relevant and create a good impression.

 

 

Why is it important?

 

In areas such as Catalonia and Spain, the photo on the resume is still considered an important factor in getting to know the candidate as it is a source of information. For this reason, we bring you some tips to choose the best photo for the CV (and that can also work on different social networks such as LinkedIn) so that a wrong choice or procedure does not condition your candidacy during the selection process.

 

 

How to take a photo for the CV?

 

  • Do not use selfie mode. If you can, ask someone for help, and if that's not possible, use the camera's timer.
  • Highlight on the face.We recommend that you crop the photo at shoulder or chest height. The final result should be face-centered: not too close or far away.
  • Be careful with the points of view.Shooting from a too low or too high angle can end up changing how you look in the photo. Therefore, it should be done from the height of the face.
  • Use natural light.Although it is not essential – it depends on the space – it is highly recommended.

 

 

Tips to pose for the picture:

 

  • The posture when taking the photo can be revealing too. First of all, think about what you want to convey. For example, if you want to convey a formal image, it is better to appear more rigid and serious, while if you want to appear more friendly, you can pose in a more relaxed and friendly way.
  • It is also advisable to take a picture in the morning. It is the time when you show a fresher expression, as throughout the day facial expressions change with fatigue.
  • The colours that appear in the photo also influence the message. It is advisable to always use smooth colours, both for the background and for the clothes, so that the recruiter can focus more on the face. If you want to denote a more professional or formal image, neutral colours are recommended, but for a more creative or informal personality, the imagination is the only limit!

 

 

Some more advice:

 

Avoid anything that modifies the face. It is important that the final photo does not change too much and that they can recognize you when they see you in person. So, if you normally wear glasses, we recommend that you wear them in the photo. It is also better to appear with the hair loose or semi-up. Following the same line, we recommend avoiding excessive makeup to appear rather normal. Finally, no filter should be used: if you want to retouch the photo to resolve small details, we recommend only modifying the contrast, brightness, or saturation to fix lighting errors.

 

 

Although you can present the CV with the design you want, it is much better if you put the photo at the beginning of the document, as an introduction. There is an unwritten rule to always add the picture at the top of the first page, and it doesn't matter if the photo is horizontal or vertical. When placing it, you should check that the distance mentioned above is maintained (face-centred and chest height-end).

 

It is impressive all the information that you can transmit only with the photo, so we recommend that you take these tips into account to change the photo of your CV. Do not think about it anymore and bring out your most photogenic part!