My wife has been applying for teaching jobs and of course, many applications ask for a passport sized photo attached to the upper corner.
I have arranged an internal transfer with my company. They made me a verbal offer which I’ve accepted and they are about to present a written contract and want to do it via webcam conference.
Is there something “visual” about the culture that can be easily explained?
They want to make sure your wife is white and doesn’t have an unlucky or unkind face.
It’s all about face in Taiwan.
Yeah, I often receive resumes from local students when helping them prepare to apply for overseas studies. These resumes are usually Word documents, but they often include a photo. I remove the photos summarily, explaining that it is just not done in the US unless you’re applying for a modeling job.
Yeah in Germany too. Always must have photo. Job often depends on looks. Nasty.
I quite like it - I used to weed out anyone too pretty for secretary jobs and too ugly for sales jobs. 
[quote=“pilam99”]Is there something “visual” about the culture that can be easily explained?[/quote]Yes. It’s easily explained. It’s not visual, it’s just plain discrimination. During an interview in Taiwan employers will usually ask during an interview or require the following information on an employment application.
These pre-employment questions are illegal in most modern countries as they do not address the question as to whether or not an applicant can succesfully perform the job in question. Therfore, these are not allowed to be asked during any employment interviews in the United States or a huge discrimination lawsuit could occur.
To be fair not all employers require photos or would actually look at them for pre-screening. The English teaching industry always requests them as parents and students often prefer caucasian or non-Asian people believing they are more genuine ‘foreigners’. Welcome to Taiwan, it is going to be a learning experience!
That’s why I am glad I got a translating job… they have to hire an ABC because most random Americans don’t know enough Chinese to do this job.
We got photos at the Life Insurance company I worked for.
[quote=“Enigma”][. My rule was that if a resume contained personal information, it went into the bin without further consideration or regard.
I think most companies feel the same. If you don’t follow the rules, well, chuck it now or have problems later.
[/quote]
If a resumé arrives with a photo, then I know what the person looks like so I can pick them from amongst all the other people waiting in the lobby when i do an interview. If not, it’s no big deal. Binning a resumé because it includes a photo is a bit steep.
So what if someone tells you they like dangerous sports, or collecting Absolut bottles. Does it really make any difference? My avowed predilection for 1940s pin-up calendar girls and antique dildos has never held me back from a job. Of course, if a resumé arrives with nothing but that, then i would also bin it, I agree. Pink paper and dick size are also beyond the bounds of professionalism.
What a boring non-personalised bunch you all are. “New staff member, here’s your box, enter, produce, and shut the fuck up.”
Mod Note: Ok, I’m still new at this, but we’re all adults here. A lot of bollocks was written in this thread. Some of it by me. Some of it was interesting, and some of it was downright dull. A lot of it was about race and religion whereas the OP was about pics on resumes/CVs.
Keep on topic or it will be temped or deleted. That goes for me too, as I get a tad excited also in the mix…
Quite agree –
a photo on a job application is
a) seen by some as unnecessary
b) seen by some as needed
c) seen by some as discrimination
d) seen in some countries as illegal to ask for
e) seen by some as just another bit of the character backround check …
But seeing the conversation turn into politics and religion was quite an interesting read, and I was quite enjoying the views, albeit not agreeing with a few, surely freedom of speech is the order of the day though, and it shouldn’t be totally editted out.
Cheers
Quite agree –
a photo on a job application is
a) seen by some as unnecessary
b) seen by some as needed
c) seen by some as discrimination
d) seen in some countries as illegal to ask for
e) seen by some as just another bit of the character backround check …
But seeing the conversation turn into politics and religion was quite an interesting read, and I was quite enjoying the views, albeit not agreeing with a few, surely freedom of speech is the order of the day though, and it shouldn’t be totally editted out.
Cheers[/quote]
I was actually looking forward to itakitez responding to me (if he had so chosen) simply because he usually writes something fairly intelligent and not something he got from the latest PC handbook (and though I don’t always agree with him, I often do, or at least consider what he writes – he’s good like that in putting up with people like me). I also found what Buttercup wrote to be of note, and even what you wrote to be interesting. I don’t know that I entirely agreed with you, but you did make some worthy points, so I’d be interested to hear more from you in the future.
Photographs cannot be taken of soulless organisms, like gingers. Or vampires. To get a picture of a ginger, you have to take a photo of a normal soul-possessing person; one who has the potential go to heaven or hell, or possibly be reincarnated. Then you Photoshop the hair all gingery.
But if you really want that job, you better love them long time.
I have always sent pictures. A typical application from my includes:
Personal Cover Letter explaining what I know about the job and why I am interested
All business resume with skillset for the position
Code portfolio with demo programs and possibly papers if I have any published on the subject
Irrelevant Sexy action photo of me based on what I feel the company needs.
Considering I have had a 85% Offer rate using this process(this includes a no reply from NCSoft where I sent a really strange pic) I think the photo has nothing to do with the process at all. Or these companies like to hire lunatics.
I send a photo of someone else, usually a hot blonde woman, and then act like nothing is wrong in the interview. In the rare instances that they do ask, I tell them that I just had surgery for a scooter accident and that the national health system is to blame.
Fixed.
Ha excellent, a bit of humour goes a long way in interviews. In the past I did actually get a CV with a photo on and the person who showed for interview looked totally different !
You wouldn’t happen to by the GuyInTaiwan, that is now the GuyInHK would you ?