Facts say more than 1000 words

The allegedly perfect application picture: It is still a default item on many German applicants' résumés and even compulsory for recruiters. A distortion for both sides that often leads to wrong assumptions. Content certainly says more than a (posed) picture. So why don't we just do without it?

It is quite likely that the majority of applicants do not choose this option because they know that in many German companies, applications without an image end up in the stack of rejection letters. It's a pity that managers and personnel managers still need this first impression to be able to make a selection. Even if a company accepts applications without a photo, they unconsciously feel a stronger connection with candidates who did send in a picture.

Blinded by the effect we create in the photo, companies invite candidates who look likeable, qualified and professional. However, being able to tell a candidate's qualifications from a photo is a myth - and we all know that. Nevertheless, I don't advise anyone in the DACH region to send an application without a picture - after all, German companies especially love photos.

Why do so many German companies insist on the picture?

Many managers still believe that anyone who does not send a photo has something to hide. It is time for a major mindset shift here. Just because it has always been done this way does not mean that the better candidates are selected through a photo. Outside Europe, for example in the USA or Canada, it is explicitly discouraged or even forbidden to use a photo.

In German-speaking countries, the application photo is no longer an obligation, but it is still common. This is where German companies cling too much to the tried and tested - why do something different when it has always worked that way? It's time German companies took a cue from other countries and started recruiting more innovatively.