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Question from a reader: the application photo

January 13, 2012 - Chris Backe
A reader writes in:
Hey,I’m presently looking for my first EFL job in Korea and have a question a about a CV. Everything in my CV is solid, I’m well qualified and have some relevant experience relating to teaching English. However I have heard that a photo is of serious importance to Korean employers in their hiring process. Taking the view that intelligent people could not possibly expect to judge a persons ability from a still image of them, I sent in a photo I took using a phone (very clearly an unprofessional photo). My question is:Do you think my chances of getting hired will be dimmed by a poor photo? Also is it true that the Korean’s do indeed take a photo very seriously. While I am not outright worried about this point, it has been playing in my mind.

I appreciate your help a great deal,

Very best,

[G.C.]
There is a relevant post to check out - http://www.chrisinsouthkorea.com/2010/11/question-from-a-reader-dress-code-and-physical-appearance - which partially answers your question. Read that, then read on :)
Looks do matter in this country – easily more here than in the Western world. While the latter have instituted laws to prevent obvious discrimination, it still happens (pretty or handsome people tend to make a higher salary than fat or ugly ones). The former, having seemingly no laws and very few court cases defining the matter, makes it up as they go. It wasn’t too long ago that the Grand Narrative translated an article about how adding singing and dancing to your hobbies could help women find jobs. If there is a law or a fear of being punished for discriminating, it’s not affecting employers.
To be clear, it happens in other countries. Prada bosses in Japan have removed the ‘old, fat, and ugly‘ from employment in their stores, while a Chinese airline recruits flight attendants that are pretty, can sing, dance, and serve as security officers. Even in the US, a Newsweek survey has shown looks matter more than where you went to school and a sense of humor.. One New York Times opinion piece places the income difference at 10 to 15 percent.
You probably could find a job with a simple photo taken with your phone. You could also throw a baseball with your good arm tied behind your back. Get a good photo taken (whether you do it yourself or ask a friend), and send that on with future applications. Make sure it’s well-lit, in focus, showing a smiling face, etc. It’s not a perfect analogy, but the acid test is if you would upload it to a dating profile. If you wouldn’t, try again.
Readers, what have your employers said about photos? 

  • http://www.talktotheclouds.com/ Clarissa at Talk to the Clouds

    You know, I find the practice of requiring photos on job applications fairly appalling. That said, it’s common practice in many countries. A lot of other things about job applications are unreasonable — for example, shouldn’t names be removed from certain stages of review? What’s up with the stupid questions that are asked on certain American applications? etc. etc.

    At any rate, if someone is going to teach overseas, this is just one of a million things that will have to be accepted and dealt with. Thinking to yourself “I won’t play their stupid game!” is definitely not a good way to start out if you really want to move to a country with a different culture — it’s supposed to be different, right? Well, here you go. It makes more sense to think “Well, it’s not how we do it and it’s not how I’d do things, but I guess it’s how it’s done there, so I’ll do it and maybe I’ll get a chance to find out what regular Korean people think about it later.” When you decide to study or work abroad, you don’t necessarily sign on to accept everything, but you do have truly understand that some things will be different! I would suggest that this person pull back and re-evaluate how s/he is going to react to other things that seem unreasonable, weird, and different. If s/he wants to get a job, keep a job, do well at a job, make friends, etc., probably a different way of thinking about these situations is a good idea. :)

    (I still don’t like the photo requirement, though!)

  • http://smileyjkl.blogspot.com Jo-Anna

    I’ve also wondered a lot about this same dilemma. Should I be submitting professional looking photos with my applications? I never have and I’ve gotten plenty of interviews and job offers. I keep meaning to get someone to take a nice photo of me on a white background that I can use for future job applications, but I keep putting it off. Nowadays I send in photos I’ve taken with my students and that generally seems to work. I also had a co-worker send in a photo of himself drinking a beer and he also had no problem getting hired either. All I can see that they are looking for is your race, style, weight, visible tattoos/piercings etc. Neither of my two employees have cared about how professional or formal the photos have looked. Still, I say always better to have nicer photos if possible!

  • http://thegrandnarrative.com/ The Grand Narrative

    Thanks for the link Chris. Your readers might also find this article I translated of interest, which said that Korea and Japan are the only countries in the OECD where photographs are routinely required on resumes, although I don’t know how reliable that is after what Clarissa said:

    http://thegrandnarrative.com/2010/06/16/korean-resumes-photographs/

    The article also says that Korea does actually have laws preventing employers from asking female job applicants questions about their appearance (yes, only females!), but obviously the photograph requirements render that useless.

  • http://roboseyo.blogspot.com Roboseyo

    It should be noted, however, that when putting your best foot (or face) forward, it is considered totally acceptable, and even par for the course, to have your photo touched up a little, or even a lot, to put on your job application. Many portrait studios in Korea will do it, whether you want them to or not (it’s actually illegal to submit a touched up photo in a passport application… but try telling that to the portrait studio worker).

  • Chris in South Korea

    Thanks all for the comments :)
    On an anecdotal note to follow-up with Roboseyo, I got my picture taken by a passport-photo-shooting guy in Bucheon station back in the day (circa early 2009). In broken English, he told he would ‘Photoshop’ me before printing off the needed photos. I thought nothing of it, as I had been meaning to wander around the station’s area. When I came back, I noticed my teeth were whiter, my hair was combed, and amazingly I looked… just better…

    I’ll agree with Clarissa by saying it’s not something I like, and that it’s something to adjust to as part of life in a new culture / country. A photo in front of something obviously Korean has worked for me in the past, and will likely be done in the future.

    Grand Narrative, keep up the great work. You make sounding smart about Korean culture that much easier :)

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