A Harvard Business School study reveals that your online profile picture could significantly influence your chances of getting hired. The research indicates that if your profile photo conveys a professional appearance, those making hiring decisions for both employment and freelance opportunities may prioritize this aspect over lower ratings, fewer certifications, and a smaller number of reviews compared to your peers.
“We analyzed six months of data from Freelancer.com and found that, above and beyond demographics and beauty, there is a strong correlation between simply looking the part and perceived job performance,” the researchers explain. “As part of our research, we analyzed 63,014 ‘completed’ jobs that were posted online, which collectively received just over 2 million applications from 160,014 freelancers. The data was collected between January and June 2018.”
The right fit
The researchers discovered that the impact of perceived job fit becomes more pronounced when the reputation system on the platform is highly inflated. In simpler terms, when there are less informative data about a candidate, those making hiring decisions tend to rely more on their instincts, particularly influenced by the analysis of the profile photo.
However, even when platforms recommend one or multiple freelancers based on reputation and/or certifications, the compelling influence of a good profile photo remains challenging to overcome.
“Interestingly, the more candidates an online platform presents to someone in a hiring position, the greater the likelihood that the profile picture will influence the hiring decision,” the authors explain. “These results suggest that profile photos might have an unintended consequence beyond establishing trust between participants, as many online freelancer marketplaces claim, and that they can put those who ‘don’t look the part’ at a disadvantage.”
“Our research was inspired by anecdotal evidence that suggested people often rely on appearances to judge whether an individual is suitable for a certain kind of job,” they add.
An illustration of this phenomenon occurred in 2015 with OneLogin’s recruiting ads, sparking a social media backlash. Some users criticized the ads, contending that they did not accurately depict the appearance of a female engineer.
This criticism was partly fueled by the perception that the woman featured in one of the ads was deemed too attractive to be a genuine software engineer. This instance underscores the importance for online job platforms, as well as job seekers, to present authentic imagery that challenges and goes beyond biased stereotypes.
