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Let’s talk photo fails.
After my final Emirates interview — whilst sitting and stewing in that purgatory stretch between “we’ll be in touch” and that mythical Golden Call — the recruiter decided my application photos weren’t up to standard:
Not once.
Not twice.
Se7en times.
7
Over several weeks, I wrestled with grooming, swapped out backdrops, fiddled endlessly with lamps and shadows. I dabbed on tanning lotion, plastered thicker foundation, even taught myself Photoshop because I refused to send in ugly photos.
But still, each time the recruiter lobbed the photos back with: try again.
By the time the recruiter finally sighed and shipped my file off to Dubai, I had developed a permanent twitch at the sight of a camera. Why? Because I missed the point of them entirely.
What is the point of application photos? I asked around.
The Poll
I recently ran five of my application photos through an online poll.
The question:
Which of these application photos got rejected — and why?
Go ahead — take a look. But before you scroll further down the page, click to enlarge the photos, pause, study them, make a snap judgement. I promise not to be offended. Let’s see how your instincts measure up.
Here are the applicant poll results, ranked by how often they were mentioned:
- Ungroomed hair and no red lipstick (these came up in nearly every comment).
- Posture.
- Buttons not fastened.
- Smiling too much.
- Shirt too blue.
- Collars too big.
- The portfolio under your arm.
Do you see the pattern? Aside from the smear on the photograph (not a portfolio) Those comments are all appearance related. And it makes sense, we all have the same fears, after all. Except, only three of those showed up in recruiter rejection notes, and not necessarily in the way you’d expect.
Let’s step back and see what the recruiter had to say.
Recruiter Feedback
PHOTO NUMBER ONE
Click to reveal answers
“Please stand up straight, square to the camera.”
“Please tie your hair back.“
“That’s not a white backdrop, that’s a bed sheet.”
PHOTO NUMBER TWO
Click to reveal answers
“No digitally doctored photos.“
“This is blurry.“
“Is that a smudge or a portfolio? Please fix.”
“Please tie your hair completely back.”
PHOTO NUMBER THREE
Click to reveal answers
“No digitally doctored photos.”
“Please face the camera.”
“Please pin back your fringe also.”
PHOTO NUMBER FOUR
Click to reveal answers
“How about getting some professional photos?”
“Please keep you face straight on with the camera.”
PHOTO NUMBER SEVEN
Click to reveal answers
This photo was accepted.
I missed the whole point of the photos
So, what’s the deal? Am I really that hopeless at following directions? Not exactly… but also yes.
Here’s what happened: I assumed airline photo requests were beauty contests in disguise. Just like the applicants in the poll, I too focused in on my appearance. Every choice I made was filtered through that skewed lens of “must look attractive or else.” So I staged. I tweaked. I manipulated.
I started out fairly natural in Photo One, even a little comfortable. But the moment the recruiter asked for straighter posture, clearer face shots — the more exposed I felt and the more I twisted myself out of shape.
I stretched my body, puffed up my hair, stretched my face so it looked less round. At one point I even Frankensteined stock models onto my own face and body.
Case in point:
If we simplify the recruiter’s feedback, here’s the difference in thinking:
| Recruiter | Me |
|---|---|
| Straighter and clearer | Must be pretty |
| Straighter and clearer | Okay, a fringe will be fine |
| Straighter and clearer | Oh no, now my face looks round, stretch it |
| Straighter and clearer | More makeup, more angle |
| Straighter and clearer | Ugh, no way. |
| Straighter and clearer | Oh, what’s this? Photoshop, I’ll just swap my face |
| Yes, those will do | Ah, subtle manipulations, bingo |
Did you notice, the recruiter didn’t make a single comment about my makeup — not even the sacred red lipstick? That’s because the photos are not beauty assessments.
Remember:
This is aviation.
A serious industry prone to terrorism, drug smuggling, human trafficking. An industry which prioritises safety and security above all else.
Heck, those are your top priorities for cabin crew.
Your interview photos are to recruitment what your passport is to international travel.
We’ve all heard the numbers: 150,000, 300,000 applicants in a single round.
Now imagine if photos weren’t required. What’s to stop someone sending in their charismatic and photogenic best mate to smash the interview, then swapping places before training? HR and trainers would be none the wiser.
Photos are the checkpoint. They prove the person applying is the same one who gets hired, cleared, and granted airside access.
Skip those checks, and it’s the hiring equivalent of letting passengers board without a passport.
Never ever forget or lose sight that this is aviation, a serious industry prone to terrorism, drug smuggling, human trafficking.
Still not convinced…
Notice how my posture straightens up with each photo. By the final photo, I’m poker straight like a Buckingham Palace foot guard on patrol.
Why is that? Why is Emirates so hell-bent on the placement of my foot and the tilt of my chin?
Let me ask you this. When you have your passport photo taken, do you have a tilt in your chin? Maybe an over the shoulder sideways glance? A bit of a wink or a pout? No, of course not. Why is that? Because the photo is used for identification. But it’s more than that. That photo will be scanned and cross-referenced by FBI, USCIS, CAA, HMRC, and a whole host of other interested parties. If it ever comes to that.
When you apply for a passport, the government imposes strict photo guidelines. Here are some of those rules copied from US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs:
- Submit one color photo taken in the last 6 months.
- Use a clear image of your face.
- Do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence.
- Directly face the camera without tilting your head.
- Take off your eyeglasses for your photo.
- Use a white or off-white background without shadows, texture, or lines.
Do those sound in any way familiar to Emirates? Damn right they do.
Over the past few years, I’ve submitted more than fifty airline applications as a live stress test for recruitment systems, deliberately probing weak spots and points of failure. Long before AI could conjure convincing humans, I was experimenting with digitally generated avatars to stand in for me. Meet Joelle and Tyrone and Cane:
As you can see, these avatars are nowhere near human, and anyone looking at them would spot the fakery in a heartbeat (If not that, Canes pink-eye might have gotten a stink-eye). That was the point: to see how far a clearly artificial applicant could travel through a recruitment pipeline before the system — or a human — finally called it out.
And do you know how many of my digital applicants were stopped at the very first stage? Not a single one. Of course, every airline has its own systems, so this isn’t a trick to copy — but it proves something worth knowing: the photos you upload at the start carry far less weight than most people fear. It’s not about golden proportions or the latest beauty myth making the rounds; the early screening is about process, not perfection. Too many assumptions are made about looks and “ideal” appearance, and most of them are wildly out of proportion to the reality.
Remember. What you think is right is not always accurate. What sounds logical and reasonable is not always true. And where there’s fear, theirs a myth to prey on that fear.
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