Photos of Your Papers: Make Them Clear and Keep Them Safe

Employers may ask for copies of your papers: a certificate, a licence, a reference letter. You can take a picture with your phone. But a dark, bent or cut photo looks bad. And your papers have private information, so you must be careful about who gets them. This lesson shows both.

Take a clear photo

1. Put the paper on a flat, plain surface, such as a table, with light from a window. Avoid shadows and the glare of a lamp.
2. Hold the phone straight above the paper. Do not take it from the side.
3. Make sure all four corners are in the picture, and the writing is sharp.
4. Zoom in on the picture, and check that you can read every word. If you cannot, take it again.
5. Many phones have a scan option in the camera or notes app. It makes the paper flat and clear. Try it.

Make it small and tidy

• Big photos are slow to send and may not go through on a bad network. Many phones let you share a smaller size. Most scan tools do this for you.
• A PDF is better than many loose photos. Put the pages of one paper into one PDF file. Free scanning apps and the built-in scan tool of many phones can do it.
• Check that the file is smaller than a few MB. Employers often have a limit.
• Name the files clearly: Sunil-Electrician-Certificate-2018.pdf. A name such as IMG_4821.jpg means nothing.

What you should show, and when

Not every paper is for every employer. Think about who is asking and why.

• Safe to send early: your resume, your trade certificate, your safety training, a reference letter, your driving or work licence (a real employer for a driving job will need to see it).
• Send later, after you have an offer and have checked the employer: a copy of your ID, your bank details, your tax or social number. A real employer needs them only for the paperwork of a real job.
• Do not send: your ATM card, your card PIN, your OTP codes, or your online banking password. Never. No honest employer asks for these.

Cover what is not needed

When you must send a copy of an ID, you can write on it: *Copy for job application, name of company, date.* This stops others from reusing it. If you send a picture, add a note in the message: *Only for this job.* Some phone apps let you add this note on top of the picture.

Keep the originals safe

• Keep your original papers in a folder or a plastic cover, in a dry place.
• Do not leave original papers with an employer or agent. A copy is enough for most jobs. If someone insists on keeping your original certificate or passport, ask why, and ask for it in writing. In many places, this is a warning sign, and in some places it is against the rules.
• Keep a copy of every paper in your Jobs folder, and one more copy somewhere else.

Send safely

• Send papers to the exact person or company that you checked.
• Prefer email or the job site over a stranger's private chat.
• Delete the files from other people's group chats, and do not post them in public groups.
• Remember who got what, and when. Write it in your notes.

Your task

1. Take a clear photo of one certificate or licence. Zoom in and check you can read every word.
2. Save it as a PDF with a clear file name in your Jobs folder.
3. Write a short list: which papers you can send early, and which only after a real offer.
4. Make a second copy of the folder and keep it in a safe place.

How to check it worked

• You can read all the words on your phone photo when you zoom in.
• Your files have clear names and are in one folder.
• You can name three things that you will never send to an employer.