Because a picture paints a thousand words...

I'm noting an uptick in the number of photos job applicants are sending with their resumes. I suspect it's something applicants are doing to make their resumes stand out in this difficult economy but it's also something that makes evilcatbert's fur stand straight up when it happens. Why?
Is it because I was born before cameras with viewscreens on both side of the camera were even thought of? Not really though I must admit a preference for looking out at the world versus looking in a mirror. It's because a picture paints a thousand words and by default discloses lots more things that evilcatbert doesn't want to know about any job applicant prior to interviewing them - things like race, age, religion (you know that cross you're wearing in your favorite picture?), etc. I want to be able to consider you for a job solely on your listed qualifications. So unless you're applying for a position as a model or an actor which requires headshots with your resume, please don't send photos with your resume unless requested.
I truly want to know how qualified any job applicant is for the position before any consideration about how good they'll look doing it so please keep your photos on Flickr or Picasa and send your resume unadorned by any unnecessary accessories.