Why a selfie won’t get you your dream job
Anyone who has an online presence needs a photo of themselves, and while a cheeky smartphone snap might be perfect for your personal Facebook page, it isn’t going to cut it when it comes to professional websites and services. Sites such as LinkedIn, a must-have for networking and self-promotion, require a current, authentic photograph of your face for your profile.
This kind of site is a shop window for your skills and experience, but none of that will count for anything if your profile photo shows a blurry selfie of you at your cousin’s wedding!
My smartphone takes great photos!
It may well take great holiday photos and pictures of your pets, but do you have the ability to use the camera at its optimum level? You may take very good photos but think about the skills professionals have that you may not. It’s a widely repeated truth that interviewers form opinions about you as soon as you walk in the room. Research showed that subjects viewing profile photos on social media made decisions about the subject within 40 milliseconds. That means you have a very short window of opportunity to impress the right people.
Your profile photo is even more important, as it can be the key to making new connections and getting your C.V. into the right hands. You want to come across as smart, bright and friendly to potential employers or clients, and the profile photo is your foot in the door. Of course, it’s perfectly possible to take reasonable photos on your smartphone, many of which have very good cameras on them. With a bit of planning, some assistance, a good location and appropriate lighting, amateur photos can be quite effective. That doesn’t mean that the photos you take yourself will be the best possible representation of you. There is a variety of photos that you should never use on your LinkedIn profile; all taken on phones by the subject or their friends. It may appear obvious that these pictures aren’t good enough, yet many subscribers are perpetually repeating such mistakes by thinking that any picture will do. The good news is that there is an alternative that is becoming increasingly popular with the smart candidates:
Professional headshots
Photos of you taken by a professional company that specialises in profile pictures, such as Alan Howard photography. Headshots are a well-established professional necessity for actors and models and have been for years. Anyone selling themselves in the entertainment industry must have a portfolio, and the headshot will be the first thing the casting director or modelling agency will see. With so many candidates to choose from for every role or shoot, only the applicants with clear, striking headshots will be considered beyond the first glance.
Aren’t headshots just for actors?
Not anymore. A natural progression for these businesses was to move into taking headshots of anyone in any industry who needs a photo for their professional profile, website or blog. An increasing number of job applications now require a photo. In the competitive world of business and recruitment, savvy professionals could see the advantages in having the best possible picture of themselves as the perfect introduction to prospective clients and employers. Now careers websites themselves are recommending users have professional photos taken to improve their chances of standing out. It’s not only individuals who can benefit from professional assistance; making a good impression by introducing your staff or team members is also becoming a standard requirement for any company’s web presence.
Is it worth investing in?
Professional photography presents you at your best. A good photographer will be able to position you, choose the best lighting, even recommend the best clothes to wear. All these expertise results in a photo that shows you the way you want to be seen, but still looking real and natural. The recommendations made by LinkedIn reflect these very requirements for the best profile shots and the reasons why it is so important. No one wants to see airbrushing and tinting; they want to see what someone really looks like. A photo that represents you well will ensure that you come across the way you want to and will attract the right people to your circle. Scrimping on your profile picture is a good way to shoot yourself in the foot.
Your profile picture is your ‘shop front’
Imagine a shop front that is dull, dusty and outdated. No one is going to be tempted to go inside as the exterior is so off-putting. If you did go inside you would see shelves displaying the most exquisite hand-decorated chocolates, with welcoming and knowledgeable staff and the perfect box of special confectionary for your Valentine. In reality, this shop won’t get any customers no matter how wonderful it is inside because the outside appearance is what draws people through the door. Your profile photo is the same as a shop front and needs to be similarly inviting and enticing. The modest investment in a professional headshot photograph will be easily recouped if it leads to new customers for your business or a better job offer.
How many people will see my picture?
Prospective employers and clients are likely to search for you on the Internet, and it pays to have the highest quality photos returned for an image search. The Internet is a repository for everything you post, and all those things can be retrieved by people trying to find out about you, so it’s a good idea to think about what might come up if anyone Googles you!
Go Pro
If you want to stay ahead in your profession, having some headshots done by an expert photographer will be a worthwhile investment that will undoubtedly reap benefits for your career progression and business success. Those who don’t have great profile pictures will fall by the wayside, and with ever-increasing pressures on time and results, making the best possible first impression will be vital to securing the future you desire.
