Appearances matter when it comes to career success, but it is professionalism and not looks that make the difference. In order to present yourself in the best light possible to potential employers, clients, or business contacts, a professional headshot is something to invest in.
How Headshots Help Your Career
First impressions matter, and peoples’ eyes are drawn to photos before text. The headshot you share as part of your brand building or marketing efforts must represent your abilities and approach to work. Like it or not, everyone is judged by how they present themselves to the world. Ensure your professional headshot has the following characteristics.
1 – Choose an up-to-date photo of what you look like now with current professional style. This not only demonstrates honesty but also a better understanding of how business works today.
2 – Use an upright, professional posture and pleasant facial expression. If you do not look confident, no one will have confidence in your ability to get the job done right. Also, scowls or excessively joyful smiles make you look unapproachable or clownish.
3 – Avoid busy backgrounds, wild prints, and props. Do not include anything that will detract from the best possible impression of you.
The Power of Team Headshots
If you want to present the entire C-suite, project team, or employee group, professional team headshots help you make the right impression. In fact, sharing a group photo tells potential clients or contacts more about how you operate than a gallery of individual pictures. It helps to give a cohesive picture and promote the idea that everyone in the business works together to fulfill the needs of your market.
Team headshots require a professional touch. Getting a single person to present themselves effectively to make the best impression is difficult enough. Arranging five or more people in one shot takes skill and patience. A simple snap from someone’s smartphone will not result in the type of photo that makes a positive impression.
Hire a Pro for Quality Business Photography
When you only have seconds to make the right impression, getting help from a business photography expert makes all the difference. With the skill and experience that comes from a country or in professional photography, they understand not only how to get the best lighting or use a solid-colored backdrop. The expert also understands the precise changes that can affect how people see the picture and respond to it.
Every headshot has a purpose. Most have multiple purposes such as impressing potential clients, instilling trust in a business networking contact, or expanding your career in new directions. When a professional photographer meets with you to learn about your goals, they have the expertise to arrange the photo effectively and the technical skill to make it look exactly how you want.
Do not trust your business or career to a friend with a phone. Absolutely do not rely on a selfie to represent yourself professionally. In the quest to build your brand, instill trust and respect, and make the best possible first impression, always hire a business photography expert for your individual or team headshots.