You’ve chosen to take the leap and upgrade your profile image with a headshot. That is excellent news and a critical first step in securing your ideal career. According to eye-tracking statistics, recruiters who use LinkedIn spend a significant amount of time looking at profile images. Therefore, now may be ideal for updating that old, out-of-date photograph with a professional new headshot.
1. Be Quite Clear About Your Objective
Before you iron your favorite clothes and call your friend with the awesome camera, we propose that you ask yourself this simple question. Use solutions like free background remover to adjust your headshot’s final outcome, making you look as professional as possible.
There are several reasons you may want to update your headshot, and your response will help determine the kind of profile image that is most appropriate for you. Answering this question will assist you in determining what to wear, what kind of backdrop to incorporate, and what type of emotion is most appropriate.
Understanding why you’re updating your profile picture puts you in a much better position to proceed with the next piece of advice. Knowing why you’re upgrading your headshot can assist you in determining the kind of headshot you need.
2. How to Dress Properly for Your New Profile Picture
Your attire plays a significant role in the initial impression of your shot, so much so that we’ve devoted several blog pieces to this subject here. However, the following are a few tried and true suggestions.
Dress as though you were attending a job interview with one of your desired employers. Your new profile photo reflects so much more than who you are today; it symbolizes who you aspire to be in the future.
3. Consider the Context
The next critical choice is deciding on the backdrop you want for your headshot photos. If your desired career is in business, a simple or textured backdrop may be preferable. The beauty of a simple backdrop is that it eliminates distractions, directing the viewer’s attention directly to you. If you choose this method, we suggest selecting a color that contrasts with your skin tone to help you stand out in the photograph.
However, if your work environment is critical to your professional identity, including some of it in the photograph is an excellent way to underline this. For instance, many designers like showing off their studios, and those lucky enough to work in gorgeous offices or coworking spaces may choose to include a portion of their workspace in the backdrop of their shot.
Incorporating some historical information might assist in reinforcing your professional identity. If you want to incorporate a backdrop image into your headshot, ensure it is not obtrusive. A professional photographer can assist you here since they can arrange and blur the backdrop so that it does not detract from you.
4. How You Pose
We want to create a favorable impression on coworkers, prospective employers, and customers. However, it may sometimes be difficult to get the perfect attitude and emotion without assistance.
Hiring a professional here will make all the difference. A professional portrait photographer is trained to light you properly and posture and lead you in such a manner that you feel calm, seem natural, and, most importantly, generate a flattering new headshot that you’ll adore.
5. Take Into Account the Possibility of Engaging A Professional
Of course, it is a possibility, and following our advice will significantly enhance your headshot. However, hiring a professional photographer, like this Vancouver Headshot Photographer, to capture your business headshot is a smart investment. Photographs taken on a phone can never equal the quality of a professional studio headshot, let alone light you in a manner that highlights your finest features and posture and brings out a genuine grin.
Uploading a low-quality headshot to your professional profile or website diminishes the value of all your hard work.
Regardless of the industry in which you operate, a blurry or improperly cropped image portrays an air of sloppiness and a lack of attention to detail, which adversely affects your organization’s reputation.
Depending on where and how your professional headshot is used, it may need to be formatted to suit a bigger or smaller frame or meet the standards for certain social media profile photos. Maintain the quality of your photograph by storing it in many formats. This will help you prevent needless pixelated or blurred photographs.
