Why are headshots important?

Summer is around the corner and this is the season of change, growth, and opportunities. Young adults are graduating and many others are making career changes. Celebrations are on the horizon and rightfully so; you've worked hard and now it's time to play hard!

But before you jump back into work mode, make sure you tidy up your resumes and update your professional appearance. And what better way to capture your accomplishments and professionalism than with a high-quality headshot? Sure you could use the countless selfies taken over the years but trust me when I say that a professional headshot can elevate and separate you from the other candidates your competing with. A small investment of your time and money for a headshot can greatly increase your ROI (Return On Investment).

So What's a headshot? A headshot is your digital first impression, it's the human element to the ever-growing digital interactions.

Having a headshot indicates your level of commitment and professionalism. It shows that you care about your career and your brand. It can literally determine whether or not an employer will click on your profile. Statistics from LinkedIn's internal data show that having a profile photo can increase your chances of being viewed 21x more and generate 9x more requests to connect.

So what's next? Now that you have a better understanding of the importance of a headshot, it's time to take one!

You could easily take one from your phone but that takes some know-how and preparation to get the right shot with the right light and the right look. If your finances allow it, hire a photographer to get the job done. They are educated and experienced in these situations and have great capacities to capture the best in you!

What to wear? For headshots, you want to direct people's attention to your face so be sure to wear clothing that is not distracting. Minimize patterns and jewelry but feel free to add some color to give your headshot a pinch of flavor. Just be sure your color choices contrast well with your background; you don't want your head to appear to be floating. Speaking of backgrounds, you can never go wrong with the traditional plain colored backgrounds. Most headshots are taken in the studio with a white or grey background. But more and more people are opting out for the outdoor shots which I personally enjoy more. It gives you an opportunity to subtly express yourself even more!

Other than that, just make yourself as presentable as possible. A clean and well-groomed appearance makes for a clean and attractive photograph.

Have fun and good luck! Posing for a photograph can be an awkward task but just relax and have some fun with the camera. The beauty of digital photography is that you can shoot as many shots as you need to get that money shot. No one will ever have to see those embarrassing "eyes closed, open mouth" shots. Have some faith and let the photographer guide you into the best you there is!

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