Why You Need a New Headshot When Searching for New Opportunities

Human resources professionals will ask you a variety of common questions during your interview, and two of those questions are listed below:

 

• Do you feel you have the necessary skills that will be required to do the job?
• Why do you feel you are the right person for our company?

 

Many human resources professionals and headhunters have seen their fair share of head-scratching headshots. You may be surprised at how many job candidates submit headshots that come from their social media accounts. Some job candidates might submit headshots that are too close to the face or too far from the face. Basically, there are far too many headshots submitted during the hiring process that are just not suitable for the type of career they are trying to begin.

Likely many human resources professionals have browsed the social media accounts of candidates before they contact them for an interview. Yes, if you have the wrong headshot, you can hurt your chances of obtaining the career of your dreams. Do you think your headshot may be the reason you are not getting called for interviews? Here are three things you should consider about getting a new headshot before searching for new opportunity.

What will your photo say about you?

How long ago was it that you had your photograph taken professionally? Is that photo still lingering on your social account somewhere – perhaps in the profile picture spot? Whether you think so or not, your headshot will tell its own story. Look over your headshot and determine if you like the story that is being told. This is highly important because you are trying to create an image that is professional and conceivable. We are all visual people, and this means your headshot will give hiring professionals their first impression of you, in a visual form. If you’ve grown professionally in the last few years, you need a new headshot to reflect your professional maturity. 

If you have a headshot attached to your profile, you will generally attract more interest than a profile that does not have a headshot. People who find your profile will automatically generate their opinion of you based solely on the headshot you have submitted. The headshot is what will fly off the page, not the words. 

Are you searching for a job or a date to a party?

Whether we like it or not, we all have different personalities. We know when it is time to be serious and we know when it is time to have fun. When we have a social media account, our personalities can be shown through our statuses, photos, videos, and facial expressions. 

It is important to know how you should separate the personalities when it is play time and work time. If you want to impress someone on a dating website, that headshot should not be the same one you would use for your job profile. You can be friendly and be accepting while being professional at the same time. Don’t let your headshot appear too laid-back or too promiscuous. If it is, you need a new headshot, pronto. 

You can take your own new headshot, right? Wrong.

Many people do not like the way they look in some of their photographs. Some people are incredibly shy, and taking a snapshot does not always look the way they expect when the photo has been captured. Photos are better when we are relaxed. When someone else takes the photograph, the right shot will eventually be captured because you will feel more relaxed throughout the photo session. 

One of the best times to get a new headshot for your professional image is during the summer. Yes, the summer. There is something about the summer months that make everyone so relaxed. Do you think it is time for you to have a new headshot for the career you have been dreaming of?

We know you probably have a family member who owns a nice camera, but if you truly want to create the right impression with a shiny new headshot, contact us today.