Make a Great First Impression

It takes less than 3 minutes for a client to decide if they want to do business with you. It takes less than half a second for a first impression to be made. The first impression you make will be fairly permanent and follow you throughout the rest of your interactions. Showing up early to your interview or first appointment. Showing up well groomed and well dressed. Driving nice cars and buying fancy watches. These are just some of things we do to make positive first impressions. Companies do it too. They spend more to get trophy office space in a affluent city on a well known street or neighborhood.

In today's digital world your customer, client or future employer will likely see you on-line first. Facebook. Linkedin. Your own business website. Before they ever see your office, your nice suit, or whether you show up on time they are going to see your headshot on-line first. A professional headshot make a great first impression. A professional headshot will help you stand out and show you take your career seriously while looking like the professional you actually are.

STAND OUT

Washington DC is a competitive area. Just Over 50% of the DC area population over the age of 25 has a college degree which is 1.5x higher than the national average. Half of those with a college degree also have post graduate degrees - 2x higher than the national average. Many people in the DC area went to top schools. So does simply having a degree in this kind of market really make you stand out?

If you were a recruiter, hiring manager, or maybe a potential client looking for someone with your education and background which of the following profiles stands out? If you're busy and your time is limited, which candidate do you call first? Which second? Which one might you skip completely? If you live in the Washington DC area you need a Professional Headshot to standout.

A picture is worth a 1000 words

Marketers rank images as the most important content type, ahead of text and video. Adding photos to blocks of texts get you at least 20% more views on average than just a text description. 67% of consumers say that the quality of a product image is “very important” in selecting and purchasing the product - ranked higher than any other product quality. On a business networking site like Linkedin - you are the product. LinkedIn users with profile photos get 11x more views than profiles with no photo. As you looked at the three candidates above all three had the same description - same education and same experience. Only one probably stood out as looking, clean and very professional. One maybe looked 'good enough'. One likely left no impression at all. Which quality do you want to be associated with? Professional. 'Good enough'. Forgotten.

Both of these were shot with professional cameras. But one image just says 'Good enough'. While the other says 'High-Quality Professional'.

Shows You Take Your Career Seriously

You wouldn't want typos on your website, your linkedin profile or your resume. It's not the end of the world but it reflects poorly on you. It makes you look sloppy, lazy and inattentive to details. Not exactly professional qualities that make employers or clients excited to pick you. They look at your resume, credentials and references with a more skeptical and critical eye. When you use no headshot or a cheap headshot on your profile you are sending the same kind of message - you are inattentive or don't care. If you checked into a hotel with dated decor or cheap furniture - wouldn't you question how seriously they take their business? Or question how successful they are? or wonder if maybe you are getting ripped off? Do you think you will get a higher salary offer with a good headshot? or a cheap headshot? Trying to demand high prices from your client with a cheap headshot is going to be a tougher battle than if your headshot reflects your higher quality.

Look the Part

Every industry and career has a different role to play in our economy. Our society has a lot of different norms and expectations for different business and the roles people play. As a new age tech giant CEO, Mark Zuckerberg can get away with having most of his photos in a hoodie. Most of us though are not billionaire CEOs of a tech company. So you need to consider your industries norms. A realtor headshot is likely to warm and inviting. It is more likely to be an outdoor headshot with a recently sold home as the backdrop. A divorce lawyer, or a 'I sue people's pants off!' lawyer however probably doesn't want a happy go lucky headshot. They are likely to want something a bit more serious that fits the mood and qualities of their customer or client. Similarly Actor and Model headshots tend to have a very different look than your typical Linkedin profile. I always make sure my clients have a headshot that fits the look and mood of their industry.