New Year, New You.
As the saying goes. But really what you need is a new LinkedIn profile photo that doesn't look like a gritty mugshot. Or maybe it’s a charming, dateable you that isn't from 2001. Perhaps it’s a more candid yet still competent and accomplished looking you for the corporate newsletter.
So many of us use snapshots taken at a late night party and then try to edit out the drunk friend lurking in the background, and the weirdo hanger-on whose sweaty mess of a face is shoving itself into the frame.
There are those who try to work the selfie, which not only took hours to create on a precious Sunday, but still comes across as a rather pouty, insecure version of ourselves. There is the poorly lit, pixellated disaster of a panicked “photo booth” snap, taken right after HR asks for a headshot to include that afternoon on the company website. There’s the one with your kids, your dog, your best friends from college, your ex-boyfriend, surgically cut out from the frame except for his creepy left hand dangling over your shoulder like Thing from the Addams Family.
The list goes on and on. But professionally taken, personal branding headshots are no longer a luxury. In the era of 100% interconnectivity, where for better or worse, visuals reign supreme, there is no excuse for crappy profile pics to linger on the web and corrode our public personas.
We sell what we show. Using social media to expand our network, stand out from the crowd, apply for new positions, or climb that corporate ladder, requires that we put our best foot forward with authenticity, character and grace.
So this year, make the new you a beautifully-captured you and then got em, tiger!
If you want more information on booking a personal branding shoot that will showcase your captivating, accomplished, professional self, email me at Nicolette@NJPphotography.com or connect with me here