From my observation, Asians tend to use less of formal corporate headshots in their professional profiles. Maybe many of us think that this is unnecessary as long as we give our best in our jobs. While there is no right or wrong in using a photo from our stash of selfies or one that is taken in the studio as corporate profile picture, the impression that one portrays on professional network platforms would make a difference.
I used to put my passport photo in my LinkedIn profile. Simply because it was taken against a white background, it looked more formal and appropriate than using an OOTD. However it lacked the professional look. I have never considered going for a Corporate Headshot. I tend to think those are for people of higher positions. But as I build up my professional network, I find that my self-taken portrait paled in comparison with the many professional profile pictures on LinkedIn. If I put on the same glasses as the recruiter, on the basis that first impression is important, I would probably judge 2 equally qualified candidates through coloured lens on their photographs. Would the profile picture that I put on LinkedIn make or break my chances?
It seemed to be the right time to make a small effort to complement my many years of experience. To motivate myself to schedule a time for a Corporate Headshot, I asked a good friend along. It happens that both of us are on similar career stage and keen to build up a more professional image. Plus photoshoot sessions are usually fun when you are with friends or family. So, we arrived to the home studio of the head photographer, Tim, and to our pleasant surprise, we were greeted by a team of 3 cheerful youngsters and had a welcoming tour of the beautiful and tastefully decorated house to make ourselves at home.
The team ensured we were relaxed by chatting casually with us and that helped to soothe whatever uneasiness we felt before the photoshoot. While we were amateurs in posing in front of professional cameras, we were able to follow the cues given. It helped that my friend and I were able to help each other fix a stray lock of hair, adjust creases in our outfit and do a last quick glance before the camera clicked away. Tim was quick to capture the golden moment of our most natural smile which is just a split second before we froze in our smiles. That was evident in the images that came up immediately on his MacBook. Even when we, ladies, are usually critical of how we appear on photos, we were pretty wowed by how good each image came up on the screen.
After we were done with the photoshoot, Tim asked us to choose the best photographs so that he could work on some technical touches. That would include refining flaws like pimples, removing stray strands of hair from the background, etc.
It took Tim just about one week to send us the final touched up photographs despite his busy schedule. Through the short time that we know him, we were confident that these photographs would turn out awesome because he is meticulous and ensures customer satisfaction. True enough, both my friend and I were happy with how the photographs turned out and we used them on our LinkedIn profiles.
I find the entire experience a really pleasant one and immediately recommended a good friend to the same Corporate Headshot Singapore team. To prepare for the shoot, here are some tips to share on what we did.
Corporate Headshot Preparation Tips:
- Choose a plain top that goes well with grey or white background. The collar matters and it is good to check if it goes well with a blazer. (This applies more to ladies tops which have V-neck, round-neck, frills, formal collar and such.) I wore a white blouse and my friend wore a dark blue one. Both look good against the white background. If you have fair skin, the dark top accentuate your fairness which looks really good in my opinion.
- Check the sleeves of your blouse. As the sleeves would show as you will turn your body slightly sideways, it would be good to do a check on the mirror to see how you’d look on the camera.
- Choose a blazer that goes well with the top. Black will almost not go wrong. You will be amazed how a blazer creates an immediate professional look.
- Book a hairdo appointment for a few hours before the photoshoot. Tell your hairdresser that you are having a corporate photoshoot so that he will know what look to create for you. I had a simple C-curl styling.
- Put on a slightly heavier than regular office make-up. This will put some colour at appropriate tone when you are in the spotlight. Otherwise you may appear paler than you’d like to and may have to depend on technical touch up.
- For ladies, you may want to avoid days when you have your menses as you do not want to risk pimples popping up and looking tired.
I hope this sharing of my experience would help you to decide to go for a corporate headshot or not. To encourage you further, my friend received interest from 2 recruiters one week into putting her new corporate headshot photograph on LinkedIn. While it has not happened to me yet since I only put up this week, I feel much more confident building connections on LinkedIn now. You may view Bespoke Photography Corporate Headshot Singapore page to check out some of their works. And good luck with your career!
Disclaimer: This is a collaboration with BeSpoke Photography. All opinions and views are based on my personal experience.
