We all know the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but have you heard “a headshot is like a handshake”? Photographer Aaron Lucy argues that a quality headshot is critical to your online professional presence, especially on LinkedIn, where almost 800 million users now reside. Your headshots don’t have to just live on LinkedIn, though. Potential employers will Google you, so it’s a good idea to have some professional headshots that capture your personality peppered throughout your online profiles. We know workplaces and businesses have migrated online, now is the time to take control of your online presence by managing your profiles and ensuring your photos reflect your personal brand.

According to Forbes, the first step to achieving an impactful LinkedIn profile is your headshot. Your headshot “makes you real in the virtual world,” and selfies and cropped photos just don’t cut it anymore according to William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding. Luckily, corporate headshots are a quick and effective way to capture your personality online.

Here are some tips for getting headshots done, and best practices for using them online:

1. Have an idea of what you want – chat with me or whoever is doing your headshot before the shoot so we can connect and get a feel for what you have in mind. Check out LinkedIn, Instagram, or Pinterest for inspiration.

2. Dress the part – you don’t need to show up in a three-piece suit, but you do want to wear something you would wear to a job interview or something business casual. I need to emphasize this should be something you would wear; this is a way to express your personality online through your headshot.

3. Be smart when you post it online - When you’re uploading a headshot to your LinkedIn profile, make sure your face takes up between 60-80% of the profile icon. As Arruda demonstrates in his article, many successful LinkedIn users have profile photos that utilize this ratio. Lastly, make sure your headshot is saved as your name (e.g. firstname.lastname.jpeg) so the image comes up when someone Googles you.

Corporate headshots are an easy and relatively affordable way to make an impact online, and an effective tool to make your personality shine in this increasingly digital world. Check out my work to get an idea of what we could achieve together in a corporate headshot session, or draw some inspiration for when you decide it’s time for headshots.