Personal Branding Tips: How the Right Headshot Builds Trust & Credibility

For decades, career-focused professionals have meticulously honed their resumes to ensure every last comma and dash was correct. Many approach their profiles on sites like LinkedIn with the same precision - but do they give the same attention to their profile image?

Your headshot encapsulates you and all you bring to the table. So what are you serving? The portrait imaging and branding specialists at McNaughton Photography in East Moline explain.

A Heady Matter

Professional headshots serve as a digital handshake in today's business environment. Quality images build trust and credibility with potential clients and employers. They help professionals stand out on platforms like LinkedIn, company websites, email signatures, job applications, and even related social media.

While most professionals have some level of online presence, the focus usually revolves around achievements and written statements rather than images. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then your image must be more than an afterthought.

Image Is Everything

Your online brand is an extension of yourself, and must resonate with your target audience. Visitors to your profile or page form opinions within seconds, and these factor into the business opportunities you are presented. Using a simple selfie or a cropped family photo may not project the credibility and competence needed to seal the deal.

Headshot and branding sessions can serve as an investment in your career image and in creating a memorable online presence. Personality, industry, and values should be taken into account when planning details. Your individual marketing goals and professional identity should also factor in.

Tips And Tricks

Selecting a quality headshot means more than ensuring your eyes are open and your flyaways have been tamed. The professional branding experts at McNaughton Photography make the following recommendations:

• Ensure your headshot actually looks like you. Editing with AI or over-retouching beyond easy recognition can set you up for a bad impression when you meet in person, and potentially lead to loss of trust.
• Make sure that your expression is strong rather than worried or awkward - otherwise, viewers may make assumptions about your experience or aptitude.
• In most cases, you, not the location, are the star. A simple, blurred background keeps the focus on your face.
• Clean, bright lighting avoids harsh shadows while illuminating facial features appropriately.
• Rectangular portraits accommodate more natural poses, give options for use across multiple platforms, but can be cropped for strict profile photo use.

If this checklist is difficult to achieve on your own, consider hiring a professional photographer or branding service to help you create an online presence that will get results. The payoff is worth investing in yourself and your career.