In our modern business world, having a professional, great quality headshot is very important. Your headshot is your first introduction to your future employers or clients.

A professional headshot is a photograph that shows the face of a person. The goal of a business headshot is to convey professionalism. This is often accomplished through the specific posing, setting, facial expression, and clothing.

As you focus on growing your hospitality career, do not neglect the important aspect of the social world. Your headshot travels far and wide online, so it is important to get it right. In today’s article, we will share with you some reasons why you need to have a professional headshot and how to get one.

4 Reasons Why You Need a Professional Headshot

• Credibility & Professionalism: A good headshot gives you initial credibility and professionalism. Potential employers, clients, and collaborators who find your profile online, (on LinkedIn, a website, or your social media account) are more likely to take you seriously.
• Gives a great first impression: Did you know that we are judged by someone within 11 seconds of meeting or being seen? This seems crazy but isn’t it a good idea to take advantage of those 11 seconds (or probably way less online ) and put your very best self forward? Like it or not, it’s true that we judge a book by its cover.
• Personality! Show it off. A good headshot will give your potential employers and customers an idea of who you are. Your headshot with a great smile can go a long way.
• Confidence: Having a good professional headshot will help you feel more confident when interacting with your prospects. 

6 Tips On How To Get a Great Professional Headshot

Let it match your brand: Just like companies, you can have your own “brand,” or what you are known for as a career person. You should make the image match the brand of you as an individual in the hospitality industry. This can be achieved through your composition, the setting, your facial expression, the outfit you wear, etc

Choose a Natural Environment: On the note of keeping a simple background/backdrop, you can choose a background/backdrop or take the shot where you actually work. This will help you feel more relaxed.

Dress Corporate: For your professional headshot, you should dress as if you are meeting a new client or employer. This will help you stay on brand. Keep your outfit simple and corporate. Ensure you wear something you are comfortable in so you can stay relaxed during the shoot which is always a plus when it comes to better-looking corporate headshots.

Keep Your Hair Simple: Choose a hairstyle that you are comfortable with and is simple. Imagine you are meeting an important client, how would you do your hair? Go for that look.

It’s important not to try out any new fancy hairstyles especially those that go upwards — it may be cropped in a photo or hard to capture within the frame. For guys, it’s recommended that you get a haircut at least a few days before the photo shoot and not the day before. This will give you more time to look more natural in your new haircut and it will give you time to make any adjustments in case you didn’t like your haircut.

Avoid Lots of Salt Night Before: You will want to avoid a lot of salt the day before your photoshoot. Having a lot of salt in a meal can cause your face to appear bloated due to water retention. And as you can imagine, this is not good for photoshoots.

Hire a Professional Photographer: It is important that you hire a professional for your photo. A photographer will be able to turn your vision into a reality. It’s best to invest in a professional photographer so you can have a professional-looking photo. Having a professional-looking image will help with your overall brand image and appearance.

Keep your social media profiles up-to-date with your headshots. It is advisable to have your headshots annually so you can keep them updated.