Your Professional Persona and Headshots

Do you have a professional persona? Do you need one? “A professional persona is the image and presentation of oneself in a work environment…It's a deliberate projection of how one wants to be perceived by colleagues, clients, and superiors, often more formal and structured than one's personal self. Developing a strong professional persona is crucial for career advancement as it helps build credibility, establish trust, and foster positive relationships.”

I would add it’s important in the day to day business world, whether you’re and employee, solopreneur, or in virtually any role.

LinkedIn is the site of people’s professional personas  – it’s the world’s database of people in business, with over a billion users and profiles. People use LinkedIn not just for job search, but to learn more about a person, their business background, interests, etc.. – or when they’re looking for someone with a particular set of skills to solve a particular problem.

I recently came across a post by someone in my network that I’ve met and spoken with – this person is a solopreneur in the creatives field (I’m being careful here not to disclose anything that could point to who the person is). When you post on LinkedIn, a thumbnail of your profile image is shown at the top of the post. When I saw the person’s image, along with another image of the same person in the post itself, I wondered if I was still on LinkedIn’s website or was I looking at a social media site like Facebook, TikTok, etc.. If I were a business owner looking for the skills this creative had, the first impression would not be the most positive.

When thinking about your professional persona, including your headshot, branding, etc.., it’s important to put yourself in your potential client’s shoes – what would they be looking for? What type of impression do you want to create in order they would want to explore working with you?

First, start with an image that’s professionally done – if it’s done by AI, or your friend, or a selfie it’s going to look that way – and while you may think it’s way things are today and it’s OK, just keep in mind the decision makers you’re trying to impress don’t necessarily think the way you do. And your competition is likely making the investment to make themselves look professional. Just do it!

Then, you want to think about what the impression is you want to create to attract your target audience – an experienced photographer can help you create that impression, but it’s always helpful to have an idea of what you want. Pay attention to the various key elements that create that impression: lighting, clothing, background, and most of all expression.

And during the session, be sure to explore a variety of looks – see the examples of Julia below. Each of those images evokes/creates a different impression. All are valid – which ones to use depends on your target audience and the message you want to send that will most resonate with them.