Corporate and Executive Headshots: Projecting an Image

After my recent corporate headshots photo shoot with Dr. Gruber I’ve done some informal polling of NYC professionals and I’ve been surprised by how many people overlook the need of having a professional, eye-catching executive headshot.  In today’s marketplace, where so much business is done online, through websites, Facebook and LinkedIn, having a great corporate headshot is an essential tool in any trade. Your headshot is your first chance to project an image that’s professional and put-together and chances are the mug shot you have on your ID badge or the snapshot you’re using on Facebook aren’t exactly getting the job done.

 I’m not suggesting that having a professional corporate headshot is going to make the difference between a client hiring you and someone else, but I do believe having a professional corporate headshot can put you in the running to book that next client.  I know I’ve done it myself when I’ve looked through online listings of providers – I stop and read more about the people who have a professional headshot than those who don’t and I stay clear of those with really bad shots (and there are plenty of those!).  It’s not necessarily a conscious decision, but those with professional headshots, just seem, um, more professional and I’m more interested in doing business with them – take a look at the two shot below – which guy would you rather hire?  It’s essential to have a great corporate headshot in NYC to help you stand out from your competition, build your brand and help potential clients “connect” with you.

I know there are lots of reasons people don’t bother to get a professional headshot, or don’t bother to update their old one – I’ve heard it all:

• I’m not photogenic
• I don’t have the time
• I don’t have the money
• I don’t need a shot right now

Believe it or not, most of my clients say they’re not photogenic – it’s my job – or any headshot photographer’s job – to make them feel comfortable and relaxed, which will translate into a great, natural-looking, executive headshot. Corporate headshots sessions are actually pretty quick and affordable and well worth the moderate investment of time and money.  I had one client who had posted an advertisement for her services without a headshot and she didn’t receive any inquiries.  After we worked together, she added her headshot to the advertisement and received 3 inquiries and bookings that same day which more than paid for the cost of the headshot!

For those of you who might think that your current position isn’t worthy of a corporate headshot or executive headshot, keep in mind the saying, “dress for the job you want, not the one you’re in.” What better way to “dress for the job you want” then to have a professional headshot to hand to your PR department when they’re printing up the press release of your big promotion? And in the meantime, you’ll already be projecting an executive image on your social networking profiles. Having a professional corporate headshot is a really easy way to get people seeing you the way you want to be seen – and that’s a competitive advantage for anyone in any industry!