Headshot Advice from Apptio Human Resources Senior Vice President Britt Provost
Headshot advice and insight from an actual Human Resources head-honcho? Um, YES please. The closest I usually come is reading everything I can get on the subject. To that end, would you be surprised to hear that a recent study reported that 90% of human resources people say they check out social media profiles, especially LinkedIn and Facebook, before inviting a candidate in for an interview? I'm going to guess that you are not actually shocked because even for those of us that are not in human resources -- we're doing our own due diligence and research for everything from sales presentations to professional networking. It's just "Good Business 101."
If you have ever read my blog -- you know that I find this topic fascinating so when I had a chance to photograph an executive headshot session with Britt Provost, Apptio Senior Vice President of Human Resources, she and I started really discussing her professional perspective. (Then it hits me as we are changing the lighting and the set -- this woman is absolutely brilliant - and sadly... NOT on video or with a microphone.) If you could just picture the mad scramble as we mic'd her up and started rolling... it was a little crazy-town but we did manage to get her professional opinion on the topic of headshots, executive presence and the 3 types of pictures that should NEVER be on your LinkedIn profile.
For those that don't have three minutes to watch the video...this was one of my favorite questions & answers.
Any headshot advice for business professionals for what to avoid on your LinkedIn profile?
"If you are serious about the work you do and your profession, you should have a photo, bottom line. No party pictures, No wedding pictures, No drinking pictures. A really nice, simple professional photograph that represents who you are is best. "
Britt talked about her own professional journey and coming to the realization that
"It's not about being perfect... it's about being current"
She pointed out that a picture from 1980 is not credible and it does not send the right message. After our photo shoot, of course my mind was racing and I was sure that some awesome person had likely written something in depth on this topic. I found this great article from Entreprenur Magazine that shared 7 Tips to Make Sure Your LinkedIn Picture Is Helping, Not Hurting, Your Prospects - and I hope you find it helpful.
Here's a quick link to more headshot advice, tips, tricks and articles that I have written. For samples and inspiration of professional headshots of people that are total "Do's" feel free to check out our portfolio here ;-)
