Going for a new job? Update your headshot first
You've decided to go for it. A new job, a promotion, or just a change of direction. The CV is getting a polish, maybe you've told a recruiter you're open to offers, and there's a list somewhere of everything to sort before the applications go out.
Here's the thing that usually sits at the bottom of that list and belongs at the top: your photo.
Because before you send a single application, people are going to look you up. And the first thing they find, your LinkedIn photo, is already talking for you. If it's a cropped holiday snap, or something you took five years and one haircut ago, it's saying things you didn't mean it to.
I'm a headshot photographer in London, and updating that photo is the quickest, cheapest job on your whole to-do list. Here's why now is the moment, and how to get it right.
The three reasons people actually book
In three years of doing this, I've noticed that the people who come to me before a job move almost always arrive for one of three reasons.
The first is a promotion. They've moved up, and the old photo no longer matches the new title. There's a gap between how they're seen and where they now sit, and a fresh headshot closes it.
The second is a new job that asks for one. Sometimes it's a straight requirement. One client had just landed a director role at a well-known UK supermarket, and his new employer asked him for photos for their internal and external communications almost on day one. When the company wants you looking the part, you sort it fast.
The third is the one I see most often: finally refreshing a profile you've been avoiding. No decent professional photo, an old one, or a snap cropped out of a wedding that you keep meaning to replace. A job hunt is the deadline that finally makes it happen.
Whichever one you're in, the trigger is the same. Something changed, people are about to look, and the photo needs to catch up.
Why now, of all times?
When you're job hunting, your online profile stops being background and becomes the thing everyone checks. Recruiters look you up. Hiring managers look you up before the interview. Old contacts you're reconnecting with look you up.
This isn't a hunch. Robert Walters found that 64% of employers have viewed a candidate's professional profile, such as LinkedIn, as part of their hiring (Robert Walters, Using Social Media in the Recruitment Process). So your photo is part of the shortlist.
The London market is hard going right now too, which makes every small edge worth having. I've written separately about how to stand out in London's competitive job market, but the short version is that recruiters are buried in applications and filtering in seconds, often from their phone on the morning commute. Your face is one of the first things they land on.
The timing point is simple. If you wait until you've got the interview, they've already seen the old photo. It does its job before you're ever in the room, so it wants sorting before you apply.
We’ve all heard it before, but its true, first impressions land before you say a word
There's good research on how fast this happens. Princeton researchers Willis and Todorov found that people form an impression of a face in about a tenth of a second, and giving them longer barely shifts it (Willis & Todorov, 2006, Psychological Science). Susan Fiske's work adds the "what": we size people up on two things, warmth (do I like and trust them) and competence (can they do the job) (Fiske, Cuddy & Glick, 2007, Trends in Cognitive Sciences).
A good headshot lets you land both of those on purpose, instead of leaving it to a squinting selfie. A recruiter scrolling forty profiles gives yours a sliver of a second, and you want that sliver working for you.
When you're being compared side by side with other candidates, a current, professional photo is a quiet signal that you're serious and ready. It won't win you the job on its own. It stops you losing ground before anyone has read a word.
What an old or selfie photo costs you
Most people's professional photo is out of date and they know it. One client I photographed recently had been putting it off for years. His profile picture hadn't changed since university, he didn't have a single decent professional photo of himself and with a career change coming up he decided it was finally time to fix that. That's not unusual. It's the most common story there is.
An old photo costs you in two ways. It can read as "hasn't touched this profile in years," and if you turn up to the interview looking noticeably different, that's its own small awkwardness. Looking the same on your profile as you do across the desk reads as trustworthy. A mismatch chips away at it.
When that client did come in, we kept it relaxed. We worked through a few poses together and tried a handful of background colours to see what suited him, chatting the whole way (there was a matcha involved). He told me what he was after and we got there together. He left with a set he was really pleased with, and a profile that finally matched where his career was heading. None of it was about vanity. It was about not putting a small obstacle in his own way at the exact moment he was trying to move up.
How quickly will you get them back?
A fair question when you're mid-application: how long until you can actually use these?
The honest answer is that I advertise a seven-day turnaround, but most people have their photos back within about 48 hours. I edit everything myself, so I tend to get to them quickly. The seven days is a guardrail for busy weeks, not the target. The director I mentioned earlier, the one whose employer wanted photos straight away, made a point of how fast he got his back. If you're in a hurry to get applications out, you won't be left waiting.
One photo, one place it really counts
A quick word on CVs, because people ask. In the UK, you generally don't put a photo on your CV. It isn't the convention here, and it can work against fair hiring. LinkedIn is the opposite. There, a photo is expected, and a blank grey silhouette is the thing that stands out for the wrong reason.
So if you're spending on one photo during a job hunt, your LinkedIn profile is where it earns its keep. That's your shop window, open around the clock to every recruiter and hiring manager who searches your name.
A few tips from the photographer
A few things worth knowing before the day:
Book it before you start applying, not after the interview is in the diary. The photo works earliest in the process.
Dress for the job you're going for, a step above your day-to-day if you're aiming up.
Aim for approachable and capable over stern. You want the person looking to think, "I'd want them on my team."
Try a couple of background colours on the day. It's a small change that makes a real difference, and it's often what makes a set click.
Ask for a few crops and file sizes: the LinkedIn one, plus a wider version for your email signature and work profiles. And if you’re working with a photographer that uses a high resoultion camera, ask for a web quality image.
Keep it current. It should look like you now, and it's worth a refresh whenever you change roles.
If you want the full run-down, from what to wear to how to prep the night before, I've put it all in a separate guide on how to prepare for your LinkedIn headshots.
Just landed the job? Think about the team
One more, for when the job hunt has paid off. If you've moved into a role where you're hiring or building a team, matching headshots across the team make the whole company look more put-together to clients and candidates. (That supermarket wanting my client's photo for their comms is the same instinct, one level up.)
I shoot corporate headshots across London on location, so a whole team can be done in an afternoon without anyone leaving the office.
Update the photo first
Of everything on your job-hunt list, the photo is the quickest and cheapest, and it's working for you before you've said a word. Sort it early, and you'll likely have it back within a couple of days.
If you're about to go for something new, update your headshot first. Book a LinkedIn headshot session in London, and let's get it right before the applications go out.
FAQ
Do I need a professional headshot to find a new job?
You don't strictly need one. But recruiters look you up, often before they read your application, and when you're one of dozens of similar candidates, a clear, current photo is a cheap way to look like the safe choice.
How long does it take to get headshots back?
I advertise a seven-day turnaround, but most people have theirs within about 48 hours. I edit in-house, so it stays quick even in a busy week.
Should I put a photo on my CV in the UK?
Generally, no. A photo on your CV isn't the norm here and can work against fair hiring. Put that effort into your LinkedIn photo, where a professional image is expected and actually helps you.
How much does a LinkedIn headshot cost in London?
It depends on the package. You can see the current options and pricing on the LinkedIn headshots page.
How often should I update my headshot?
Whenever you change roles, and otherwise every couple of years. If yours is older than the last time you changed jobs, it's due, especially before a job hunt.
What should I wear for a LinkedIn headshot?
Simple, solid colours, dressed a step above your target role, and bring a couple of options. There's more detail in my preparation guide.
