Rachel C. Weingarten muses on Marketing, Manners and Modness

This morning, inspired by a stack of headshots (that I have to go through to choose a likely candidate for an unlikely job) I did a quick riff on Twitter about some headshot poses that don’t inspire confidence.  These were my top four:

1. The *Gun* oh yeah baby, I want to hire you with that headshot.
2. The *Point* You talking to me? ‘Cuz your headshot is making me paranoid.
3. The *Crackberry* Will you look up from your texting marathon long enough for me to hire you?
4. The *Bridesmaid* Nice dress, but that tipsy grin scares me.

To add to the list:

5.  The *Pretty boy* why no, I don’t actually believe that a liberal dose of blush/hint of mascara (and please tell me that isn’t lipgloss) enhances your commercial appeal
6.  The *Bedroom eyes* You do have lovely shoulders and other parts best remaining hidden at work, is that supposed to make me want to give you the gig?
7.  The *Lookalike* Oh yes. I see it now.  All of your friends think that you look like Don Draper.  That doesn’t make you an advertising and marketing expert.

One supposes there’s a great punchline in all of this considering that I used a toon instead of a headshot for years, since I preferred to remain somewhat grounded in anonymity.  These days I generally use a combination of the two, toon when it’s less serious, headshot when I hope to inspire confidence or trust.

The thing is that while there are a few basic poses used in most professional headshots, the urge to set oneself apart from the crowd has inspired some people to veer way off course.

Having worked as a professional/celebrity makeup artist for years and in my current incarnation where I frequently consult on personal branding strategies for high worth individuals, celebrities, politicians and CEOs, I do have some ideas of what does work well in a headshot.

1. Tailor the shot to the hoped for position – it’s okay to look tough or beautiful if you’re hoping for a spot on a soap opera, less appropriate for the corporate world though.

2. Try to leave the props or pets at home – unless you’ve invented a new bit of technology or dog food, try to leave anything with bells and whistles out of your headshot.

3. Bring along several changes of clothing and accessories – if one outfit doesn’t work, the next might make you feel comfortable enough to offer up a genuine smile

4. Update frequently – I don’t mean whenever you get a new haircut, but follow the Match.com & Jdate rule- you never want people to be in for a rude awakening when they finally meet you in person.

5. Start over- if you hate it or feel that it doesn’t best represent you, it probably doesn’t.  As pricey as the prospect of reshooting a headshot is, in the age of the avatar and icon and online social everything, a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Rachel, who promises never to pose with my phone

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Filed under: Manners, Marketing, Ms. Biz Manners | Tagged: headshot, Make-up artist, Marketing, twitter