AI headshots for job seekers

When you are looking for work, your profile photo is seen before your experience is read. Recruiters and hiring managers look you up on LinkedIn, often before an interview and sometimes before deciding to offer one. An old, cropped or dimly lit picture is a small thing that makes a first impression you did not choose.

Where it matters

• LinkedIn, first of all: your profile, and every message and application you send from it. LinkedIn headshots covers it in detail.
• Job boards and application portals that ask for a profile picture.
• A personal website or portfolio, if you have one.
• Video interviews. Not the photo itself, but the match: the person on the call should look like the person in the picture.

Should it go on your resume?

In the US, usually not. Most American employers and recruiters advise against a photo on a resume, and some screening processes remove them. Put it on LinkedIn and your portfolio instead. Some other countries expect a photo on a CV; if you are applying abroad, follow the local convention.

What to wear

Dress for the job you are applying for, one step smarter than its everyday dress code. For a finance or law role that means a jacket; for tech or a creative role, a clean shirt, knitwear or a simple top works better than a suit. Solid colours read better than patterns at profile-picture size. What to wear for a headshot.

Which background

Keep it simple and out of the way: a plain studio grey, an office, or a softly blurred outdoor setting. The background should say "professional" and then disappear, because the recruiter is looking at your face.

Budget and timing

You do not need to spend much. You see one headshot of your own face free before paying anything, and the smallest plan is 8 HD headshots for $25.00. A set takes about twenty minutes, so it can be done the evening before you start applying.

Before you upload

The better your photos, the better the likeness. Use 8 or more ordinary photos taken on different days, without sunglasses, hats, filters or other people in the shot. Which photos to upload shows what works. Then see how the AI headshot generator turns them into new photographs.

Questions

Do recruiters care about the photo?

They look at it, because it is the first thing on the profile. A clear, recent, well-lit photo that looks like you is what matters; it does not need to be expensive.

Is it all right to use an AI headshot when job hunting?

Yes, if it looks like you. The person who turns up to the interview should be the person in the picture, which is why you check the likeness on the free headshot first.

Should I smile?

A natural, relaxed expression works best. Your pictures follow your own expression from your photos rather than inventing a smile you do not have.