Recent months have been tough for everybody. Perhaps you are working from home, or you are one of the 9.3 million people whose jobs are on furlough under the UK job retention scheme. Maybe you are one of the 50% of final year university students who have had their job offer rescinded. If any of these apply, then the chances are you are thinking very carefully about your career. Perhaps now is the time to take the bull by the horns and plan a career change.
On the other hand, perhaps you think that it is not the right time to take any big steps that could have lasting changes on your career path. After all, for most of us, the world appears more threatening today than it ever has before. And when we feel threatened, most of us prefer to play it safe, which is not the best place to be when making a life-changing decision of reinventing your career.
When you do not know what the future holds, or when the route you were pursuing turns unexpectedly, it is probably best to consider a range of options rather than choosing one and sticking with it. When the past is gone, and the future is uncertain, you may well feel that you have lost your bearings; that you are in a state of limbo. However, that might also the best time to get essential things done.
Many people are taking the opportunity to patch up their skills gaps, for instance, by learning a foreign language, improving their coding skills, or enrolling in that online project management course. It is also an excellent time for honing your CV or resume.
Polishing your resume with a professional headshot
You will find many guidelines online about how to write a good resume, but all the advice out there is not necessarily good, so be careful to whom you listen. Some important yet obvious tips are: never lie or exaggerate; try to avoid clichés such as “team player” or “multitasker” (it’s better to give real-life examples that demonstrate your skills); make sure your CV doesn’t include any spelling or grammar mistakes.
But what you will undoubtedly want to do is ensure that your CV stands out from the crowd. Nowadays recruiters are bombarded with CVs. For each vacancy, they receive on average of 250 CVs and current wisdom suggests that each one gets just seven seconds of their attention. A great way to make sure that your CV grabs their attention is with a professional headshot that makes you look your absolute best.
Maybe, in an ideal world, appearances should not matter. But if you believe that, then you are living under an illusion. Perhaps they should not matter, but they certainly do. So, it is best to accept it and make the best use of that knowledge.
We have one caveat, though. If you are applying for a job in the UK or Continental Europe, then a professional headshot is a great way to enhance your CV, but if you are applying for a job in the United States, avoid adding a photo at all costs. In fact, in the USA and Canada, anti-discrimination laws prohibit it.
Preparing for your professional headshot
Talk to your professional photographer about how to prepare for your CV headshot. Here at Foktaplus, we take a great deal of care to make sure our clients look their absolute best and that their headshot gives all the right messages to their future employers.
For instance, find out if your prospective employer has a dress code, and try to comply with it for your photo shoot. If you do not know the dress code, it is better to err on the too formal side than the too casual. Make sure that you are perfectly groomed including your hair, nails, and makeup. Also, setting the right pose with the right positive body language is crucial.
Finally
Despite what is going on in the word, think positive thoughts and aim for the job of your dreams. Polish your CV, add a professional headshot and go for it.
We wish you every success.