Pimp your Profile (P5) - Pimp your Picture

This is PART FIVE in a FIVE PART series. (Unlock PART ONE here.)

Adding a photo of you (and your sunny smile) to any social media profile should be easy, yes? However, far too many people botch this simple step.

5 COMON MISTAKES

• No photo at all – This says, ‘I am shady, don’t trust me’.
• Silly Character or Cartoon – This again says, ‘Don’t trust me’.
• Photo with Sunglasses – This says, ‘I have low self-esteem’.
• Photo with you at wedding – This says, ‘This is as good as I get’.
• Photo of you with Loved One – This says, ‘I’m needy’.

Seriously, have you noticed how most trolls tick one of those boxes? It’s often said that your eyes are the window to your soul. Show your eyes. Smile with your eyes.

So, what DOES work?

It does not matter if you are in a suit. It doesn’t matter if the lighting is perfect or not.

Simply make sure that your head and should are in the frame, that your eyes can be seen, and please, please, PLEASE do your best to deliver a winning smile. Be approachable!

SELFIE TIPS:

1. WARM LIGHTING: Find a place in your house or office with ‘warm’ lighting. Just walk around for a bit with your phone on selfie mode looking at yourself and your background. You will know ‘the spot’ when you see it. Warm lighting. Clutter free background.
2. PORTRAIT MODE: Select ‘Portrait’ mode. That’s the option which makes your background look a bit fuzzy and blurred. That means, if you can find a ‘clutter free’ space, the camera will reduce background distractions. This mode looks more professional too.
3. STAND AND TWIST: Stand sideways, then twist. Wha?! During a professional ‘shoot’, a photographer will ask you to stand next to the backdrop as though you were walking next to it. Then, they will ask you to turn your upper body to face the photographer.

FINALLY: Try to smile with your eyes. Not just your mouth. Your goal is to come across as approachable. Don’t confuse ‘professional’ with ‘serious’. They are not the same.

Unlock PART ONE here.