How professional are you?

Do you know how others perceive you?

Especially if you run a business, this is quite important. As much as I don’t want to care about what others think of me, if I want to provide a service, I need to come across a certain way: professional, approachable, like an expert.

The photos we use to advertise our business play a massive roll in that.

If you use stock photos, you look replaceable and like everyone else. If you use cheap snapshots, you might look like you don’t take yourself seriously.

The more expensive your products or services are, the more professional your (online) presence needs to be. The amount of money you spend on yourself and your business is directly related to what you want your customers and clients to spend.

That doesn’t mean that you need to get yourself in debt but perception is important. That’s why professional photos can help massively to project an image that is representative of you/your business.

But have you ever thought about how your photos really come across to others? There’s a website called Photofeeler where you can test what your headshots say about you.

You get free credits when you register and collect more by judging other people’s photos. In three categories, business, social and dating, you can decide on 3 different aspects of your photos.

For business specifically, the categories are likability, competency and influence. It’s giving “The Social Network” vibes if I’m honest but it’s interesting to see what kind of photos people use to promote themselves professionally.

Here are my results:

When voting, I was very aware of my conscious and unconscious biases. It’s not just about technically (im)perfect photos, it’s also facial expression, clothes, posture, lighting – all of these things do have an impact on how professional or competent someone appears in a photo.

To try it, all you need to do is create an account and upload a photo of your own. You can then rate other people and see your own stats move.

If the result is not what you expect, ask yourself if you really chose the right image to present yourself. Do you need to try another one? Do you need a new headshot or portrait? But also, think about who you are and who you are trying to reach – how do your audience and your (prospective) clients need to see you?

Don’t take this too seriously though – it’s just a tool and a test. It doesn’t say anything about your actual professionalism or character. Please keep that in mind!