• First impressions matter: Your professional headshot can help you provide a first impression before you enter any virtual or physical environment. In those first few seconds, clients develop their first impression of you. Your headshot allows you to control that impression in ways that are hard to do in person.

• Look the part: If you want to be treated like a professional, you must look like a professional. Period.

• Take yourself seriously: Making a financial investment in a professional photo shows that you take yourself and your career seriously. And there are few things more appealing to a professional contact than that.

• Stand out from the crowd: As important as a professional headshot is to landing a job, many adults still rely on poor quality cell phone photos they ask their friends to take. You’ll make recruiters, potential employers, and important contacts take a closer look if you’re sharing a photo that’s high-res and visually pleasing.

• Stay top of mind: By including a memorable professional photo on your social media accounts, you allow people to put a face to a name, meaning you are more likely to stay top-of-mind to the important people who look you up, whether before or after you meet.

• This is your only shot: In this fast-paced, digital world, contacts are often too busy to read more than a few lines of your resume. A good headshot is your best chance to make an instant (and positive) first impression. Don’t waste it.