The biggest problem I have with networking is putting a name to a face. I don’t want to talk about right side – left side brains here. Just accept that I am not good at names.
My smart way to combat this is to put a picture on my business card. So, at least everybody else will find it easy to remember me! Maybe they will follow the lead and soon I can have photos of all my contacts on the laptop to remind me what they look like.
Ok, so you need a photo. Well that has to be easy because cameras are everywhere and we all have them including in our phones etc. I can put my digital camera on delayed shot and run of loads till I have the right ‘face’ or use the web cam. It does not matter if the lighting on the photo is a little off, because clever software like Photoshop allows you to edit, crop and change the brightness/contrast until you have what you need. No, No, No, NO NO NO.
Please let us start again. This photo will be for people to recognise you, and if you follow my lead it will soon be on your business card, your email signature, your Facebook, LinkedIn and website profiles. So why not have a good photo taken in the first place – with proper lighting. That requires no ‘touching’ except a few re-size operations. Have the photo taken with the assistance of a professional portrait photographer. Let them concentrate on taking the photo – you on assuming the appropriate pose. You may want to really make good use of the session and take a couple of jackets. Do you want one with or without a tie? Just the head shot is great for small profile photos, but you may want a three quarter length sitting or standing pose too. So, just like a fashion model, turn up with a few things to wear. They will run off 40-50 or more photos till you have the right look. I suggest you take them away and ask a few people’s views before you settle on ‘the one’ – Don’t forget to take note of the photographer’s recommendations too.
My last tip is that you may want to ‘practice a few expressions before you go’, because what ‘feels’ like a broad smile, may not look the same when checked in the mirror. (Maybe I should have been vainer during my formative years?)
Now, with a much better photo to work with, you can resize your picture to create all those different versions and be proud.