First Impressions and the Importance of a Great Headshot

"First impressions are lasting" understates the actual case. The first impression, with startling frequency, is also the final decision.

-You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself, by Harry Beckwith and Christine K. Clifford

A 2006 study by Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov showed that people make a judgement about a person's likeability, trustworthiness, and competence, in one-tenth of a second. Furthermore, their research confirms that this first impression does not change with time.

In 2016, Vivian Zayas, professor of psychology at Cornell University, and her colleagues found that first impressions were formed simply from looking at a photograph predicted how people felt and thought about the person after a live interaction that took place one month to six months later.

This is an incredibly powerful argument for making sure your headshots are the best they can possibly be.

Headshot Impression Test on Photofeeler.com

I recently discovered Photofeeler.com and I think it’s a fun way to test out what kind of impression your headshot is making. Photofeeler crowdsources votes from real people who will score the photo on metrics like competency, likeability, and influence. Disclaimer: I’m not in any way associated with this service, but I do think it’s a useful tool.

Written by Henry David, St. Louis Headshot and Portrait Photographer