Never Use a Phone Selfie  Your image matters, so using selfies from your phone for your employee portrait or your LinkedIn profile is a big no-no. Selfies don’t read professional, they just read lazy.

Don’t Use a ‘Night Out’ Photo  Everybody gets lucky with the perfect lighting, the best outfit, or perfectly styled hair on a night out with friends. But seriously, that photo is far from sending a professional message.

Find the Right Professional Photographer  Start looking at the work of professional photographers in your area. Be selective. Look through their portfolio with intention and discuss budget upfront. Creating an image that really exemplifies who you are requires a connection to the photographer.

Avoid Excessive Retouching  Stay away from too much Photoshop manipulation (or “airbrushing”). Chat with your photographer about their intentions for editing. Accenting your character and personality is what your photographer should strive to do. Keep a close eye on the work that is in their portfolios - do the people look like real, relatable people to you?

Purchase More Than One Photo  When going through proofs from your photo session, identify an image you need now and one for the future, then purchase two different images. This could be different poses in different shirts or jacket, hair up or down, etc. Ordering a couple of images up front will cut your cost in the future.

Create Consistency  Realize that the image you choose is your personal brand. Use it for at least a year (yes, a year!). A new image every week only works for models. Variety can be fun but doesn’t show stability and comfort in your skin. Be strong in your image and your brand will back it up.