What to wear for a professional headshot

The rule is simpler than the advice usually given: dress one small step above what you would wear on a normal working day in your field.

The basic rule: match your industry, not a template

A suit is not automatically right and a t-shirt is not automatically wrong. What matters is whether someone in your industry would look at the photo and think this person fits here. Overdressing signals as much uncertainty as underdressing.

By industry

• Finance, law, consulting, insurance: jacket, plain shirt or blouse. Tie optional and increasingly rare outside the most formal firms.
• Office, administration, sales: blazer over a plain top, or a well-fitting shirt without a jacket.
• Technology and engineering: a plain shirt, a fine-knit jumper, or a blazer over a t-shirt. Rarely a tie.
• Creative work, marketing, media: more room for personality. One clear colour or a distinctive but simple piece works better than a full outfit statement.
• Healthcare and care work: clean, plain, calm. Work clothing only if the photo is explicitly for that context.
• Trades and technical roles: a clean plain shirt or polo. A branded work top is fine if it is neat and the logo is small.

Colours that work

Mid to dark blue is the safest colour in almost every field: it photographs well against light backgrounds and suits most skin tones. Grey, dark green and burgundy also work. White directly against a white background makes you disappear, so add a jacket or choose a darker background.

Avoid fine stripes, small checks and tight patterns. They can produce a shimmering interference effect on camera and pull attention straight to the fabric.

Fit matters more than brand

An inexpensive jacket that fits the shoulders looks better in a photograph than an expensive one that does not. Since only the top third of you is visible, everything is decided at the collar, the shoulder line and the neckline. Check that the collar sits flat and the shoulder seam ends where your shoulder ends.

Small details that show

• Iron the shirt, especially the collar. Creases are far more visible in a photograph than in a mirror.
• Remove lint and pet hair; dark fabric shows everything.
• Keep jewellery small. Large earrings and heavy necklaces pull the eye away from the face.
• If you wear glasses every day, keep them on and clean the lenses.
• Hair and beard as you normally wear them, tidied rather than restyled.

Why it still has to look like you

A photo in clothes you would never wear creates a gap that shows at the first meeting. The point of a professional portrait is not to present a different person. It is to present you on a good day, in good light, dressed the way your industry expects.

Keep reading

• LinkedIn profile photo: the complete guide
• How much does a professional headshot cost?