Our business photos

"How often should I update my business photo?"

In today’s world, business photos are used on a regular basis. During less digital times, people used to get their picture taken when they needed to apply for a new job. In many professional careers, however, the role of a picture has changed. While the importance is decreasing for CVs and applications (depending on the country, there are differences), many individuals create online profiles, either in professional networks or within the organization they work for. The picture often serves as the contact information or gives a first impression of the job holder. 

This being said, its usage has changed from once (being successful with your application) to frequent (daily appearance on the internet or intranet). Therefore, in general, it can be assumed that the higher the frequency, the more important the age of the picture. 

Too often, I witness that colleagues would stick with a very, very, very old photo - out of comfort or maybe because they think that they haven’t changed that much.

Trust me - we all change. No matter if we see it or not.

The visual difference between a 5- and a 10-year old might me bigger, but even at 35 we don’t look like our 30-year old version. And the same accounts for any age. 

In the professional context, I believe that the picture which represents us to our internal colleagues or external clients should ideally be younger than three years - and for sure never older than five years. Keeping a ten or even twenty year old photo seems unprofessional to me.

On top of that, if you change anything major in your face, like very different looking glasses or a totally different haircut or color, it is time for a new picture anyhow.

The purpose is to be recognized - keep that in mind.