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Poll: Do you think a professional-looking profile photo helps in attracting clients? Inițiatorul discuției: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think a professional-looking profile photo helps in attracting clients?".
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Mary Worby 
Regatul Unit
Local time: 13:06
din germană în engleză
+ ...
I've mentioned this before, but way back when I first joined, I had a cartoon dancing elephant as my profile picture. While it was very cute and I got lots of comments that people loved it, I got very few work enquiries. When I changed it to a picture of me, the number of e-mails I got from potential customers increased dramatically.
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Michael Harris
Germania
Local time: 14:06
Membru (2006)
din germană în engleză
| No, not really | Jan 6, 2015 |
I cannot imagine that a photo is that important as it does not express competence, or all of the other experience that the person translating can.
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Tim Drayton
Cipru
Local time: 15:06
din turcă în engleză
+ ...
| No, definitely not | Jan 6, 2015 |
Why should it? I am not a photomodel. You can't tell anything about a person's translation skills from their physical appearance. That is why I do not display a photo. If, despite this, the answer to this question is indeed yes, it would only show what a crassly superficial era we live in.
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Paul Stevens
Local time: 13:06
Membru (2003)
din spaniolă în engleză
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| Absolutely right! | Jan 6, 2015 |
Tim Drayton wrote:
Why should it? I am not a photomodel. You can't tell anything about a person's translation skills from their physical appearance. That is why I do not display a photo. If, despite this, the answer to this question is indeed yes, it would only show what a crassly superficial era we live in.
I couldn't have put it better myself!
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Mary Worby
Regatul Unit
Local time: 13:06
din germană în engleză
+ ...
| Professional-looking | Jan 6, 2015 |
I think that a profile photo can look professional without being an airbrushed studio shot. It can be a company logo or a reasonable headshot. But perhaps a picture with a glass of beer in hand or one of your children or pet cat might not be deemed so professional.
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Sheila Wilson
Spania
Local time: 13:06
Membru (2007)
engleză
+ ...
| Not necessarily, but... | Jan 6, 2015 |
I don't think a photo attracts custom. However, I do firmly believe that a dancing elephant, photo of a pet or a kid, or a selfie from a party will send potential clients a sufficiently poor message that they'll avoid you. A logo is absolutely fine, I would have thought. I wish we could have both here.
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Muriel Vasconcellos
Statele Unite
Local time: 05:06
Membru (2003)
din spaniolă în engleză
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| Yes, definitely | Jan 6, 2015 |
It's Marketing 101. The question was about *attracting* clients, not keeping them. In an ideal world, it wouldn't matter, but we can't escape the rules of marketing any more. IMHO, every professional should have a decent headshot.
If you were looking for a doctor on the Internet, What would you think of a photo of him/her on a ski slope?
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| A professional-looking something, not necessarily a portrait | Jan 6, 2015 |
I remember Mary's elephant and was a bit sorry to see it go. Still, I have to admit that I thought it too cute as well. A great balancing act, which translation is, but somehow just off the point.
A good logo that stands out in that sea of faces can be most effective.
Tim Drayton's map of Cyprus tells you something unique that a portrait does not. If you can come up with an image linked with your USP - preferably not mobile for my taste - or even initials in flag colours, but ... See more I remember Mary's elephant and was a bit sorry to see it go. Still, I have to admit that I thought it too cute as well. A great balancing act, which translation is, but somehow just off the point.
A good logo that stands out in that sea of faces can be most effective.
Tim Drayton's map of Cyprus tells you something unique that a portrait does not. If you can come up with an image linked with your USP - preferably not mobile for my taste - or even initials in flag colours, but in a good, memorable design, that is likely to be highly effective too.
As others have mentioned, translation is not a beauty contest, and what really matters is your skill in the field and the languages the client requires. A logo can make you easier to find or drop if you cannot offer what the client wants.
I usually have lots of work, but clients refer to my postings here and elsewhere or say they found me through KudoZ, so I am not sure the portrait makes much difference in my case.
[Edited at 2015-01-06 17:07 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Ben_ (X)
Regatul Unit
Local time: 13:06
din germană în engleză
| Depends on the subject area perhaps | Jan 6, 2015 |
I had somebody contact me last year asking if I wanted to do some sports-related translations even though there is nothing about sport in my profile. I suspect that having a profile picture taken in a stadium which you can clearly see in the background had something to do with their decision to choose me above somebody in a suit!
I wouldn't want to have too casual or too formal a photo, but something that gives an idea of the man behind the mask would be ideal.
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Mary Worby
Regatul Unit
Local time: 13:06
din germană în engleză
+ ...
| Just for you Shiela | Jan 6, 2015 |
For old time's sake! Although he seems to have stopped dancing ...
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My photo would be more suitable for repelling cockroaches than attracting clients
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| No, not really | Jan 6, 2015 |
Thinking about my own photo - a laughing me, taken at one of Proz powwows, no less - as not very professional, but I still occasionally receive an email through Proz from a potential client.
I guess a cute kitten would not be the best option for a profile picture, but apparently a serious, passport-or-such photo is not necessary.
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| Well there's only one way to find out... | Jan 6, 2015 |
Let's see if I now get inundated with offers of work from serious, high-paying customers rather than the usual jokers that come through ProZ.
I never had a single sensible offer of work on here without a photo, so maybe this could be my big break.
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Max Deryagin
Federaţia Rusă
Local time: 17:06
Membru (2013)
din engleză în rusă
As an outsourcer, I have never hired and will never hire a person whose profile picture is a cute cat, baby, airplane or anything of the sort. I need to know who I am working with.
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