Yeah, you need a headshot for that.
I have this friend, Bonnie, that I met through my job with the RCMP. We worked together for thirteen years as emergency dispatchers and call takers, 12 hours at a time, under constant stress, answering 911 calls for police, dispatching, and keeping status for a whole province full of RCMP officers. When Bonnie decided to retire and eventually started the pursuit of higher education, I looked at her with admiration. Coming out of a career like that, at our age (we’re a young 40 now, really), and committing yourself to learning a new skill and earning degree after degree with a huge end goal isn’t easy. Or small. For the record - this woman will be a very important Registered Psychologist someday, helping fellow First Responder, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Services workers cope with the trauma faced on the job. Right now, and for the past number of years, she’s been volunteering her time advocating for RCMP and CAF members as they seek access to resources to treat both the physical and operational stress injuries sustained in the execution of their duties.
The other day, (the other month if I’m being honest), Bonnie sent me a text message - she needed a dreaded headshot. It was required of her. It wasn’t her choice. She ain’t that person. Being that I admire her so completely, this made me feel so PROUD of her. She needed this headshot because she was working in a new role as the Psychologists Association of Alberta Campus Representative for Athabasca University. Major, I thought. She wasn’t convinced it was necessary, all the way up until she checked out the PAA website and saw the OTHER campus reps and their fancy headshots. She relented. We met up at the studio one afternoon and with complete focus and attention spent a half hour posing her face off to end up with this absolute beauty of a professional headshot that’s completely worthy to represent this beautiful human that I couldn’t be more proud to call a close friend.
Your professional headshot can be used to represent you online for all sorts of reasons
Even at this stage in her career, a professional headshot proved important for Bonnie. This official looking, gorgeous photo will remind this friend of mine every time she looks at it of who she is now and where she’s going. It will make her peers and colleagues view her in more professional manner, and let’s be honest, that usually means “take her more seriously.” And maybe it’ll make the next campus rep a little jealous when they do their own Googling.
Your mental health is important. If you’re struggling, there are resources available to you. Click over to https://www.canada.ca/mental-health/support or the Alberta Blue Cross website https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/page16759.aspx to find out how you can get help. If you’re in an urgent mental health crisis, call 911.