Are you still who you say you are?

Check all your online bios and photos

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to make sure your bios and head
shots reflect who you are today. It is easy for

(00:26):
head shots and bios to become outdated, so it is
a good idea to spend an hour once a year
to make sure that everything matches your current identity. Otherwise
you might confuse people, which is never a good way
to start relationships. So perhaps you have had the experience

(00:48):
of meeting someone in person and realizing that they look
nothing like the photos they have online. No doubt, the
person assumed that having a photo associated with an email
profile or on their company's website or on their linked
In profile means that they have been friendly and recognizable.

(01:10):
But if these photos are years or perhaps decades old,
they may not have helped that cause all that much.
I think that sometimes people don't want to let go
of head shots from a time when they had less
gray hair, or maybe had hair at all, or maybe
had fewer wrinkles. And sometimes people don't realize that their

(01:30):
photo no longer looks like them. But having a headshot
of a much younger you makes you seem older, not
younger when people finally meet you in person, and it
is confusing. Because the purpose of head shots is to
give people a visual image of you, not your former self.

(01:55):
You also might wind up emphasizing the exact thing you
are self conscious of out as in, oh wait, that's you,
I thought you had hair. Even if not much time
has passed since you had your head shots taken, you
may need new ones if your appearance has changed significantly.

(02:15):
If you're not sure whether or not you look like
your photos, ask a trusted friend. In addition to checking
your photos, it is a good idea to check bios too.
Make sure any prominent bios list your current title, the
right number of children, and so forth. Also make sure

(02:36):
that any personal tidbits still ring true. Are you still
into baking, or learning Spanish or whatever hobby you mentioned
the last time around. You may need to google yourself
to make sure you have found any bios that other
people might be reading. If you can update them yourself.

(02:56):
If you can't, email the organization see what they can do.
In general, as you update your bios, aim for content
that is evergreen. Don't mention the number of years you
have lived in your current city, since that is going
to change every year. Instead opt for since two thousand

(03:18):
five or for nearly two decades. If you want to
convey longevity instead of specifying your kids ages or grades,
just don't mention those numbers at all. That's because even
though it is a good idea to check your head
shot and bio once a year, it's more convenient if
you don't have to update them annually. When you revisit

(03:40):
your head shots and bios, make a list of all
the links where they are found. That way, the next
time you check for currency, you will be more efficient.
January can be a good time to tackle this chore,
but you can choose any regular time, like your birthday
or the first day of spring. But do make sure
you are still who you say you are, Otherwise you

(04:03):
will be getting requests to meet for coffee since a
person is visiting Milwaukee, but you haven't actually lived there
for four years. Accuracy is more efficient in the meantime.
This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(04:31):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four,
then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast. At i heeart media

(04:52):
dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio.
For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i
heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

(05:13):
your favorite shows. Yea