AI headshots are changing the way job seekers are seen and get hired
AI portraits are becoming popular on LinkedIn and in professional portfolios as job seekers look for affordable profile images that will give them an edge.
Since almost all first impressions are made through a screen, a clean, attractive photo is just as important as a strong resume. In a competitive job market, a good headshot can make a big difference. But professional photography has long been a financial hurdle for many job applicants, with the average startup cost of a professional headshot in the U.S. easily running into the hundreds of dollars.
Job seekers are now using fast and cheap AI tools to replace costly studio sessions.
“When I was at Yale, a 15-minute session for students was $200,” said Melanie Fan, chief growth officer at Plush, an AI-powered online search platform for personalized shopping. “It was really expensive. The process of getting the photos back, processing them, seeing which ones I looked best in, and then sending them back to the photographer for editing.”
This frustration fueled the explosion of AI headshot tools like InstaHeadshots, PhotoPacksAI, HeadshotPro, and Aragon AI; These are services that promise a professional look in minutes, with prices starting under $50. Users simply upload a selfie, choose a background, and take dozens of selfies, and no photographer is needed.
“After I changed my LinkedIn photo, the amount of calls from companies increased rapidly,” Fan said. “Three to four times as many messages from companies.”
Design company Canva recently launched its own design company AI passport featureIn order to offer users a quick way to create realistic headshots and still be able to retouch or reformat them.
Accordingly a recent Canva job market research report88% of job seekers believe a polished digital presence influences their hiring decisions; This rate increased by 45% compared to the previous year. This is in line with the general increase in the use of AI as part of the application and recruitment process; 90% of hiring managers say they use AI to help with the hiring process, and 96% of job seekers who use AI in the application process say they get a call back.
Canva’s Head of AI Products, Danny Wu, said the goal is not to replace real photography, but to make high-quality images accessible to everyone, regardless of budget or location. Once a user uploads an image, Canva can use AI to set or change the background, place something in a different location, and style it. “This is a more accessible way to take professional and unique photos,” Wu said.
Risks and questions about authenticity among HR recruiters
Anyone with a phone can snap a LinkedIn-ready photo, but the rapid adoption of technology has created new questions about ethics and trust. Many candidates fear appearing fake or deceptive, and recruiters are looking for AI-generated portraits that look overly smooth or stylized, saying authenticity is most important.
“Using AI headshots is perceived as risky,” said ZipRecruiter career expert Sam DeMase. “While recruiters acknowledge these, a bad AI-generated headshot will put most recruiters off,” DeMase said. “A poorly made headshot by AI is easily spotted, read as fake, and can harm a candidate’s chances of getting elected.”
But recruiters have a hard time telling whether a headshot is AI-generated, and the technology is only going to get better. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell whether a header is AI-enhanced or generated,” DeMase added.
Chris Bora, founder and chief AI architect at Bora Labs and a former Meta engineer, said he developed his own headshot generator, Nova Headshot, after becoming frustrated with existing options. “Some of them made me look taller and skinnier,” Bora said. “The others made me look lighter, so it wasn’t actually me,” he said. “You no longer need to spend thousands of dollars to look professional. You just need a tool that will make you look like yourself on your best day. With Nova, this takes less than ten minutes,” said Bora.
AI headshot user Amber Collins said she’s still uneasy about this, especially since not every app does this correctly. “There are a lot of bad practices out there,” Collins said. “Seven fingers, half the necklace, and the rest is gone from your neck. I feel guilty using AI. There’s a stigma. I would 100 percent prefer to have a real head shot,” Collins said.
But ultimately, he says, the benefits outweigh the risks. “In this economy, you have to be careful where you put your money. My face doesn’t need to be overly exposed, but having a few really good, solid, professional-looking headshots is worth it to me,” Collins said.
Wu said the goal for job applicants who want headshots should be to use Canva’s tool to balance realism and creativity without losing their identity.
The tension between technological innovation and accessibility on the one hand, and originality on the other, will continue.
A LinkedIn spokesperson told CNBC that although the platform allows the use of tools, including artificial intelligence, to enhance or create profile photos, “the photo must reflect your likeness.”
“Profile photos that don’t comply with our rules user agreement or professional community policies It may be removed,” a LinkedIn spokesperson said.
DeMase noted that many job candidates are hesitant to use an AI headshot. “Headshots are one of the few places where you can inject humanity into the job search,” he said.
But this trend is unlikely to stop as job seekers can now present the look of having the same studio lighting, camera and editing crew as professionals.
A recent survey found that: Headshot use among job seekers It is the highest level of generation Z and millennials. While recruiters say they still prefer real photos, AI photos are becoming harder to spot and less likely to be reviewed by humans in the early stages of the application process. A. last work HR trade group SHRM found that 66% of human resources professionals use AI to create job descriptions, and 44% use technology to review or scan applicants’ resumes.
