Unemployed and ready to update your job profile? Check out this free headshots event

If like many others in 2020, you’re searching for a new job — maybe something that offers a flexible work-from-home option to sustain you through the COVID-19 pandemic? — you have to freshen everything up, from your resume to your portfolio to that first impression in the age of virtual job searching: the headshot.

Headshots may not be required along with your resume, but they’re a necessity for professionals, topping LinkedIns and Twitter profiles (yes, people do find jobs on Twitter). A professional headshot sends a certain message that a selfie just doesn’t, especially when potential employers are looking at your profile.

The drawback? Professional headshots are expensive, with the cost of a sitting starting at around $250. If you’re out of work right now, that expense is likely out of reach.

In response, photography booking agency Headshot Booker and Brookfield Properties launched 10,000 Headshots, a single-day photo initiative where more than 200 photographers will provide free headshots to unemployed people across the all 50 states on July 22.

In Delaware, Don Mann of Don Mann Photography Inc. in Wilmington, will be participating that day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Christiana Mall.

Mann came out of retirement to start Don Mann Photography, specializing in professional headshots for businesses, actors, modeling portfolios and individuals, as well as commercial and event photography.

“Our community, like so many others, was hit hard by COVID-19 and we were looking for ways to help our neighbors get back on their feet,” said Mann, who noted that, according to LinkedIn, people who include headshots receive 21 times more profile views and nine times more “connection” requests. “We heard about what Headshot Booker and Brookfield Properties were doing across the country and wanted to be a part of it. We are giving hope in a desperate situation, and are excited and grateful to be able to contribute to such a great initiative.”

Anyone who is currently unemployed is eligible to get a free headshot. If you plan to participate, visit HeadshotBooker.com to schedule a time to be photographed in order to facilitate safety and social distancing for the 10 minute one-on-one sessions. Photographers are required to wear masks throughout the shoot, and participants will receive their images through contactless photo delivery courtesy of SpotMyPhotos.