AI headshots are changing the way job seekers are perceived and hired

AI headshots are becoming popular on LinkedIn and in professional portfolios as job seekers look for affordable profile photos to give them an edge.

Since first impressions are made almost entirely from the screen, a clean, attractive photo is as important as a good resume. And in a competitive job market, a good headshot can go a long way. But professional photography has long been a financial barrier for many job seekers, with the average starting price for a professional headshot in the US easily reaching hundreds of dollars.

Now, job seekers are using fast and cheap AI tools to replace expensive studio sessions.

“When I was at Yale, it was $200 for a 15-minute session for students,” said Melanie Phan, head of growth at Plush, an AI-based online search platform for personalized shopping. “It was really expensive. The process of taking the photos back, rendering them, seeing which ones I looked best in, and then sending them back to the photographer for editing.”

This frustration has fueled an explosion of AI headshot tools like InstaHeadshots, PhotoPacksAI, HeadshotPro, and Aragon AI, services that promise a professional image in minutes, starting at under $50. Users simply upload selfies, choose a background and receive dozens, and no photographer is required.

“After I changed my LinkedIn picture, the amount of inbound information I received from companies skyrocketed,” Fan said. “Three to four times more messages from companies.”

Design company Canva recently launched its own AI headshot functionwith the goal of offering users a quick way to create realistic headshots and still be able to retouch or reshape them.

According to recent Canva job market research report88% of job seekers believe a solid digital presence influences hiring decisions, up 45% from the previous year. This is in line with the overall growth in the use of AI as part of the application and hiring process, with 90% of hiring managers saying they have used AI to assist in the hiring process and 96% of job seekers who have used AI in the application process saying they have received callbacks.

Danny Wu, Canva’s head of AI products, said the goal isn’t to replace real photography, but to make high-quality images accessible to everyone, regardless of budget or location. After a user uploads an image, Canva can use AI to adjust or change the background, place something in a different place, and style it. “It’s just a more affordable way to get professional and unique headshots,” Wu said.

Risks and Questions of Authenticity Among Recruiters

Anyone with a phone can take a LinkedIn-ready headshot, but the rapid adoption of the technology has created new questions about ethics and trust. Many candidates fear appearing fake or fraudulent, and recruiters are looking for AI-generated portraits that look too slick or stylized, saying authenticity matters most.

“It’s perceived as risky to use an AI headshot,” said Sam DeMaz, ZipRecruiter’s career expert. “Although recruiters embrace them, a bad AI-generated photo will turn off most recruiters,” DeMase said. “A poorly done AI-generated headshot is easily recognizable, reads as inauthentic, and can hurt a candidate’s chances of being selected.”

However, recruiters struggle to tell if a headshot is AI-generated, and the technology will only improve. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell whether a headshot is enhanced or AI-generated,” DeMase added.

Chris Bora, founder and chief AI architect of Bora Labs and a former Meta engineer, said he created his own headshot generator, Nova Headshot, after being frustrated with existing options. “Some made me look taller and thinner,” Bora said. “Others made me look lighter, so it wasn’t really me,” he said. “You no longer have to spend thousands to look professional. You just need a tool that makes you look your best. With Nova, it takes less than ten minutes,” Bora said.

Amber Collins, an AI headshot user, said she still feels uneasy about it, especially since not every app gets it right. “There are a lot of bad apps out there,” Collins said. “Seven fingers, half a necklace and the rest is gone from your neck. I feel guilty using AI. There’s a stigma. I’d 100% prefer to do real headshots,” Collins said.

But ultimately, she says, the benefits outweigh the risks. “In this economy, you have to be careful where you put your money. I don’t need to show my face too much, but having some really good, solid, professional-looking headshots is worth it to me,” Collins said.

Wu said the goal for job candidates looking for a headshot 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 authenticity, on the other, will remain.

A LinkedIn spokesperson told CNBC that while the platform allows the use of tools, including AI, to enhance or create profile photos, “the photo must reflect your likeness.”

“Profile pictures that don’t match ours user agreement or policies of the professional community may be removed,” the LinkedIn spokesperson said.

DeMase noted that many job applicants remain hesitant to use an AI headshot. “The headshot is one of the few places you can inject humanity into your job search,” he said.

But with job seekers now able to secure the look they had access to the same studio lighting, camera and editing crew as the pros, the trend is unlikely to stop.

A recent study found that headshot usage among job seekers is highest among Gen Z and millennials. And while recruiters may say they still prefer real photos, AI headshots are becoming harder to spot and less likely to even be reviewed by humans in the early stages of the application process. A recent study by HR trade group SHRM found that 66% of HR professionals use AI to generate their job descriptions, and 44% use the technology to review or screen candidate resumes.