Working Iowa: Univ. of Iowa headshot photo booth helps students put best face forward

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - If a picture is worth 1,000 words, the headshot booth on the third floor of University of Iowa’s Pappajohn Business Building would have a lot to say.

“We’ve got 1,700 total sessions roughly which gives us about 1,057 unique users,” said Jim Chaffee, Executive Director Learning Innovation and Technology at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.

The headshot booth was installed about a year and a half ago.

”One of the confusions that we have from students a lot of times is where can I go to get a professional headshot? I want something for LinkedIn. I want something for my online presence. I want something for even Instagram and where do I go,” Chaffee explained.

The booth allows students to get a professional headshot on campus anytime the building is open. It’s free, and easy.

You go into the private booth, follow the instructions on the screen, then your headshot is sent to your email.

”You can come to this when it’s the right time for you, and the ability to also take those pictures over and over and over. I’ve took mine three different times, but it’s really nice because you are doing it in a protected environment where you can do that at your own pace,” said Cindy Meis, Director of Career Services at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.

It’s something that can benefit jobseekers as they prepare to enter the professional world. The booth is open to all students on campus.

“The growth that’s that has been going on with it has been astronomical, we’ve had more and more students every day taking more pictures,” said Chaffee.

It’s a chance to make a first impression that leaves a lasting one.

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