When you are looking for new people to work with, it is very important to present yourself in a way that will help you attract desirable collaborative teams, as opposed to those that are not worth your time.

Whether you are a model, clothing designer, photographer, or make-up artist, you can benefit by reading this article. If you want to be taken seriously as a creative professional, it is important to treat your craft/etc as a business. Even if you are not doing this full-time nor intend to, if you display that you are serious about your craft, other people will also take you more seriously.

So, what do you do to minimize collaboration requests from those you don’t want to work with and maximize the response from those that you desire to team up with?

1. Show only your best photos.When you are putting a portfolio together, use only the best photos that showcase your work. You do not have to put up 40 or more photos just because that’s what the limit might be. I believe that 10 great photos are far better than 40 or even 60 poorly done photos.

2. Fill out your Model Mayhem profile completely. When you are filling out your Model Mayhem profile, follow the steps outlined in this post. It is very important that you do not undermine the importance of having it filled out properly.

3. Do not post tacky images all over your “About Me” section. To make it easier on the people viewing your profile, do not splatter tacky images all over your “about me” section on Model Mayhem because most people just want to know the basics, such as whether or not you have tattoos and scars, what previous experience you have, as well as what you are interested in and would like to accomplish. If you have tearsheets, then yes, by all means, put them in your “about me” section because those are indicative of your experience.

4. Watch your spelling and grammar. Unless English is not your first language, there should be no excuses for improper spelling/grammar. Firefox has spellcheck and if you don’t use Firefox, then you can use Microsoft Word to make drafts of your messages, profile text, etc. Whenever people come across a profile that is all written in text speak or in capitals, some might deem you to be lazy and not serious because you didn’t even bother to check your spelling. Essentially, your “about me” on your profile is equivalent to a summary on a resume or a cover letter. If you wrote your resume or cover letter that way, would you get the job?

5. Don’t post drama. People don’t need to know about every bad experience you have had with other people. So if you want to work with serious professionals, then don’t bring drama because they have no time for BS.

6. Write a proper message when contacting people. When initiating contact with people that you want to work with, write a proper message, as opposed to “hey, wanna shoot sumtime?” or “u r so sexi, lets shoot”, or other messages of such nature. When you are sending someone a message, you should first introduce yourself. Then, tell the other person what you are looking to shoot/describe your concept, why you like their work, what you offer as compensation, and when/where you want to do the shoot.

7. Initiate contact. The best way to attract people worth working with is to somehow contact them first. If you are new, then won’t know that you exist unless you make them aware of your presence. You don’t just want to add them as a friend though, since a lot of people just accept all friend requests without even looking at people’s portfolios. So, if you want to add someone as a friend, especially if it is someone that you want to work with, tag or message them first.

8. Do not post huge “No TFP” signs on your profile if you are new. Just because more experienced people do it, does not mean that it is right for someone who is just starting out. Some people, when they come across a profile with such sign, they will simply click the “back” button and go to a different profile. You want your profile to be as welcoming as possible for people to contact you.

9. Ask for testimonials. If you end up working with a high caliber Model Mayhem member, then the best way to attract other people of that caliber that are worth working with is to ask him/her for a recommendation/testimonial to put on your website/profile. (It’s like if Donald Trump publicly states that you’re an amazing business person, chances are, other people in business will believe him and will want to work with you.)

10. Write in a welcoming way. Make your profile on Model Mayhem or any other social networking site as welcoming as possible. You should also make it easy to read and understand. Don’t write irrelevant, long-winded paragraphs describing every detail of your life, people will not care.

So, how do you attract people that you want to work with?

Aviva