LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 850 million members worldwide. Having an attractive and professional LinkedIn profile picture is crucial to making a good first impression and standing out from the competition. While professional headshots are ideal, it’s not always feasible to get one taken. With some strategic makeup techniques, you can take an elegant photo at home that highlights your best features for your LinkedIn profile.
Why Does Your LinkedIn Photo Matter?
Your LinkedIn photo is one of the first things hiring managers and recruiters will notice when viewing your profile. An outdated, blurry, or unprofessional photo can hurt your chances of making connections and getting job interviews. On the other hand, an attractive, high-quality headshot portrays you as polished and put-together.
According to LinkedIn, profiles with photos receive up to 21 times more profile views and 36 times more messages than those without. So investing some time into perfecting your LinkedIn look is well worth the effort.
How Should You Do Your Makeup for a LinkedIn Photo?
The makeup for your LinkedIn photo should be natural and subtle. You want to look like the best version of yourself while still appearing approachable and professional. Follow these tips to ace your LinkedIn makeup:
1. Prep Your Skin
Start with a clean, moisturized face to create a smooth, flawless canvas for your makeup. Use primer if needed to minimize pores and fine lines. Apply a light layer of foundation, concealer, and powder to even out your complexion. Avoid heavy, cakey coverage.
Set your makeup with a translucent powder to reduce shine in photos. Use blotting papers before photos to remove excess oil on your T-zone.
2. Groom and Fill Eyebrows
Defined brows frame your face beautifully in photos. Brush your eyebrows up and out with a gel to keep them polished. Use brow pencil or powder to fill in any sparse areas for fuller-looking arches.
Avoid over-plucking or drawing on dramatic Instagram brows. Keep your brows looking natural but defined.
3. Apply Neutral Eyeshadow
Stick to neutral, earthy eyeshadow shades like browns, taupes, and soft bronzes. Matte finishes photograph better than shimmers. Sweep a light brown shade over your lid and use a darker shade in the crease to add subtle definition.
Line your upper lash line with brown eyeliner for a polished look. Avoid thick black liner, which can look harsh in photos. Add 2-3 coats of brown mascara to accentuate your eyes.
4. Warm Up Your Cheeks
Add warmth to your complexion with blush in a natural peach, pink, or bronze shade. Smile and apply blush to the apples of your cheeks using circular motions. Blend well so there are no harsh lines.
Skip bold blush colors like hot pink, which don’t look professional. Add a subtle highlight like champagne or rose gold on the high points of your cheekbones.
5. Choose a Neutral Lip Color
Go for a lip color that complements your skin tone. Neutral rosy pinks, nudes, and muted berries work well for LinkedIn photos. Matte liquid lipsticks last longer than creamy lipsticks and glosses.
Make sure your teeth look bright white in photos by using whitening strips or getting them professionally cleaned before your headshot session.
6. Set Makeup with Finishing Spray
After your makeup is complete, mist your face with a makeup setting spray. This will blend all the products together for a seamless, natural look that lasts all day. Setting spray also eliminates powderiness and keeps makeup from transferring onto your collar.
Let the spray dry completely before taking photos. Avoid over-spraying, which can make your skin look overly matte.
How Should You Style Your Hair and Accessorize?
Your hairstyle and accessories should complement your professional look:
– Style your hair neatly in a way that flatters your face shape. Have it freshly blown out and smooth without flyaways. Pull longer hair back in a low ponytail or bun to keep it tidy.
– For jewelry, less is more. Stick to dainty necklaces, simple stud earrings, and avoid bold statement pieces.
– Wear minimal rings on one hand only. Skip loud bracelets that could be distracting.
– Make sure any piercings besides classic earlobes are removed or clear spacers are used.
– Keep nails clean and filed into a rounded or squared shape. Avoid chipped polish. Neutral manicures photograph best.
How Should You Pose and Smile?
Your pose, facial expression, and body language significantly impact how you come across in your LinkedIn photo. Follow these tips:
– Relax your shoulders and angle your torso slightly towards the camera for a flattering perspective. Don’t slouch.
– Tilt your chin down slightly and gaze up towards the camera lens for a poised look.
– Part your lips slightly and smile softly using your eyes. Avoid grinning widely, which can look unnatural.
– Imagine something pleasant to get a warm, approachable smile. Avoid blank expressions.
– Take photos in front of a plain background, like a solid wall or door. Avoid busy backgrounds that are distracting.
– Shoot straight on for a full-face view. Lifting your chin elongates your neck.
– Use natural lighting near a window whenever possible. Avoid direct sunlight which creates harsh shadows.
How to Take a LinkedIn Photo at Home
With some preparation, you can take quality LinkedIn profile photos at home:
Camera and Settings
– Use a smartphone, DSLR camera, or enlist someone with a high-resolution camera. Set it to portrait mode.
– Shoot against a light solid-colored background, blank wall, or door
– Use natural lighting near a large window on an overcast day. Avoid shadows.
– Set ISO to 200-400 and turn flash off.
Angles and Framing
– Frame your head and shoulders in the center. Cut off at mid-chest.
– Shoot straight on and slightly above eye level.
– Take multiple shots centered, left, and right for options.
– Shoot directly facing the camera as well as slightly angled.
Focus and Expression
– Look slightly above the camera for a focused gaze. Smile softly.
– Relax your expression between shots to reduce tension and develop warmth.
– Enlist someone to make you laugh naturally. Catch those candid smiles.
Editing and Touch-Ups
– Crop the image square like LinkedIn prefers.
– Use photo editing to color correct and adjust brightness/contrast if needed.
– Lightly retouch to smooth skin and minimize lines and imperfections. Don’t go overboard.
– Save high resolution JPEG in sRGB color space for maximum quality on LinkedIn.
How Should Men Do Their LinkedIn Makeup Differently?
The makeup approach for men’s LinkedIn photos only requires a few adjustments:
– Use tinted moisturizer instead of heavy foundation for a natural look. Conceal under eye circles and blemishes.
– Groom, fill in, and set brows with clear gel. Avoid brow pencils.
– Skip eyeshadow. Apply brown eyeliner subtly along upper lash line only.
– Use mascara lightly on upper lashes only for definition.
– Define features like cheeks and jawline with subtle bronzer rather than blush.
– Opt for tinted balms and chapstick instead of bold lip colors.
– Keep moustaches and beards neatly trimmed.comb.
– Fill in patchy facial hair with eyebrow pencil for evenness.
The rest of the tips like posing, lighting, and editing apply in the same way. The goal is for men to look polished yet natural.
How Should You Maintain Your LinkedIn Look?
Once you take your professional LinkedIn headshot, keep your look consistent by:
– Maintaining your hair color and style
– Sticking to your regular makeup routine for work meetings and events
– Updating your photos every few years to show your progression
– Editing your existing photo to adjust brightness, contrast, and cropping as needed
– Having some backup photos on hand to swap in if you make a major style change
Putting in the small effort to look polished on LinkedIn can have big payoffs for your career. So invest time perfecting your professional look. With strategic makeup and some practice, you can nail that winning LinkedIn profile shot.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn profile photo is one of the first impressions hiring managers will have of you. With these makeup tips and best practices for taking professional headshots from home, you can showcase your best self and stand out from the competition. Tailor your look and aim for a natural, approachable style. Prep your skin, accentuate your features, and perfect your posing and expressions. Update your photos regularly as your career progresses. A high-quality LinkedIn photo conveys professionalism and helps you make meaningful connections. So style your hair, do your makeup, and flash your best smile for the camera.