Having a professional LinkedIn photo is crucial for making a good first impression and portraying yourself as a credible professional online. With over 740 million members on LinkedIn, standing out from the crowd with an eye-catching yet professional headshot can help you build your personal brand and expand your network. But what exactly constitutes a professional LinkedIn photo? Here are some tips and best practices to follow.
Get a high-quality headshot
A professional LinkedIn photo should be a high-quality headshot taken in well-lit conditions by a skilled photographer. Avoid casual selfies, group shots, or pictures cropped from the side – the focus should be entirely on you. The picture should show your head and shoulders, taking up most of the frame. Make sure the photo is in focus and not pixelated or blurry when uploaded to LinkedIn. High resolution is key.
Dress professionally
Dress as you would for an important work meeting or job interview. For most industries, professional attire includes a business suit, button-down shirt or blouse, and Avoid loud patterns or distracting jewelry. Jewelry should be minimal and understated. Your clothes should be neatly pressed with no visible wrinkles or stains. The goal is to look polished, put-together, and competent.
Smile and make eye contact
Smiling warmly and making eye contact with the camera conveys confidence and approachability. Avoid weird facial expressions or poses. Your expression should look natural yet professional. Relax your face muscles and envision your photo being seen by top executives in your field to capture a serious yet sincere expression. Direct eye contact engages the viewer.
Check the background
The background of your photo should be appropriate for a professional platform like LinkedIn. A solid neutral color backdrop is best, rather than an environment full of clutter and personal items. Office settings are also suitable. If outdoors, ensure the setting does not distract from your face. Keep the focus entirely on you by blurring or minimizing any background details.
Lighting is crucial
Proper lighting removes unwanted shadows and prevents overexposure. Face the light source and avoid having it only hit one side. Soft, even lighting is best. Avoid harsh shadows and reduce glare from eyeglasses if possible. Do not have bright lights or windows behind you, as this will make your face appear dark. Diffused studio lighting is ideal for professional headshots.
Maintain a neutral facial expression
A neutral facial expression looks professional and approachable for a LinkedIn profile picture. Avoid extreme emotions like anger, surprise, sadness, or excessive laughter. Keep your expression relaxed and subtle. A slight smile is recommended over a large grin. Closed-mouth smiles also look more professional than open-mouthed smiles with exposed teeth.
Consider black and white photos
While color headshots are standard, black and white photos can also look professional and elegant for certain aesthetics. Black and white removes distraction from clothing colors and brings uniformity to lighting flaws. However, black and white headshots work best on creative fields like design, photography, or media. Most corporateLinkedIn photos will be in color.
No hats or sunglasses
Never wear a hat, sunglasses, or strongly tinted glasses in your LinkedIn photo. Anything covering your face looks unprofessional and signals you are trying to hide something. Hats also cover your hair and cast shadows on your face. Let the focus be entirely on your cleanly visible facial features. The exception is religious headwear.
Cut off at chest level
Cropping your photo at chest level is the standard for LinkedIn. Avoid cropping above your neck or below your shoulders. You want your head and shoulders clearly visible, not cut off. Hands should not be included in the frame for a LinkedIn headshot. The tight crop keeps focus on your face, expression, and eye contact.
No props or logos
Do not include any props like mugs, books, balloons, or logo items in your LinkedIn photo. Keep the photo clean and neutral without any distractions in the frame. The sole focus should be on portraying your professionalism and approachability through your headshot alone. Any items or logos can detract from this goal.
Check for red eyes
Red eyes caused by camera flash can undermine an otherwise perfect headshot. Always check for red eye issues and remove them before uploading your profile photo. LinkedIn filters unfortunately do not detect and remove red eyes. Use photo editing software to eliminate any redness or strange coloring in the eyes.
No selfies
Selfies, even when well composed, still do not meet the standards of a professional LinkedIn photo. Use a real camera, not your smartphone. Selfies distort features due to the camera held at close range. Also, properly frame and focus shots taken by someone else rather than yourself.
Update regularly
Plan to refresh your LinkedIn profile photo every few years or whenever you significantly change hairstyles or looks. Regularly updating prevents an outdated appearance as you age or change positions. New profile photos also bump your profile in searches and keep your image professional.
Use photo editing cautiously
Never digitally alter your photo to change facial features or misrepresent your likeness. Minor retouching like color correction, cropping, and red eye fixes are acceptable. But do not use editing to remove wrinkles, change your image, or make enhancements. The photo must still look like your real professional self.
No candids or cropped photos
Never use a candid photo, cropped from a group shot, or resized picture from another platform. Professionally take a new high quality headshot specifically for your LinkedIn profile picture. Cropped and candid shots look sloppy rather than polished for business networking purposes.
Conservative editing
Use photo editing sparingly to subtly refine your appearance while still looking realistic. For example, whitening teeth, smoothing minor blemishes, fixing stray hairs, removing reflections, softening shadows or wrinkles. But do not overdo it. LinkedIn connections should recognize you from your profile photo.
Match your branding
Your photo should match your personal branding and complement your profile as a whole. If showcasing thought leadership, an intellectual expression may work best. Sales experts often opt for big smiles. Overall, your photo should align with how you wish to be perceived professionally on LinkedIn.
Tips for Women
For women, stick with conservative makeup that looks professional, not glamorous. Neutral tones and barely detectable makeup is best. Avoid heavy eye makeup or lipstick. Keep hairstyles neat and out of your face. Accessories should be minimal and professional.
Tips for Men
Men should be freshly shaven or have neatly groomed facial hair. Wear standard professional attire, avoiding loud colors or distracting patterns. Shorter hairstyles are generally most professional for men, kept neatly combed and out of the face.
Test different options
Take multiple headshot options with different poses, expressions, and crop choices. Test them out by setting the various photos as your LinkedIn profile picture. See which one garners the best feedback and projects your desired professional image. Often a slight tilt of the head or shift in crop makes a big difference.
Reflect your authentic self
While adhering to all professional photo best practices, your image should ultimately reflect your true self. Capture your unique personality and who you are as an individual. Strike an authentic balance between approachable and professional. Think friendly authority figure.
Conclusion
A polished, high quality headshot that flatters yet resembles your real appearance is key for a professional LinkedIn presence. Invest time and care into perfect lighting, attire, framing, expression and context when taking your profile photo. Follow these best practices, and refresh the image regularly. A professional LinkedIn photo can make a huge difference in how viewers perceive you.
