Having a professional profile picture on LinkedIn is extremely important for several reasons. LinkedIn has become the top professional networking platform with over 740 million members worldwide. With so many people using LinkedIn to connect, network, find jobs, and build their professional brand, it’s essential that your profile stands out in a positive way. Your profile picture is one of the first things people will notice when viewing your profile, so you’ll want to make a good first impression. In this article, we’ll explore why it’s critical to use a professional profile photo and best practices for choosing the right picture.
Your Profile Photo is One of the First Things People Notice
When someone views your LinkedIn profile, one of the very first things they will see is your profile photo. It is prominently displayed at the top of your profile right next to your name. Because it’s one of the first impressions someone will have of you, you want to make sure it’s a polished, professional image. First impressions matter immensely and can impact the opportunities you get through LinkedIn. According to a study by the University of York, it takes just 33 milliseconds for someone to form an opinion about you based on your profile photo. That’s less than the blink of an eye! With such a brief time to make an impression, you’ll want to present yourself in the best possible light with a high-quality headshot style photo.
A Professional Photo Makes You Look Credible
In addition to making a strong first impression, a professional profile photo lends credibility to your profile. With so many people and fake accounts on the internet these days, LinkedIn members want to know they are connecting with real professionals. A sharp, high-quality headshot helps convey that you are who you say you are and that you take your professional identity seriously. According to LinkedIn’s research, profiles with photos receive up to 21 times more views than those without. People are also more likely to connect and engage with profiles that have a photo attached.
It Helps You Create a Consistent Professional Brand
Your LinkedIn profile is a key part of your professional brand online. Using the same profile photo across all your professional platforms and websites creates consistency in your personal branding. You want people to instantly recognize you and remember you wherever they may encounter you online. Having different photos on your LinkedIn, website, and other accounts can be confusing. A consistent professional photo helps establish your personal brand and boosts recognition.
You’ll Stand Out in Search Results
Having a profile picture can help you stand out in LinkedIn search results. When people search for specific names, positions, companies, skills etc. on LinkedIn, the results display as a grid of photos and names. Profiles without photos tend to blend into the background. Your photo provides a visual cue to help you get noticed. Especially if you have a common name, adding a professional headshot makes you more likely to stand out from others with similar names when people search on LinkedIn.
It Puts a Face to Your Name for Connections
For people in your network and new connections, a photo helps put a face to your name. It’s always nice to be able to visually recognize someone you have connected with or may meet in person. Having a professional profile photo makes you more memorable and approachable to your connections. According to Psychology Today, human beings are exceptionally good at remembering faces. A photo takes advantage of this strength by associating your name and profile with your face.
It Can Improve Your Chances in Job Searching
For job seekers, having a profile photo can improve your chances of being found by recruiters and hiring managers searching LinkedIn. Recruiters are more likely to notice and investigate profiles with professional headshots compared to blank silhouettes when searching through candidates. According to a study published in The American Journal of Nursing, candidates with photos were twice as likely to be contacted by recruiters. Including a quality photo displays professionalism and can help attract new career opportunities.
Tips for Choosing a Professional LinkedIn Profile Photo
Now that you know why it’s important to have a profile picture, here are some best practices for selecting a photo that puts your best foot forward:
Pick a High-Quality Headshot Photo
Your photo should be a clear, high-quality headshot image. It should display your head, shoulders, and upper torso. The focus should be directly on your face. It should be well-lit and not grainy, blurry, or pixelated when displayed at a small size. Consider working with a professional photographer to take a quality headshot if you don’t already have one.
Wear Professional Attire
Dress professionally as you would for an interview. Solid colors tend to work best (rather than busy patterns or prints). You’ll want to avoid casual attire like t-shirts, low cut tops, etc. Maintain a neat, clean-cut appearance and style your hair nicely.
Smile and Look Friendly
You want to look confident, warm and approachable – not overly serious. A natural looking smile is great for achieving this. Make eye contact with the camera and exude a positive vibe. This invites people to connect with you.
Ensure Good Posture
Sit or stand tall with straight posture. You don’t want to appear slouching or casual. Keep your chin parallel to the ground and neck straight. Proper posture exudes professionalism.
Pick a Neutral Background
The focus should be on you – not the background. Choose a relatively plain solid color background like white, grey, or light blue. Avoid backgrounds that are too busy, cluttered, or distracting. You want the emphasis to be on your face.
Avoid Selfies & Group Photos
Refrain from using casual selfies, group photos, or pictures cropped from events or weddings. They can come across as unprofessional. You want a clearly defined headshot photo.
Check Lighting and Exposure
Avoid photos where you appear too dark or bright because of poor lighting. Check for any overly bright highlights or harsh shadows across your face or distracting backgrounds. Proper exposure is key.
Maintain Eye Contact
Make eye contact directly with the camera. Don’t just look at yourself on a screen or have your eyes wandering in different directions. Direct eye contact gives off an engaging vibe.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| – Smile warmly | – Frown or scowl |
| – Wear professional attire | – Wear casual clothing |
| – Look directly at the camera | – Look away from the camera |
| – Ensure good lighting | – Shoot in the dark or shadows |
| – High quality headshot photo | – Pixelated or blurry photo |
| – Neutral solid background | – Cluttered or distracting background |
Tips for Editing Your Profile Photo
Once you have a quality profile photo, you may want to edit it or crop it for use on LinkedIn. Here are some editing tips:
– Crop the image closely around your head and shoulders. You don’t need a lot of space above your head or below your shoulders.
– Adjust color, brightness, and contrast if needed to make colors more vibrant. But don’t overdo it. You want the photo to look realistic.
– Carefully remove any stray hairs, specks, or blemishes using touch up tools. Don’t go overboard with skin smoothing and airbrushing. You want to look natural.
– Resize your image to be 400×400 pixels if you want your photo to display perfectly on high resolution screens. This is LinkedIn’s recommended size.
– Save a high resolution version for your profile. Also save a compressed version (less than 8MB) for faster upload times.
– Pick a JPG file format for linkedIn rather than PNG or GIF. JPG offers the best image quality and small file size.
Update Your Photo Regularly
Plan to update your LinkedIn profile photo every year or two. Your appearance, hairstyle, and professional look will evolve over time. New updated photos keep your profile looking fresh and current. According to LinkedIn, profiles with updated photos get up to 31% more weekly views.
Conclusion
Having a polished, professional profile photo on LinkedIn is absolutely essential for making a great first impression and leveraging the platform effectively. Follow these best practices when selecting and editing your photo. A quality headshot displays credibility, boosts your professional brand, and helps you attract new opportunities. So don’t neglect your profile photo! It’s well worth the investment to have a clean, crisp image that puts your best foot forward on the world’s top professional networking platform.