LinkedIn is known as the professional social network and your profile picture should be just that – professional. What does your LinkedIn profile picture say about you? Below are five types of profile pictures from Social-Hire that say more about you than you think.
1. No Profile Picture: How disappointing! Whoever has posted their information has not even bothered to find a decent photo. What are they hiding? I have encountered worries that their picture may cause viewers to discriminate, or they may not feel particularly photogenic, but there should be something there. You may need to be imaginative, but leaving it blank causes us to wonder why.
2. Poor Quality Picture: Not all of us may be Photoshop gurus, but blurred images, stretched or squashed images, poor lighting or so much red-eye that it reminds you of a Hammer House of Horror movie? To me, this just says ‘This will do! I will just slap this picture on there!’ Would that be your thought about going to an interview or going into an important business meeting? Probably not.
3. Inappropriate Setting: If you have a picture of yourself with a bar in the background, it is a risk. Remember ‘first impressions last’ – nobody will judge you if you go out on the weekend, or have a busy social life, but it doesn’t belong in a professional setting.
4. A Picture, but you’re not in it: A portrait of your children, a car, a cat! This is not Facebook! People want to see you, this is your profile.
5. A Company Logo: This is more of a judgment call. You may be in business, but is this the place for your logo? You can create a company page for your company on LinkedIn.
Once you’ve decided on your perfect profile picture, connect with me on LinkedIn.
