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LinkedIn Photo Tips
LinkedIn is a social network for professionals, a window opened to the professional world that lets users interact with thousands of professionals and companies. There are currently 467 million profiles on LinkedIn according to Statics, including all kinds of sectors.
It’s becoming more common for HR departments and recruiters to look for candidates using social networks and LinkedIn is the perfect platform to do it. LinkedIn recruiters analyze hundreds of professional profiles to cover a job position and they’ll turn down applicants if the information is not properly displayed.
Therefore, it’s crucial to have your best LinkedIn profile updated on LinkedIn with accurate information and displayed in a very clear way. In this post we give you some LinkedIn profile tips for your photos.
So, how does your account and LinkedIn profile picture look? Here you have some LinkedIn photo tips to follow and look OK on this professional social network!
Which LinkedIn Profile Picture to Use
There are some profiles on LinkedIn without a photo. As we mentioned before, the inclusion of a profile picture is critical. Accounts with pictures attract seven times more visits from companies and other users because they are more appealing and generate more interest.
The absence of profile pictures in social networks, and especially in LinkedIn, provokes mistrust and shows a lack of transparency so make sure you have a good LinkedIn profile picture.
LinkedIn Photo Tip
Companies wouldn’t hire you simply for your image, but it’s easier to attract attention with a picture on LinkedIn than without. It adds assurance to your profile.
Having a photo on your profile is as important as choosing the right one. It’s common to see an in appropriate image on people’s profile, after this article you might decide to change yours.
LinkedIn Profile Picture Tips
Use a recent picture
You could have a bad start if the recruiter is unable to recognize you at the interview because your LinkedIn profile picture doesn’t accurately reflect who you are. We tend to keep the same photo on our profile, but time passes for everyone. We should update our picture making sure that it shows our real appearance.
Individual photo
It’s important that nobody but you appear in your profile picture. You are the one looking for new working opportunities so you and only you should be in the photo. That means, no pets, no parents or partner, the only person that the recruiters care about is you.
Your face must fill 60% of the photo
You must choose a facial photo and the face should cover more than half of the picture, ideally it would be from the shoulders up.
LinkedIn Profile Picture
Show the right facial expression
The expression shown on your profile picture will reveal many aspects of your personality, so be very careful and make sure you make a good first impression. Don’t be too serious or too smiley, you don’t want to look like you are at a funeral or a party. Your expression should be friendly, giving recruiters the feeling that you are someone easy to talk to and able to hold an interesting conversation.
Eye contact
It’s advisable to face the camera directly, so eyes are clearly visible and your personality can be transmitted. If you appear in the photo with sunglasses you will provoke uncertainty to the recruiter and give the feeling that you’re hiding something.
Be careful what you wear
For your LinkedIn profile picture, we recommend you wear something that you’d put on for work. Dress as if you were going to an actual interview, you will give an image of responsibility and formality. Don’t use an old photo with a hoodie or a picture from a wedding where you might look too elegant.
The ideal would be a picture where you appear dressed in formal clothing, something that you could wear on a daily basis, adequate to the type of job you’re looking for. Don’t distract the attention of recruiters with the wrong clothing.
Use a neutral background
The background should be carefully chosen, avoid any that could be too distracting or flashy. You should use a neutral and simple background; your face and expression should be the center of attention.
Avoid cropped pictures
We sometimes find photos with friends or family where we look very well. However, we shouldn’t reuse the picture for our professional profile in social networks. You’re looking for a job so the picture should be properly taken, not cropped and definitely not showing body parts from other people or pieces of furniture.
Cropped photos are never a good idea. Avoid photos that have been cut or those that show parts of other people. As much as you like how you look in that picture, you’ll probably be able to repeat the same expression in a new one.
LinkedIn Background Photo
Apart from the profile picture, LinkedIn allows you to customize a background photo that can help to define you as a professional. Opt for a photo related to your professional sector, giving your profile a distinctive touch. Make sure that the dimensions of the photo are adequate to avoid appearing pixelated or distorted.
LinkedIn Background Photo
Other LinkedIn Photo Tips
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe”. Memorable quote from Blade Runner that comes in handy for this section. I’m sure that you have bumped into profile pictures that gave you the chills. Note down in your list of tasks to consider:
✅ High quality photo: You might have a photo where your look is great and your expression seems adequate but it’ll be useless if the photo is pixelated. The resolution must be very good with the highest quality possible. That’s why LinkedIn accepts pictures up to 4 Mb.
âś… Passport style photo: A passport photo is a good example of how your profile picture should be: Plain white background, with full face in view showing you from the shoulders up.
✅Say no to selfies: Selfies can look great in your profile for other social networks, but not if you’re using it to look for a job. Part of your arm or your face unfocussed or even sometimes disproportionate are examples that won’t pass unseen by recruiters and they will work to your disadvantage, showing lack of trust and responsibility.
Freelance LinkedIn Profile
Besides taking into account all the previous tips about your profile image on LinkedIn, if you are a freelancer you should consider other aspects to increase the possibilities of gaining new clients.
âś… Be constant: Share content and images from both your own work and related subjects that you are interested in.
âś… Show what you offer: Now you can create a LinkedIn summary that you can use to introduce your services.
âś… Get recommendations from people that you worked with or that have hired your services. Future recruiters or people interested in hiring your services will be able to see your references.
âś… Participate in groups: You can participate in groups within LinkedIn that will put you in contact with people from the same circle or sector and be part of a community. In these groups, you can suggest debates or discussions and share ideas and experiences with other members to improve your visibility on this platform.
✅ Add your portfolio to your profile including all the relevant projects that you’re currently working on or you did in the past.
âś… Organize and take care of your LinkedIn profile like a copywriter would, it should be accessible to attract people, contacts or potential employers, and make them interested in your services and willing to learn more about your work and experience. They will contact you from direct messages on LinkedIn or through the contact information that you put on your profile
✅ The headline should be both original and unambiguous at the same time and clearly define what you do so it’s easier to find you.
In short, you should remember that LinkedIn is a social network for professionals conceived to ease mobility in the labor market. It’s a serious platform where you can find job offers from companies that you otherwise wouldn’t know about.
Review your profile details thoroughly, both your photo and all the information about your experience and accomplishments. Try to be active and obtain validation of your skills from old bosses and colleagues and get involved with your contacts.
Do you want to know more about LinkedIn?
➡️ All about Marketing on LinkedIn
Did these LinkedIn Photo tips were useful for you? What does your LinkedIn profile picture is going to be like?
We read you below in the comments!