If you’ve been on LinkedIn for more than 5 minutes, you’ll know the importance of your LinkedIn profile picture.
It can make all the difference between someone deciding to hit that ‘Connect’ button, and scrolling along instead.
Here are 8 things to avoid in your LinkedIn profile picture if you want to build your connections and working relationships.
Using An Old Photo
This one is crucial, especially if you’re going to be meeting people face to face as part of your role. Your LinkedIn profile picture needs to reflect what you look like now – not what you looked like 10 or 20 years ago.
People want to know who they are dealing with today, not be presented with your best profile picture from your university days.
Bad Lighting
With the plethora of amazing cameras on mobile phones these days, there’s no excuse for bad photos. Don’t use a photo with bad light or one that is out of focus. Use natural lighting to achieve a well-lit natural image.
Party Pics
You may enjoy a good night out but do you really want your potential employers or clients to know this? Best rethink that photo of you downing shots or guzzling that cocktail!
Duck Face Selfies
Which leads us to the next point – please, no duck face selfies. Unless you are actually an internationally famous supermodel and this is your look. Actually even then, just don’t.
Looking Overly Serious
Just as you don’t want to portray your party persona, you don’t want to go to the other extreme. When people decide to get in touch with you, they’re not just going to be looking at your skills, experience and endorsements; they’re going to be judging how approachable and friendly you look in your LinkedIn profile picture.
The Whole Family
Unless you work with your family or pets, don’t include them in your LinkedIn Profile picture. And the only reason to include your pet ever would be if you are a vet. So no partners, kids or pets please!
Off-Brand Appearance
When choosing a profile picture, choose one where you are dressed as you would if you were going into the office or meeting with clients. Active wear is only acceptable if you are a personal trainer or work at a gym.
No Picture At All
What’s worse than a bad LinkedIn profile picture? No LinkedIn profile picture.
No one wants to see that placeholder silhouette profile picture. The first thing it does is make people wonder if it’s a fake profile or one that you don’t ever use.
So make sure you get a profile picture added to your LinkedIn profile – but make it an appropriate one!
