10 Horrific L.I. Pictures (And how to fix them)

Profile photos on LinkedIn hugely increase your visibility and convey a huge % of your “first impression”.  We are hard-wired to form opinions on facial recognition alone, so let's acknowledge that and make it work for you.

The best LI pictures are simple, sincere, well framed, personable and professional. Are you guilty of any of atrocities? And what on earth can be done to make things right?

1- The Tinder Trap: Nobody is going to swipe right on your LI photo, so think twice about flashing flesh on a professional platform like LinkedIn.  Your Ibiza clubwear and duckface combo might score a few profile views, but none will be from an employer brimming with confidence about your decision making abilities in a corporate environment.  #wrongplatform 

If you want to make an impression, try some more subtle photography like accentuating the jawline by ensuring the shadow is visible, experiment with a bright background, not wearing overly dark colours, etc. Thanks to the gorgeous and amazingly accomplished professional Jana Blagojevic who volunteered a picture (not a real LI one!) Also known as: “Look at my talents!”

Variation for men: Truth is, nobody gives a **** about that one time that you met this guy who said he was a model photographer and all, and you ended up wearing silly shoes and taking silly poses before he started talking about stuff that was kinda like not exactly what you were looking for when you replied to the ad. Makes you look conceited, steer clear of those, even if admittedly they do actually make your teeth seem straight. 

2- The hardman / Clint Eastwood meets Keyser S?zee: Sometimes it is necessary to be a badass in business.  But murderous deadpan is a bit much. So are, usually, 90s Oakley shades + ballhat / hardhat + goatie or woodman’s beard.

Ask yourself: “Would this picture be out of place on America’s Most Wanted?”  Dress to impress in what you would wear to work, or better.  Keep in sync with your industry.  And why not smile – it will increase your likability and encourage people to want to engage. Try something between bemused smirk / ecstatic Beatlemania.

Also known as: “King Leonidas of Basingstoke” OR  “Not everyone can be Leon Rogozov” (https://goo.gl/X6dDUQ) OR “I’m too real to know how to spell”

3- Respect Yourselfie: You look slick in your Armani suit but less so in a photo obviously taken in the mirror at the gym, furrowing your eyebrow focussing on the phone. Or from a friend’s dirty bathroom because they don’t let you use the communal shower block at the YMCA anymore.

Invest in yourself and get some professional photos done, or to DIY, find a background with your clothes contrasting (and not blending in), and stand slightly to the side with your head forward.  

4- The chemically enhanced: Everyone loves a giggle, what with the laughter and the people skills and everything. However, try to imbibe less than a litre of ethanol before you take your LI profile picture. Keg stands, however impressive, should also be kept to your private FB files. Except you work for a carnival cruise booze reseller who likes gonzo happenings.

Also known as “Yo, I love you man, like, where's my job offer?!!!!” OR “I’m happy, no wait I’m angry! What the **** are you looking out? Coooooome over heeeeeeere!!!”

5- Size and Framing do, actually, matter: Whilst it demonstrates hands-on expertise of bucket-wheel excavators, it will be a problem if your profile photo is you, dwarfed by objects so immense that your face is barely distinguishable. 

On the other hand, über-close ups can be too yearbook-esque.  Find a happy medium, framing your head and shoulders, or head to waist.  If you crop photos make sure that parts of people’s limbs / faces / pink feather boas are not visible. Make sure also the photo is high-enough res. That it does not become pixelated when clicked and expanded.  Thanks to Rebecca Schade, for volunteering her picture from one of her Ghana trips at UKEF. Other pixels included are the brilliant Helen Russell and Miles Hitchcock

Variation: The public speaking picture. Whilst it gives a sense of authority, these shots are still not advised, because once again they cut out the main asset of your profile picture: Your face = You, looking personable and professional. Thanks to the amazing Charlotte Roach, founder of the very cool Rabble Games for volunteering / being nagged into volunteering her picture!

6- “This is me at work, wrestling an albino tiger / falling off a plane": Your hobbies as a base-jumper, trainspotter, and/or proud Persian cat owner add character, but little to your professional credibility.

You can add personal touches to your LI, it is an online branding document, not just a CV transcription, very fair enough. But usually that is better done through your tone, summary, and a reasonably personal picture, and less so by one of you petting a leashed tiger (except if you are a tiger expert I suppose).

Don’t forget how powerful simple eye contact and facial expression are, rather than background or accessory.  Also known as: “Yeah I always dive with sharks and all” OR “You’ll like me for my obvious Accounts Receivable expertise, but you’ll love me for my ability to jump out of a plane.”

7- Get Real: Could there be a more obvious faux pas than to have no photo at all?  Except maybe your photo being instead your business logo or your World of Warcraft gaming avatarFeeling thrifty? Next time you are at an event with a professional photographer lurking around, get them to take a few demure photos of you early on before you have too much of that champagne.

Also known as: “On planet Zebor-XV467 I am a GOD!!! All hail my MMORPG Avatar!!!!” OR “I just don’t understand what ‘LinkedIn Company pages’ are!”

8- Come Back To The Future: You did look devilishly handsome in that photo at Enrique’s BBQ in 1984.  But out of date photos will not showcase your corporate maturity and vitality.  It’s equally tempting to use your wedding photos, but unless you can crop out any extreme hair, cheesy stances and flowers on your lapel, then you risk your professional profile being a bit too personal, and/or clearly dated.

Variation: The picture that is clearly a few decades old. When gently probed, culprit will typically blurt something along the lines of: “I swear this was taken last week, though it kinda looks like I’m 16 years old, but I just really like that picture!”

When we do not write tongue-in-cheek blogs about modern career transitioning using social media, we coach our clients in… modern career transitioning and social media! You may be interested in downloading our free eBook “How to build a compelling LI Profile” by clicking HERE, or going straight here: https://www.jobologies.com/step-2-3-write-a-compelling-linkedin-profile/