How Do I Know If My Headshot is Any Good?

In a world where candidates are googled before they're even considered for an interview, your LinkedIn photo has never been more important.

According to Princeton psychologist, Alex Todorov,

"We decide very quickly whether a person possesses...the traits we feel are important, such as likeability and competence, even though we have not exchanged a single word with them." [1]

I read an article about headshots written by Christine Georghiou called, The 7 Factors That Increase The Psychological Impact of Your LinkedIn Profile Photo [2]. Here's what I learned I need to do for my next headshot.:

Smile so your teeth are visible

• Research shows a closed mouth smile makes you appear half as likeable as someone who shows their teeth.
• Laughing while smiling increases likeability even more, however what you gain in likeability is offset by what you lose in competence and influence. 
• Christine suggests spending a few minutes in front of the mirror so you can practicing smiling before your photo is taken.

Always Squinch

• A squinch, or slight squint, increases the perception of competence and influence.

Emphasize Your Jawline

• When the outline of the jaw is visible all the way around, studies have shown that it increases influence, likeability, and competence scores.

Dress Appropriately

• Studies found formal dress increased perceived competence and influence scores more than all other tested factors.
• For example, men in a light-colored button-down shirt with a dark suit jacket and tie scored higher than those dressed in bright or trendy outfits.

Look at the Camera

• Tests show the more people look at each other, the more they like each other. This is also true when looking at a photo of someone.
• When people's eyes are blocked by sunglasses, hair, glare, or a shadow, their photos get lower ratings than people who looked at the camera.

Head and shoulders or head to waist shots are best

• It turns out that face-only close-ups bring likeability scores down and full body photos negatively impacted competence and influence.

 Avoid photos that are too-dark or saturated with color

• Photos that are too dark or have high color saturation brought scores down.
• Experts recommend putting yourself in front of light filtering in through a window, or posing in a lamp-lit room to give your photo a warm glow.

Consider a bright background color

• While she couldn't offer a clear set of guidelines for choosing colors for your profile picture, Christine suggested testing alternative ways of making your profile photo stand out with a bright background color.
• In the insert below, Christine showed how Cyrus Shepard of Moz tested different backgrounds. Cyrus found a red background increased his Google+ traffic by 35%.
• Of course, testing below usually takes a professional photographer or a Photoshop expert, but it is worth considering.

PhotoFeeler is a great way to test different photos.

Throughout the article Christine mentioned a tool called PhotoFeeler

I was intrigued with Christine’s findings so I went to the PhotoFeeler site. I found I could easily upload my LinkedIn photo. There is also an option to upload your photo from Facebook or a photo on your PC/Mac.

20 people evaluated my photo. As you can see below, I was viewed as competent and influential but when it came to likable, there was room for improvement.

By the way, I was able to get the evaluation for free by evaluating photos from 20 other people. You can save time by purchasing reviews. I believe the first 50 reviews are $7.00.

When I tested my photo, I went to the bottom of the web page and "Tweeted" about PhotoFeeler while also sharing it on Facebook and LinkedIn. I believe that may have resulted in my photo being evaluated more quickly.

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Clark Finnical is a Career Expert and author of  Job Hunting Secrets (from someone who's been there) and LinkedIn Strategies to Take Your Career to the Next Level .

Feel free to send a LinkedIn invite if we're not connected.

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[1] "Snap judgments decide a face's character, psychologist finds;" News at Princeton. August 22, 2006; Chad Boutin https://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S15/62/69K40/index.xml?section=topstories

[2] The 7 Factors That Increase The Psychological Impact of Your LinkedIn Profile Photo. Christine Georghiou. https://www.yesware.com/blog/best-photo-linkedin/