Tip #3/10 for a better LinkedIn Profile: Look your best

I?originally wrote?Ten Tips for a better LinkedIn Profile?in 2014. I have continually updated and refined these tips since then.

This article is also available to enjoy in an interactive online format. In the online version, I reflect new updates and changes to LinkedIn in real time. View this at?mzs.es/ten

The human brain processes images 42,000 times faster than text. Or it may be, according to 3M research, 60,000 times faster.?

Whatever the actual figure, it's very?fast.

So your profile photo and header image literally make an instant impression, and it's processed by the lizard?brain. The part of the brain that process images is full of cognitive bias, primitive instincts and emotions.

• So it's worth investing in a good profile photo - and you can choose the best photo to use on LinkedIn by crowdsourcing it...

People connect with other people. So please don't be tempted to use your company logo instead of your face. Apart from looking dumb and desperate, it's specifically against LinkedIn's terms & conditions, so could get your account shut down.

1. Use natural lighting
2. Dress for your work
3. Smile

If your photograph is seen just 20 times a day online, you have 7,300 opportunities a year to make no impression, a bad impression, or a good impression. All this before you have even opened your mouth, or anyone has read a word of what you have to say.

• That's 7,300 potential contacts.
• Or 7,300 potential customers.
• Or 7,300 potential advocates.
• Or 7,300 people ignoring you completely.?

Great free photo tool to remove background clutter

There's a great free online tool which lets you upload your headshot and then download variations with the background removed. You can even change the background colour to match your outfit, your eyes or your company's colour palette.

The tool is called Profile Pic Maker at https://pfpmaker.com/ and works on mobile phones or desktops. The desktop experience is better for customising backgrounds. You can also download matching header images to go with your new look headshot.

How to choose which photo you should use on LinkedIn...

There are many aesthetic considerations like the quality and size of the image, the lighting, way you dress, the background focus and colour, and the way it's cropped. But there's still usually a crucial decision to be made - which photo portrays me best?

Which image conveys my personality and character most effectively to the outside world? Asking friends, family and work colleagues to select the 'best' image of you may throw up all kinds of contradictory signals - and those that know you best are often not the most objective critics.

• So, here's how to crowdsource choosing your best photo...

Step 1: Choose two or three headshots you feel best portray you, and have them on your computer ready to upload.

Step 2: Sign up for a free account at photofeeler.com where you can choose either to buy credits with a fast-track paid option, or, by voting on other people's photos, you gain credits to use the free service.

Step 3: Upload your photos and submit them for human beings to vote on,?and to appraise your photos.?

Then, just listen to the wisdom of the crowd.

Check your photo's visibility

Once you've uploaded your photo, it's important to remember that you can set options to control who can see your image. Click the visibility icon as shown in the image here.

Yes, I know, it's not obvious it's there, even through it is a vital control.

Nobody feels confident connecting to an anonymous 'grey person' image, so it's worth remembering that for making new connections, it's considerably more effective to have your profile photo showing to everyone - so make it at the very least visible to LinkedIn Members.

I choose to have my photo visible also to search engines and other services.?You may prefer more privacy — but it's important to check these settings

• Remember that you can also adjust your photo to zoom in and crop it, and to adjust contrast, saturation and colour if needed.

I am not a big fan of LinkedIn's photo effect filters, but you can use these to enhance an image that perhaps lacks impact otherwise. You can even straighten photos where the horizon might be off kilter.?

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About David Petherick

David is a?LinkedIn Profile Doctor?and?LinkedIn Keynote Speaker?whose work it is to make you visible, legible and credible on LinkedIn. He works across the world from his base in Edinburgh, Scotland. Learn more about his services at the?doc.scot?website.

For a limited period of time once a week, David offers free ten-minute Profile Microsurgery sessions. You can book an appointment to suit your diary today at?mzs.es/free