How important is your Linked In profile picture? Well, I would say that it projects to your professional network and to prospective employers who you are, what you think of yourself and of course how you want to portray yourself. Is there a right or wrong picture to put up?
Well obviously, a picture of you intoxicated being led out of a bar by your friends is probably not the picture to post. The one of you riding a mechanical bull? Probably not the right one either …. Unless of course you are applying for a job with the rodeo and then I would suggest you picture yourself riding a real bull! The selfie of yourself? Nope. Not that one either.
Do you need to be a in a suit and tie? I’m not. I never wear a suit so why would I put a picture up of me in one? Be relevant and be real!
Why am I bringing this up now? Well, during the course of my recruiting efforts recently, I had reason to look up someone on Linked In (who applied but didn’t bother to attach a resume as requested – another pet peeve of mine). His picture? Him sitting on one of the cow sculptures in the TD Centre here in Toronto. Why? Is that relevant to what he does? Did he design the sculpture? Now that would be cool! But, alas, he did not.
Some simple dos and don’ts:
1. Take the time to use a good picture of yourself. If you are a professional, spend some $$ and have a professional head shot taken.
2. Don’t have the $$ – quick, go to Sears before they close and have a picture taken there (like your mom used to take of you when you were little).
3. Don’t have anything distracting in the background. One of my students used a great picture of himself but with a clock in the background. It was distracting. There’s still a fellow on Linked In with a picture of himself next to a lamp that’s bigger than he is. Great idea if you’re in the lamp business. Not so great if you’re not!
4. Don’t crop a picture of yourself and leave your friend’s hand on your shoulder. Random hand shots look amateurish.
5. And please, please, please……..don’t post a picture that’s years and years old. I once looked someone up so I’d know what he looked like when I met with him later that day. The picture turned out to be about 15 years old and I didn’t recognize him. Why do that?
Now go check out your picture and see how it rates!
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