LinkedIn Photograph
Your LinkedIn photograph is the first thing that most people notice when they view your profile. It also shows up next to your name and headline when people conduct searches on LinkedIn. It is often the number one factor in whether people click to view your profile.
What does your LinkedIn photograph say about you?
What does it say about your personal brand?
Let’s discuss three key factors of your photograph to consider in establishing your personal brand.
Framing and clothing
Consider what you want people to see in your photograph:
Do you want people to see your whole upper torso or do you want just a headshot? If you want the whole upper torso, the selection of clothing is much more critical. If you are someone who, like myself, does not have taste in colors, find a professional or a friend who can help you select an appropriate outfit.
You need to understand the physical characteristic of the LinkedIn photograph. The photograph should be square and be a maximum of 4MB in size. If the photograph is not square, you will be given an opportunity to crop the photo.
What do you want to appear in the photograph? A good example is a photograph in my LinkedIn Profile.
The original photograph was taken of me from the waist up and was not square. Therefore, I cropped it to show as much of the upper torso as possible. I am quite tall, 6’4” and thin. I want you to get a good feeling when you see the picture.
Another example is the photograph of my friend Scott Ingram. Notice that the photo is a tight shot of Scott’s face. Also, notice the angle—Scott is looking up at the camera. Scott is an expert sales person and wants to appear approachable.
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Another example is my friend Nando Cabán-Méndez. Nando is a creative, and his picture conveys that. Not everyone likes this photo, but it attracts those who he wants as clients. Plus, I can actually recognize Nando when I meet him in person. This is a critical factor in choosing the photograph you use on LinkedIn. Do not over edit your photograph on Photoshop!
Background
What background do you want?
Do you want to appear to be outdoors?
Do you want to appear to be in a crowd?
The photographer used a green screen was used to take my LinkedIn photograph and she used three different backgrounds which can be interchanged for different modes. The primary background has an easily recognizable bridge in Austin Texas. Most who live in Austin will immediately know this was taken in Austin. Do you want to create a feeling that you are in some location?
I also have backgrounds of concrete and wood paneling. Be careful that your outfit will need to be compatible with each background.
Chin line
The ultimate factor in whether you will look good in your LinkedIn profile photograph is your chin line. You do not want any double chins and wrinkles.
I know, I know—you are saying, “Really, chin line?” Stay with me on this point.
Watch the video – It’s all about the Jaw!, which is about 15 minutes in length, to learn from Photographer Peter Hurley, about how to make your chin line look great.
Use your LinkedIn photograph to put yourself in a position that makes the kind of impression you want to project through your personal brand.
What are your next steps?
How do you want to be branded by your photograph?
This post is part of a weekly series on the Personal Branding Blog.
You can read the original post on the Personal Branding Blog.
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Where are the example photos of women? I volunteer mine for your post!
For those of us who are not Millenials, Gen Xers, or Gen Yers, I feel it’s important not to have a head shot that “dates” you. You want a head shot that is up-to-date, current, refreshing, and compelling. What would be considered “typical” clothing for a boomer might brand you as “old” whether you like it or not–you will be branded “old” if you do not update your look. Boomers need to pay attention to what others are wearing, and look to update their clothing wardrobe and accessories, without crossing the line into ridiculous, and attempting to look or act like a teenager. There are some subtle and effective ways, written about elsewhere, to accomplish this goal. For example, the old blue button-down shirt, on a Boomer, telegraphs the message that they haven’t updated their wardrobe, or perhaps anything else, in decades. Get with it! For those of us whose posture may appear slumping, beware! That posture will make a person look hunched over, and therefore–old. For goodness sake, if your photo makes you look this way, for your own sake, crop your photo to remove any hunch-like appearance, as it will take years off your look in your picture. I watched the video, and I thought it was great. Notice that the guy in the video wore all black. Nothing wrong with that. . .