The Biggest Mistakes Made with the LinkedIn Profile Photo

By: Together Abroad 24-10-2016 1:08 PM
Categories: * Daily employment news,
It has often been said ‘do not judge a book by its cover’. But your profile picture on LinkedIn can say a lot—about who you are, says former employee Koka Sexton from LinkedIn, who has his own company now: Social Selling Labs.
Sexton recently posted a blog with the eight biggest mistakes that people do with their profile picture on LinkedIn, and he suggests that by avoiding those mistakes, the chances are much bigger for landing your dream job.
“Your LinkedIn profile picture is a decisive factor in creating your online personality and new career opportunities”, wrote Sexton. “Potential employers get that important first impression of their potential new employees by that profile picture”.
These are the eight biggest mistakes with your LinkedIn profile pictures according to him:
An oldie: “Do you have a favourite old photo that you do not really come over in, and you just continue to use as your profile picture? It is time to realise that it needs to go into the archive of your computer. Keep in mind that your photo should be recent, basedon your current look”.
The weekend photo: “We all love to go out and have fun, but let's keep the pictures of hangovers for our friend’s circle, since LinkedIn is not the right place for it”.
The shadow: “Your profile picture should help potential employers and customers get to know you. Murky, dark or photoshopped photos, where your face is hardly seen should be avoided”.
The bachelor: “Your photo should show your professionalism and must inspire confidence rather than to attract dates. If you think your picture is going to work well on a dating site, it is not suitable for LinkedIn”.
The frown: “Try to keep a decent facial expression. Your future clients and employers want to bind to a sincere person and not a freak”.
The animal lover: “Unless you're a veterinarian, you should consider taking a photograph of yourself and not with your cat or dog. You want to maintain a professional look at your profile, and your pet might sometimes might be between you and your career”.
The selfie: “If you find it difficult to resist the temptation to make selfies, then you should keep them for Instagram. It is always clearly visible when you have stretched your arm and this photo can lead to your customers and potential employers to see you as an amateur”.
The silhouette: “If you choose to post no profile picture, you miss a lot. What can your personal brand better present than your face? With a profile picture you raisemore confidence, and the chance that your profile is viewed is eleven times bigger”.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.nl


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