It is really important to have a professionally taken LinkedIn profile photo? Undoubtedly, yes! For one simple reason – it will help your career in unimaginable ways. Yes, such a simple and often neglected thing as a profile photograph on a social network can do wonders for you. But, it works both ways. Don’t pay enough attention to it and getting called in for job interviews will infinitely be harder to achieve.
Why you need a great LinkedIn profile photo:
There has been countless research, reports and analyses on the importance of a professional LinkedIn photo. You wouldn’t believe to what extent people have gone, analyzing such a simple idea as a profile photo. It turns out, having a proper photo taken by a professional photographer will make you look more trustworthy, more competent and even – more likable! With a proper photo, you will even look more influencing. All of that, in just a couple of seconds it takes for a person to look at a photo.
“Yeah, yeah...”, you must be thinking. “But why should I care?” "Do employers use LinkedIn to find job seekers?" You should care because employers do use LinkedIn to find job seekers. Also, when researching potential new employees, they will, almost by default, first look for them on LinkedIn. The main reasons why a resume shouldn’t have a photo on it, is due to software related issues. When you upload your resume to a job posting, a software system takes your resume and scans it for the proper keywords the company is looking for in a candidate.
If a hiring manager is interested in a potential employee, they will want to see what that person looks like. And that’s when it is important to look trustworthy, competent and influencing on your LinkedIn profile.
Even job seekers themselves turn to LinkedIn when looking for a new job. After all, that’s what a network for professionals should be for, right? There is even an entire sub-page within LinkedIn, devoted exclusively to new job openings.
Who can take a professional LinkedIn photo?
Now that you understand the importance of a proper LinkedIn photo, a new question emerges: who takes professional head-shot photos for LinkedIn in Gilbert, Arizona? Don’t bother going at studios where people take photos for personal documents such as passports or ID cards. These photos won’t help you, as studies have shown that these overexposed, serious photos won’t do you any good. Instead, what you need is a company focused on helping people find new jobs.
DoMyResume.NET is one such company, and being ranked number one writing service in Arizona, it is a pretty safe bet. Besides writing resumes, curriculum vitae, cover letters, thank you letters and other job-seeking related content, the company can also create, or revamp a LinkedIn profile to impress your future employers.
Being a professional in finding new jobs, you can be sure your new LinkedIn photo will tick all the right boxes.
What does a good LinkedIn photo look like?
Now that you know why it’s important to have a proper and professional photo for LinkedIn, and where to get one, it is also important to know what makes a great LinkedIn photo. There is a number of factors contributing:
Visible elements
Lighting
Pose and posture
Styling
Background and color
All of these things need to be taken into consideration when creating a profile picture for LinkedIn. First, there should be no other visible elements in the photo besides you. Don’t have anyone else in the photo, and don’t have anything else in the background drawing attention away from you.
Lighting is extremely important. The photo must not be too light, or too dark. Shadow should not be falling on your face, anywhere.
Pose and posture is another key element. A natural smile, a slight squint, and a look straight at the camera. This is what makes you look professional, competent and friendly. Not having too much of your face, or too much of your body in the picture is also important.
Believe it or not – people also pay attention to styling. Whether you’ll choose to look stylish or casual is up to you, but whatever you choose – don’t overdo it.
And finally – background and color. Choosing a uniform background in a neutral color, and making sure your clothes contrast it, is another important piece of the perfect photo puzzle.
Leave your professional LinkedIn photo to a professional photographer who understands LinkedIn profiles:
If you’re not a professional photographer and don’t have the proper tools – don’t experiment. Having a great LinkedIn profile picture is far too important to be left to chance. There are too many moving parts, and too much is at stake. Leave it to a professional head-shot photography services for LinkedIn in Arizona, and best results are a guarantee.