More On That LinkedIn Photo

I was sitting down yesterday with a client in what was in truth a one hour LinkedIn introduction. Like so many other people, she had set up a LinkedIn profile quite some time ago with the barest of information and after an initial set up, just walked away. So there it was, for all the world to see; a half-hearted, weak profile telling anyone who looked at her page that this was the best she could do.

The problem with setting up any profile online and after putting in a mediocre effort, is that all the people who view your page are left with only scant information upon that first viewing to form an impression, and that first may be your last.

The picture on her page was a nice head shot, but because she had cropped others out of the photo at some baby shower, the picture was smaller than it would be otherwise, and therefore harder to really get a good look. The background of the picture was odd too, and hard to make out the setting in which it was taken. She plans to work in an office setting doing administrative tasks, and so I suggested she get a picture of her sitting in an office, with just enough in the background of the picture so that it appears she is sitting at her workstation. In other words, it is easy for an employer to visualize this person working for them when they can see her seated in that environment.

This is a good tip for you if you choose to use it, and are struggling with what photo to include. Now in this women’s case, I offered to take the picture for her, but first suggested she return another day in order to prepare for it. How you ask? Well, change into a blouse that she might wear to work, put on a little foundation to smooth out the skin tones, and do her hair. In other words, the way she’d dress at work should be reflected in the photo.

One of the things the two of us did was to look at a variety of LinkedIn photos people are currently using on their profile pages. I started with the non-photo outline of a body picture and asked her what she thought. Thankfully, like me, she said she didn’t feel anything as there was nothing to go on, to which I agreed. Without some physical image to forge a connection, there is no emotional attachment or engagement and therefore no prompt to connect or look into.

We then looked at a picture which was a woman standing on a street in Paris, with its famous landmark tower in the background. In order to get the tower and the woman in the picture, the photographer had zoomed so far out, the person had diminished in size so much they were almost indistinguishable. A great photo to prove you were there and share with family who recognize you perhaps, but as a profile picture marketing the person, extremely poor choice.

Looking at some further profile pictures, she remarked that the ones that she liked best were essentially clear images of people’s faces. It appeared that pictures from the bust or chest up to the top of the head were the dominant ones that we both preferred, and the images needed to be well-lit and in focus. We did find some really good shots we both liked of people seated where the entire person was visible and easily recognizable.

Some photos people included had broad smiles, and that seemed to make the person come across as warm, inviting, personable, and the overall impression was that they seemed nice. The photo had not only depicted the person well, but now suggested all kinds of traits, personality and attitude. Choosing the right setting, thinking about the facial gesture (smile, neutral, frown, laugh, etc.) could elicit a reaction by those viewing it. And by thinking ahead of time about the message you want to convey, you can influence or perhaps control the viewers response to your image.

Branding and marketing are what the above process is really about. Any product when being introduced to the public, should have thought put into this entire process so the ‘packaging’ attracts the right audience, and communicates the message the originator wants to send. The same is true for the individual who designs a profile of which a picture plays such an important role.

Now we spent just over an hour not only looking at the photo, but talking about the various sections LinkedIn offers as choices to its members to complete. With every word you choose to use, every section you complete, you market and brand yourself to anyone viewing your profile. Use bullets rather than sentences and your profile might resemble a cut-and-paste resume, which LinkedIn is definitely not designed for.

If I were introducing LinkedIn to students, I’d repeat the process I did with this young lady for the entire class before ever picking up a camera to take a photo, or scouring past photos. Think about the impression you want to create first and why. Think about how the background can add to or detract from the message you are trying to send and who you hope your target audience is.

All About That Linkedin Photo

This blog which I write on a daily basis goes to a number of different audiences, but that one that garners the most attention is via Linkedin. And on my Linkedin profile page as is the case with every other Linkedin member, there is an opportunity to include a photograph of the person.

Now some have decided not to include a photograph on their page at all, and a generic shadowy image of a body comes up as a default which can be replaced by any photo the person chooses to upload to the platform. I suppose some people don’t want to include their photo for reasons of privacy, vanity, security etc. and that decision is theirs alone to make. I’m certainly not going to apply pressure to anyone who chooses not to include their photo to change their mind.

On the other hand, many more individuals have taken steps to include their photo as part of their profile, and the photo certainly helps me I know for one when I am reading their profiles, or chatting with them in the various discussion groups. You know from experience that we tend to judge and make assumptions about others within the first few seconds of meeting people. Just looking at a photograph, we tend to see a person as likable, friendly, serious, professional, casual, business-oriented, successful, quiet and reserved, free-spirited etc.

So if you have a photo, or are thinking about either adding one or changing your existing one, what does it communicate to others about you? In other words, how do you choose to brand yourself? Is is just a head shot, a full body picture, are you alone or with others, at your desk or at the beach, standing firmly with your feet planted aka Superman, or holding up a glass of wine at a picnic? How much thought have you applied to this photo?

Consider that in addition to the content on your Linkedin page, your photograph may be the first thing a potential Recruiter or employer sees when they search your name. What used to be the first physical impression as you were greeted in the reception area heading into an interview, has been backed up to what pictures on the internet reveal you to be like; even though those pictures are still frames.

In my own case, I sat down once when first setting up my Linkedin account, and just took a picture with the laptop camera in my living room. “I’ll replace that soon with a better photo in time” I said. Well I only got around to doing that this past week. The reason I left it wasn’t because I was lazy, more because the photo was getting recognized by others as representative of me, my posts, my comments in discussion groups…in short I was tired of the photo but it was being imprinted in the minds of others and I was being recognized so why change it? Consistency of branding vs. updating the photo to better portray me in the way I wanted.

Still I decided that a new photo was in order and asked my wife to take some in our backyard. I sure am glad the neighbour’s weren’t around as they would have thought it funny to see my posing. I went for what we both call the ‘Real Estate’ photo. That’s a pose where arms are crossed, body slightly turned. No I’m not in Real Estate at all, but the picture captures some facial recognition for others while also having a pine tree as a backdrop representing keen personal interests of mine – gardening and nature. I made sure the hair was groomed, the shirt I wanted was on, and the lighting was bright enough to capture the image I wanted without having me squint.

Consider too that if you are on multiple social media platforms, you may see on Facebook for example that many people have pictures representing them which are actually of their kids, their pets, things both real and imagined. The other thing about Facebook photos is that I’ve noticed some people change their picture or Avatar as it’s called, quite often. Some more than once a day. Why? Well it shows others they are constantly on Facebook, updating information and they remain relevant.

On Linkedin however, my advice would be to find a picture of yourself that your satisfied communicates what you want professionally, and then stick with it. Of course when you do change your photo or update information, many times your connections will be notified of this automatically and may be prompted to check out your profile to see what’s new. This can drive traffic to your profile. Make sure if this is your strategy, that you’ve got a solid profile when the traffic arrives!

On a personal note, when I’m discussing some topic with another connection, I know that being able to see their picture helps me with the entire process, and I get a better idea of who they are as people. When I’m looking to expand my network, those without a picture are less likely for me to connect with and I don’t know if this is true for others or just myself.

Anyhow, something to think about when weighing that decision!