How to look like a pro

What does your profile picture say about you?

All photos courtesy of Foxworthy Studio

We work diligently at our careers, always act in a professional manner, and choose our words carefully. Sadly, all that hard work can be negated in an instant with a photo that tells a different story. With just a little planning, your LinkedIn profile picture can be as professional as you are.

Most of you are doing it right and doing it well – you have a terrific headshot.

Here is your chance to send a subtle hint to a colleague who could use some help. Just SHARE this post and maybe they’ll see it, read it, and up their game.

Getting to know you

LinkedIn photos are valuable networking tool. First of all they tell me out of the 25,212 Mike Smith’s who have LinkedIn profiles, I am connecting with the same Mike I met at a conference last week. Secondly, I met 37 new people at that conference and I now have coffee appointments with 5 of them. I always check their LinkedIn profile right before I leave the house to remind me what the person who I am meeting looks like. A quick visual reminder before I leave the house makes it faster and more comfortable to identify a new connection in a crowded coffee shop.

True stories

In researching this article I came across profile pictures of dogs, newspaper articles, kids’ art, someone eating from a cafeteria tray, four pictures clearly taken in 1983, two photos in complete silhouette, a large dead fish, and a close-up of an eyeball.

Photo faux pas to avoid:

Broccoli head

Be mindful of the background. It’s a great photo of you. Your teeth are white and you are having a good hair day. Now look around you. Are you positioned in front of a light fixture that gives you a lopsided, blinding halo? Are you standing in front of a maple tree, which makes it appear that you have broccoli sprouting out of your head?

Sharing the love

It is heartwarming that you are so in love with your spouse, child, or best friend (a German shepherd), but your LinkedIn profile is not the place to share the love. Using an overly personal photo conveys that you have difficulty separating your personal life from your professional life. Also beware of cropping your photo in such a way that it leaves a disembodied hand draped over your shoulder.

Blurred lines

Fuzzy photos do not make you look younger or more attractive. They look thoughtless and slapdash. People may assume that you approach your career with the same indifference to quality.

Where’s Waldo?

Is the picture of you taken from such a distance that your head appears like the pin on a Google map? Fill the frame with your head and shoulders.

12 angry men, and some women, too

Striking an overly somber pose doesn’t make you look like a serious professional; it makes you look angry, difficult to get along with, and judgmental. A smile increases your approachability and exudes confidence.

Breaking the rules

There are times when breaking the rules can be successful. Incorporating tools of your trade in your picture can quickly narrate what you do. Think a photographer with her camera, a pediatrician holding a baby, or a radio personality at the mic.

Consider a professional

It is definitely a good investment to have a professional photo taken. The cost is less than you might think. When you book your photographer, you can ask for a studio shoot, the most economical option. Consider a location shoot outside or at your place of work. This will add about another 20% to your cost but is well worth it to make your photo stand out from your competition. Professional photographs are instantly recognized as such and convey career and financial success. People want to do business with achievers.

Your photographer will provide you with several photos from your sitting. Rotate them among your website, social media, and LinkedIn. Change your photos about every 6 months. It’s OK to recycle a good one you have used before or on a different platform. Each time you update your photo, your friends, associates, and followers are notified, and that places you on their radar once again.

Hiring a photographer is a good idea for everyone, especially introverts who feel uncomfortable smiling or people who don’t like the way they look in pictures. A photographer literally places you in the best light and sees your best side. The photographer puts you at ease within a few minutes and you’ll be amazed at how much fun you are having.

A professional image is good for business and it is good for your self-esteem. To quote a good friend and generous philanthropist (Archie Burkel, The Hat Ladies of Charleston), “When you look good you feel good, and when you feel good, you do good.”