How to Choose the Best Profile Photo for LinkedIn

If you are looking for a job or regularly discuss occupations with your friends and acquaintances, you probably know that most of the hiring managers require attaching a link on your LinkedIn account when sending a resume. That is why the question of whether LinkedIn profile picture is important is already outdated and the only problem is how to choose the best photo.

LinkedIn is a place for career-driven specialists, who not only want to find a dream job but to network and to open a world of new opportunities.

Latest surveys show that adding a photo to your LinkedIn account increases your chances of being hired on 40%. However, not every photo is good and appropriate. So if you want it to help your profile and not to harm it, follow our LinkedIn profile pic tips, thoroughly gathered and checked by experts and professionals!

Tips for LinkedIn Profile Picture

Follow the size requirements

LinkedIn is regularly updating its software and versions, so you need to make sure that your photo fits requirements of the latest updates. According to the freshest update, the best LinkedIn profile photo size is 400x 400 pixels compared to 200×200, as it was before December 2017.

However, you can also upload a bigger picture if it is square and doesn’t exceed 8MB in size. In addition, it must be not larger than 20 000 pixels both in width and height. If you decide to choose a smaller picture, it will look really small and unattractive.

Try to choose your latest photo

The first and probably the most obvious advice is that your LinkedIn photo should be your own picture. Of course, pictures of your son or dog are very beautiful, but potential employers will hardly appreciate them.

A bad idea will be to upload a group photo because people would have to guess which one you are. However, if you decide to crop out others, you need to be very skilled and careful. Cropping off your own hands or leaving someone’s leg on the photo isn’t very appealing and looks unprofessional.

Moreover, the picture you choose must be resent and show how you look most of the times (makeup, hair, glasses, etc.) Even if you think that you look stunning on a graduation photo taken 7 years ago, it is important to understand that you have changed since then.

Adding such a photo will create wrong expectations, and hiring managers will be really surprised during a personal interview.

Don’t be afraid to filter it a little

Every day we see photoshoped pictures of celebrities, or even of the people we know that look completely different in real life. That is why there is a thin line between a perfect LinkedIn profile picture and an unnatural one.

It is ok to edit it a bit, to change colors and lighting, adjusting the tone and softening it. If you don’t possess editing skills it is better to use simple and free smartphone apps like FaceTune or Snapseed.

Pay attention to your face expression

While you need to look professional on your LinkedIn photo, it is also important to be attractive and appealing. That is why you need to choose a photo, where you smile and look positive.

Your photo is a chance to make a good impression on the future employer, so don’t waste it by choosing a photo, where you look sad or grumpy.

In case you are not sure whether the chosen photo is translating the right message, use Photofeeler. It is an app, which can tell how you look on the uploaded photo: fun, happy, intelligent, attractive and so on.

Your face should be the focus of the picture

Apart from standard LinkedIn photo requirements remember that your face should occupy around 60% of the whole picture. The best way is to crop off everything that is below your shoulders. This will help you to focus the photo on your face and smile, and not on your clothes, arms or any other details.

Try to choose a picture, where your face is not too far and not too close. Potential employers or colleagues will hardly be interested in the quality of your skin or on a hill, where you are standing.

Choose a calm and simple background

You should understand that there is nothing bad in selecting a photo with a catchy background, especially if it relevant to your work. However, you need to be sure that the background won’t distract attention from your own persona.

Background of the picture should complement yourself, not vice versa.

Lighting should be good

Do you sometimes ask yourself ‘why is my LinkedIn picture blurry’? If the answer is positive, the reason may be low-quality pictures or bad lighting. Avoid photos with shadows on your face, because it will be quite difficult for the hiring managers or regular users to understand how you look. Moreover, such photos seem unprofessional.

If you don’t want to use services of professional photographers or lack money to buy editing software, you can use one of a variety of free applications.  They help to choose the best lighting, contain tens of useful tips and can also help with editing the shot.

In such a way, your photo will look professional and will hide all of your imperfections.

Clothes should suit your occupation

The best tip here is to put a photo for LinkedIn in clothes that you usually wear to work. For example, if you are an office worker it would be wrong to upload a photo of you in a swimming suit or a wedding dress.

If you are changing occupations it is important to take into account the companies you are interested in, getting familiar with their culture and traditions. For example, if you want to work in a bank your outfit on a profile photo should be traditional and professional. However, if you are a future IT specialist it is better to choose a photo, where you wear casual clothes, like jeans and a t-shirt or blouse.

Don’t forget about a background photo

If you already have a LinkedIn account, you probably know that there should also be a background photo. It also sets the tone for your account, so should be chosen wisely. Background photo must be 1584×396 pixels.

The best background for LinkedIn profile picture complements your main photo, contains brand colors, and doesn’t distract attention from your face.  The best idea is to use your logo but if you don’t have one or want to go with a common image, try to look for it online: Pixabay, Stocksnap, and other databases have thousands of free images in a variety of categories.

Conclusion

As you see, choosing a profile photo is not as simple as it may seem at first. However, following our LinkedIn profile picture advice, you will make your account more appealing and will distinguish yourself from millions of other LinkedIn users!