Donna Serdula, founder and owner of Vision Board Media LLC and LinkedIn-Makeover.com, says the profile picture on LinkedIn seems like a no-brainer, but few people have good ones. She offers several tips for professionals to present themselves in the best light.
With 57% of LinkedIn’s traffic coming from mobile, Serdula recommends cropping the profile photo close in on the face so viewers using a smartphone can see the photo in better detail on a small screen. “The profile picture should always just be of your face; you shouldn’t see elbows or anything like that,” she says. “You want to look happy in the photo.”
It’s best for profile pictures to be professionally taken, Serdula says, but if it’s not possible, users should have someone take the photo for them. “Don’t just try to do a selfie,” she stresses.
For those who don’t want to upload a picture, “would you go onto Amazon and buy a product on the marketplace if there was no picture in the listing?” Serdula asks. “No, it’s the same thing with LinkedIn. If you want to look like a serious professional, you need to have a good high-quality headshot.”
Serdula suggests users update LinkedIn’s standard blue-green constellation background banner image with an image that reinforces their brand, who they are, and what they do. “Recruiters and hiring managers are looking at a lot of profiles, and to have that imagery up there, it really does catch the eye,” she says. “If you can subtly tell them exactly who you are and what you do without them having to read, that’s what’s going to tell them to scroll and keep learning about you.”
