Cut The Crop
Kent R.
When LinkedIn updated the look of profiles, they made the profile picture larger and more prominent. So it is even more important that your profile picture show you in the best light possible. Literally. Here are three things to consider when selecting your LinkedIn profile picture:
Don’t crop a group photo – You may think that the photo of you as the best man on your friend's wedding day – the one with several others in the photo – is the best picture of you. But when that picture is you and the shoulder of a friend, it’s going to look silly on your LI profile.
Go as high quality as possible – Pixelated, low-quality photos make terrible profile pictures. You may be striking just the perfect balance of professional and approachable, but if the quality is bad, it doesn’t matter. Always upload the highest quality picture possible.
Avoid the flash shadow – You’ve seen this picture. Someone standing in front of a cubical wall looking like a deer in the headlights with a horrible shadow behind their head. This kind of photo could make a nobel laureate look like an amateur.
In a perfect world, your LI profile picture would have zero relevance. But the fact is that readers will make immediate judgments based solely on your photo, so take it seriously.