I don’t really consider myself an HR person. I’m more of a social media strategist who loves helping job seekers. However, I do occasionally attend HR related training. Yesterday was one such occasion and inevitably, I had a shock.
The discussion moved from hiring techniques, to LinkedIn photos. Many of the folks in the room would agree with us LinkedIn pictures should be professional. No argument. But someone told us a story that made us cringe. And if you are in HR, you may cringe as well.
This recruiter was working with a candidate, who had hired her to position him for a job. He had a fabulous resume. Literally, she had trouble finding anything to change. But then she took one look at his LinkedIn profile photo.
The guy looked like an axe murder. She said, “No wonder he wasn’t getting any interviews, despite his killer credentials, no pun intended.”
So he retook his photo, and I kid you not, within a week, he had several opportunities arise.
(Lets just ignore the more frightening social implications of that for now, and accept the fact your photo makes a big impact.)
So I ask you, does your photo strive too hard to be what you think professional is supposed to be?
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Or, are you using it as an opportunity to convey personality?
I’m not a photographer, but I would like to offer some profile photo tips:
1. Don’t be afraid to show personality. You can have personality and be professional at the same time.
2. Experiment with action shots. There isn’t a lot of room, but the more you can demonstrate YOU in action the better. Can you fit yourself giving a presentation in the photo, shaking hands, or even leaning on a hand?
3. Play with the negative space. Try turning your body or tilting your head.
4. Smile and think inviting thoughts.
That’s my amateur photography advice. If you have some more ideas, please share them in the comments below.
[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]
Joshua Waldman helps frustrated job seekers leverage social media to find work FAST! He is the founder of CareerEnlightenment.com and the author of the new book, “Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies.” Sign-up for his newsletter today and get access to his exclusive training videos for FREE.
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24 Comments
Thanks! This actually was taken at GE for all salaried employees and was done with a pro photographer at the site. I used the same photo on some business cards I bought. (*whispering*) I was on vacation this week, so I actually had on jeans as we weren't going to shoot lower. Professional yet casual.
Thanks for the tip on the contacts. I believe I'm extremely close to getting a position, so I'm going to be taking yours and J.T.'s advice to keep expanding the network. I'm sure it won't take long to get to 150 and above.
I guess there are people who don't know the difference between social and professional network. Same with showing themselves getting wasted at some party, or in some “not-so-discreet” situations in Vegas.
I do like the idea of tailoring your photo to the industry, but that's just me. A good photo to me shows that the person put some effort into his/her appearance, and respects him-/herself enough to look professional.
Dave, you are looking SHARP! Nice work Mr. “Executive level income”!
Now you just need to boost up your # of connections to at least 150. And check out my free video on killer LinkedIn profiles for the job search- http://endyourunemployment.com
Kevin, I truly admire your excitement and openness to learn new things. That is a trait any employer would desire!
Yes, the old one certainly was!. The new one, alone, didn't make him. It compounded with already great credentials. Sorry I didn't clarify that.
Apparently, the photo WAS breaking him. That was the whole point of why the author shared this story. He didn't get calls for opportunities until he changed the photo to something more acceptable in the eyes of recruiters — despite the killer credentials.
I guess there are people who don't know the difference between social and professional network. Same with showing themselves getting wasted at some party, or in some “not-so-discreet” situations in Vegas.
I do like the idea of tailoring your photo to the industry, but that's just me. A good photo to me shows that the person put some effort into his/her appearance, and respects him-/herself enough to look professional.
When I first entered the job market in the very early 80's, people were including a photo on their resume. This practice suddenly ended because of the fear of discrimination. Now we have social media networking and I read that if a photo isn't included in our profile, we have something to hide. Isn't it fun trying to keep up with the game?
Kevin, I truly admire your excitement and openness to learn new things. That is a trait any employer would desire!
Well said! A small point but that can make a lot of difference to someone's job prospects. Though, it also depends upon one's ideal job profile. Someone is hardcore marketing must have a proper pic in official dress whereas a web artist or a creative person can go for colorful avatar just to reflect his creativity! That's just me, though.
Thanks for Sharing.
I think I missed this last week but it's an excellent reminder that sometimes, candidates should crowdsource certain things, such as profile pics, resumes, etc.
What do you mean by croudsource?
I'd like to say this is a joke, but the sad thing is, it's not. Amazing how people with a little bit of power wield it. So, if I have the right qualifications but not the right look (which is HIGHLY subjective), I'm out of luck in my job search. Is that the general gist? Nice to know what my degrees and decades of experience are worth to potential employers.
Gilly, with all due respect, I think you are missing the point. It's just a matter of Form versus Substance, image versus character, the cover versus the book. No one is saying that your degree or experience is worthless. And I doubt hiring managers are that shallow, however first impressions are important. It is VERY likely that your first impression is going to be your LinkedIn profile photo. Like it or not. That is a real potential. So job seekers can ignore it and loose brownie points like the engineer in the story, or be pro-active and take things to the next level. And by the way, if he didn't have killer credentials, he wouldn't have been called. His photo didn't make or break him, it added to an already great resume. So the choice is yours, but I know what I would tell my clients to do!
Apparently, the photo WAS breaking him. That was the whole point of why the author shared this story. He didn't get calls for opportunities until he changed the photo to something more acceptable in the eyes of recruiters — despite the killer credentials.
Yes, the old one certainly was!. The new one, alone, didn't make him. It compounded with already great credentials. Sorry I didn't clarify that.
Michak07,
The best LinkedIn photo I've ever seen is [full disclosure: my friend Shane's]: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemayer. Professional with personality, *his* personality. I'd hire him!
Regards,
-K
Shane's photo is fantastic! I love the tux and the little red flower.
By the way, I'm checking out SocialGrow. Great concept!
Thank you Joshua.
Our goal with SocialGrow is to make it easier for people to turn their real-world relationships into social network connections.
And yes, I have no doubt Shane has single-handedly given the Gerber Daisy market a boost!
Regards,
-K
Could you post some examples of good and bad linked in photos?
I can't quite post images in the comments section. However, on my blog http://careerenlightenment.net you will find examples.
Hi Joshua. How's this for a professional photo?
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhomrighouse
Dave, you are looking SHARP! Nice work Mr. “Executive level income”!
Now you just need to boost up your # of connections to at least 150. And check out my free video on killer LinkedIn profiles for the job search- http://endyourunemployment.com
Thanks! This actually was taken at GE for all salaried employees and was done with a pro photographer at the site. I used the same photo on some business cards I bought. (*whispering*) I was on vacation this week, so I actually had on jeans as we weren't going to shoot lower. Professional yet casual.
Thanks for the tip on the contacts. I believe I'm extremely close to getting a position, so I'm going to be taking yours and J.T.'s advice to keep expanding the network. I'm sure it won't take long to get to 150 and above.