Business

Impressive! Top Tips for Getting Your LinkedIn Profile Photo Right

LinkedIn hosts over 800 million members, and the number is only growing. Many professionals use LinkedIn to find jobs, opportunities, connect with coworkers, or look for employable talent. LinkedIn is a great way to showcase yourself as a professional to potential employers.

At the heart of your LinkedIn profile is your LinkedIn profile photo! It’s the first thing employers see and it can tell people a lot about you. Having a great profile picture can help get your foot in the door.

Do you need advice on how to create the perfect LinkedIn profile photo? Keep reading, and by the end of this article, you’ll have everything you need to showcase yourself.

Focus On the Face

The goal with any profile picture is to show what you look like! Humans use faces to identify someone. Having your face the focal point of your profile picture will make it quick to recognize you.

It can be tempting to post a full body or a torso-up picture, but that can make it more difficult for people to connect with you. These photos keep your face small, and odds are you won’t be wearing the same thing in the photo to a job interview.

A photo focusing on your face makes it easy to keep things professional, form connections, and build relationships.

Make Sure It’s the Right Size

The last thing you want is for an employer or connection to click on your photo and have it be blurry. A blurry photo can make it difficult to make out your features. It also looks like you didn’t take the time to create a good image for yourself.

When you take a picture, sometimes it can be too big or too small. If you want to change picture size, the first thing you need to know is how big it has to be at a minimum. An ideal LinkedIn profile photo size is 400 x 400 pixels.

You can download software on your photo that will automatically change picture size for you. You can always scale up the image, as long as it maintains the 400 x 400 pixel base ratio. Rember, always double-check your image before you upload it!

Keep It Friendly

A professional LinkedIn profile photo needs to look friendly. Relaxed body language and a beautiful smile will help you feel more approachable. If you can sit while having your photo taken, you should because it will naturally help you relax.

It’s also important to make eye contact in your photo. Looking someone in the eyes can help build a connection. Looking at the camera will make connections feel like you’re interested in talking to them.

Backgrounds and Poses

Focusing on your face, smiling, being relaxed, and looking at the camera is the core of a good photo. As you pick between photos, keep in mind the rule of thirds. Your eyes should be in the upper half of the photo to draw attention.

Even though not much of your outfit will be showing, you want to wear something professional. Professional clothing can still showcase your sense of style but is more appropriate for LinkedIn.

The background of your photo should be a contrasting color or not cluttered. Having less happening in your background draws more focus to you. As more people move towards using the LinkedIn mobile app, having a background that makes you pop is even more important because the pictures are smaller.

Start Taking the Perfect LinkedIn Profile Photo Today!

Now that you know the dimensions for LinkedIn profile photo, how you should look, and the benefits it has, you’re ready to start taking photos! Many people can use their phones to take photos, but others will hire a professional photographer. Either way, update your profile picture today and start building great connections!

Are you looking for more social media tips? Check out the rest of our blog!