Three different ways to get a LinkedIn profile photo taken.

There are three different ways to get a LinkedIn profile photo taken. This does not mean they are all suitable to use on your LinkedIn profile page.

The first way is to ask your partner or friends to capture a headshot for you. This is problematic as we doubt any of your friends or partners are corporate headshot photographers. Therefore the chances of you ending up with a quality LinkedIn profile photo are very low. I agree the results will be cheaper than going to a professional corporate photographer but as we have mentioned on numerous occasions cutting corners to save money when it comes to your professional business shopfront is a false economy. This is where your potential and current clients and employers will come to look at your LinkedIn profile. You will be taking chances with your business reputation if you have a poorly taken profile photo.

The second way is to take a selfie. We strongly recommend you do not do this. Selfies are fine for Instagram or Twitter but not on Linkedin. Selfies are not a good look if you want to be taken seriously on LinkedIn. Selfies are not professional in their very nature. I have seen a LinkedIn profile photo of a man on holiday standing in front of a boat wearing sunglasses and smiling. Do you think that is a good look if you are looking at his business profile page? Your LinkedIn profile page is where you should look totally professional in all areas. Remember the first thing a potential client will look at on your profile page is your photo. Get it right.

The last option and the only one we would suggest is to commission a professional LinkedIn profile photographer and get it done properly. OK it’s going to cost you approx £150 to £200 to hire a corporate photographer but that is a small outlay in the grand scheme of your business career. You can ask the photographer to capture lots of different stances and expressions. They will be shooting with a portrait lens which will improve the perspective of your face and they will be using proper studio lighting which will soften any shadows and cast a warm glow on your skin. All these factors will make you look like a professional who is taking care of all aspects of his LinkedIn profile page.

Three different ways to get a LinkedIn profile photo taken.