Why you need a professional LinkedIn profile photo?
Let me explain why you need a professional LinkedIn profile photo?
OK, so you are going for a job interview or meeting with new clients, so you put on your smartest work clothes to look professional. This all makes perfect sense to me. So why would you not have a professional LinkedIn photo on your LinkedIn page? Your LinkedIn profile page is your business shopfront. Many people on knowing they are going to meet you, will check out your LinkedIn profile page to see what you are about. The first thing they will look at is your LinkedIn profile photo, and if that is a selfie or a snap taken by your partner or friends, then that is the equivalent of going to a business meeting dressed in a holiday outfit!
This is why you need a professional LinkedIn profile photo? You can not cut corners when it comes to your business shopfront. It is all about first impressions, and as we have mentioned before, you do not get a second chance to make a good first impression. Do not take a risk and upload a snap of yourself because you think you look OK. It is not professional and, therefore, will make you look non-professional. We have seen some of our clients so pleased with the result of a professional LinkedIn profile photo compared to what they had been using in the past. Some headshot examples were truly shocking on a LinkedIn profile page. The worst was a gentleman who had a snap taken on a holiday; He was wearing a sun hat and holding a pint of beer! Nearly as bad was a woman who was standing holding a horse with a riding hat on.
The examples might seem funny, but you have to remember that using a snap or selfie could potentially cost you a job or a new client. If you send out the wrong vibes with a poor LinkedIn profile photo, then you are doing yourself an injustice. You will have to pay for your new professional LinkedIn photo, but can you put a price on what cutting corners costs your business?