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Tips for Your LinkedIn Profile Photo

Oct 15, 2021

 

Your profile photo on LinkedIn is very important. Did you know that profiles with photos attract 50-70 percent more inquiries than profiles without photos?

 

Here are some tips for your LinkedIn photo:

 

  • Don’t use an old photo. There are few things worse than meeting someone for the first time and not recognizing them because their profile photo is from several years ago.

 

  • Use a photo of you in your profile — don’t use a photo of an object. Also, don’t use an avatar or cartoon photo (like a Bitmoji). Use a real photo of you.

 

  • Your photo should include your head and shoulders, not just a close-up of your face. Experts advise your face should take up 60-75% of the frame. Do not use a full body photo.

 

  • Don’t include other people in your photos (and don’t crop other people out of your shot — there should not be any errant body parts in your LinkedIn photo!).

 

  • Make sure the background in the photo isn’t distracting. Plain backgrounds are better.

 

  • Look directly at the camera. A smile can help you radiate warmth and approachability in your photo.

 

  • Wear your most complementary color. Bright colors can attract attention, but muted (tan or light olive green) or jewel tones (dark green, navy, or burgundy) will draw attention to you, not your clothes. Above all, avoid patterns.

 

  • Your photo doesn’t need to be professionally done, but it should look like it was! If you’re not using a professional camera, use a cell phone that takes high quality, high resolution photos. If the photo looks blurry when you upload it, choose a different one.

 

  • Experiment with LinkedIn filters. When you upload your photo to LinkedIn, you can apply different filters. See which one you like best. You can also adjust brightness and contrast in the photo uploader.

 

  • Take multiple shots and ask people their opinion on which one makes you seem most “approachable.” Consider using a website like com to choose your photo.

 

  • Don’t use an inappropriate photo. (If you have to ask if it’s inappropriate, don’t use it.)

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Sudha Bakhshi

For me, Jawaria has been a game changer in seeking non-clinical employment. I’ve been working with her for a period of time that was divided into a number of phases.

This first part was to undergo an inventory of professional traits to better understand my strengths and weaknesses. In general I am skeptical of organizational personality assessments and feel that they tend to overgeneralize and group people based on superficial assumptions. However, I decided to commit to this approach in order to obtain a more objective view of how my interactions may result in certain perceptions in a work environment. This helped me to focus on my motivations and how I wanted to approach this stage of my career.

In the second phase, Jawaria helped me to create a coherent narrative that was reflected in a revision of my resume. She was very supportive as I overcame my hesitation to assert myself in more contemporary formats, such as LinkedIn. I felt that the conversations that we had were essential to feeling more confident as I moved forward to identifying positions that were of interest, researching the employers and writing customized cover letters to accentuate skill sets.

The third phase navigated the strange and often confusing experience of the interview process. Jawaria helped me to just accept the black box that is HR for many corporations and to then move forward to interviews with medical directors and company executives. She was present after every interview, to challenge and also to validate my perceptions of what transpired.

I have many supportive friends in medicine and other professions that offered insight and encouragement in my job hunt. But I feel that the investment in the professional coaching Jawaria offered was essential to creating the mindset necessary to approach and feel comfortable competing in the current non-clinical environment.

In the end, yes, I was able to get an offer for a job that I feel will be very interesting and challenging. And I am very grateful for Jawaria’s assistance in helping me in this process. She was very willing to share her own experiences as a physician and this was enormously meaningful.

There is a saying: “When the student is ready, the teacher will come”. This definitely applied to me and I felt that what she said resonated, even from our first conversation. As physicians, we invest into our profession, but there is something to be said for investing in ourselves as well. I would encourage my fellow doctors to consider how important professional mentorship can be and how often it can feel inaccessible. But if you are ready, then Jawaria can be the catalyst to empower physicians to feel energized about their career choices.