Have you ever scrolled through LinkedIn and noticed people’s profile photos?  What impression of them do they evoke?  Do you get the same feeling from a photo of someone that looks like it was taken at a family function as that of someone who has a professional headshot?  As I’ve written in a previous post Why You Need a Professional Headshot it is likely, if you are viewing a LinkedIn profile from the perspective of an employer, you get very different impressions indeed!

Two of my clients have been generous enough to allow me to use there before and after photos to illustrate this point

Before

Jennifer was using this photo as her LinkedIn profile photo. She looks happy, her face is clearly visible and you get a sense of what she looks like, but it doesn’t look professional. When we spoke during our consultation, she expressed a need for a photo that looked professional, but also showed her personality.

 We did a range of poses with and without the jacket, which resulted in different looks that she can use for different professional occasions.  Her care-free, laid-back side is more evident in the photo on the left above.  However, the photo on the right still captures her personality while projecting a very professional, even executive look.  Her defined hairstyle paired with a hip pair of glasses and classic outfit means she projects a modern, updated feel. Further, she is warm and engaging in all the photos, but she will likely be taken more seriously during a job hunt with the two professional photos.

After: