LinkedIn Profile Pictures Dos and Don’ts

What Does Your Professional Profile Picture Say About You?

If you use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the latest addition, Google+, it’s no surprise that as social media circles continue to expand it’s not just our family and friends checking us out online.

A survey conducted by Jobvite in 2011 reported that 89% of US companies will use social networks to look for or review candidates.   In fact, companies are now hiring or using social media savvy professional to vet prospective employees and business contacts. 

In the past few years there has been a steady and significant rise in Social Recruiting efforts to find and place employees making it more important than ever to maintain an up-to-date and professional profile and presence online.

Nicole and I can’t stress enough that having a winning profile starts with the right photo.  So, we’ve compiled a list of simple Dos and Don’ts for capturing your best LinkedIn or professional profile picture.

Do use a quality photo of yourself.  It’s best to use one that is professionally taken where you are the only subject and one that you are proud of.

Do use a picture in which you are professionally dressed.  First impressions are just as important in the virtual world as they are face-to-face.  Your profile picture is your ‘handshake’ and serves as your online introduction to others.

Do keep in mind that LinkedIn is not Facebook and you should not forget the nature of what it means to present yourself as a professional in terms of dress, body language, grooming and setting.

Do keep your profile pictures updated.  It’s recommended that you update your profile picture at least once a year, especially if you’ve changed your appearance significantly, e.g. a new haircut.  Staying current will help others identify you and avoid confusion.

Do smile and allow your personality to shine through.  People are most attracted to those they feel are friendly, approachable and likable.

Don’t use pictures from vacations, group shots, parties, with other family members or pets.   Stay away from cropping your face out of these types of photos as well.   It communicates that you’re not professionally prepared.

Don’t use poor quality photos, logos and avatars.  This is your profile and you should be fully represented.

Final Note: Your LinkedIn profile picture is an important component to crafting your online presence and ‘personal brand’, so keep this in mind when taking or choosing your profile picture.   Ask yourself, ‘How do I wish to be perceived?”  “What do I want people to think about me, or, what qualities do I want to convey?”  Aim for a shot that shows a friendly, professional-looking photo with a positive image.

Photo Credit by Christopher Ameruso / Barcroft U

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About Photo Fabulous You

Our Photo Fabulous You team focuses on professionals launching a new business or elevating  their career to a higher level by combine their innovative skills with your own attributes to capture your best image in a photo and boost your ability to succeed.

Learn more about our Photo Fabulous Services.

A New Type of Vendors

Social media channels have been abuzz with news from New York Fashion Week. Being a Massachusetts-based company, we’ve loved living vicariously through bloggers like Stylephile's Chris Muther, and are looking forward to our own fashion week, Sep 23-30. Until then, we’re surviving on tweets.


One of the fashion week articles we came across announced the installation of a luxury vending machine. Stationed in a hotel lobby, it dispenses fur jackets, snakeskin clutches and diamond bracelets. It got us thinking about the things we’d like to see in a fashion vending machine (not that diamond bracelets wouldn’t be wonderful). We narrowed it down to our top 3:

1.     Belts

Have you ever debated whether to belt a dress, decided not to, and then regretted it later? Or had pants that only seem to require belt-coverage after you’ve worn them for a few hours? Those problems would be solved with a vending machine! You could avoid a day of discomfort and grab one on the go.

2.     Heel extensions

We’re not sure if these exist (although check out D2N Heels for something close), but we think they’d be perfect for transitioning from the office to a night out. Imagine: a clip-on heel that instantly made your professional pumps into chic stilettos. We’d stop at a vending machine that had those.

3.     Umbrellas

Not everyone considers them a fashion accessory, but we think they are! If it starts raining, you can salvage your outfit, and even add to it with a stylish print. Practical, fashionable and often forgotten! Those are exactly the qualities that make a perfect vending machine component.

We’d be ecstatic to find these three items in a luxury vending machine. They'd help us stay Photo Fabulous, even when on the go. Although, an extensive belt selection might make us late for work. What other items would be helpful to have at the press of a button? We’d love to hear your ideas!

*P.S. Missing our style secrets? Check back next week for another post from our Secrets From the Photo Fabulous You Vault series!

Photo Credit by Utique Shop

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About Photo Fabulous You

Our Photo Fabulous You team focuses on professional women move ahead in their professional life, by helping them look and feel more confident in person and in photographs.

Secrets From the Photo Fabulous Vault: 5 Ways to Tell That Your Social Media Picture is Outdated

There is no doubt that social media is fast. It’s constantly changing, and information is disseminated at the speed of light. It’s a struggle to keep pages current. Of course, here at Photo Fabulous You, we think an easy way to keep all of your social media platforms looking updated is to keep your picture looking updated. Not sure when to change your photo? Here are 5 surefire ways to know it’s time:

1. You’ve thrown away the clothes you’re wearing in it
If the outfit in your picture is so old that Goodwill wouldn't even take it, then it is absolutely time to post a new picture. Having an updated style shows that you care about what’s current and that you follow trends. That’s a positive in any industry.

2. You’re wearing your cap and gown…and you graduated 10 years ago
Along the same lines as number 1, what you’re wearing in the picture is important. If the only good picture of you is from college graduation, it’s probably time to get another one taken. You’re a professional, and your social media pages should reflect that.

3. There’s an old poster of (Insert Outdated Band Name Here) in the background
Everyone had one in their post-grad years-an old band poster taped to the wall, the ancient corners curling up. It’s fine to have (in a closet somewhere), but it shouldn’t appear on your LinkedIn. Be conscious of what is in the background of your photo. If it’s something unprofessional, it’s time to update.

4. Your hair color has changed three times since then
Your photo needs to be a reflection of who you actually are. If you are going in for a job interview or a new client meeting, any smart person will have googled you. Make sure your photos match what they’ll see. This is especially important if you’re meeting someone at a coffee shop or restaurant, where they’ll need to know what you look like in order to find you.

5. Your kids didn’t accept your Facebook “friend request” or LinkedIn “request to connect” because they didn’t recognize you
There’s no need to elaborate on this one. If your own children don’t recognize your outdated picture, it is definitely time for a change!

What’s the worst social media photo faux pas you’ve ever seen? Tell us in the comments below! And check back for more installments of Secrets From the Photo Fabulous Vault!

Photo Credit by Nicole Connolly

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About Photo Fabulous You

Our Photo Fabulous You team focuses on professional women launching a new business or elevating  their career to a higher level by combine their innovative skills with your own attributes to capture your best image in a photo and boost your ability to succeed.

Learn more about our Photo Fabulous Services.