In the modern age of the internet, it has become more and more important to be convincing when it comes to a professional network like LinkedIn. This is crucial if you want to have success! A LinkedIn profile picture has to be exceptional, high-quality, and if you want to stand out from the crowd, it should be creative as well. We’ve got ten great tips to boost your profile picture and your chances of having great feedback.
Pick a realistic photo of yourself.
It is always a good idea to use up-to-date profile pictures. The other important thing is that you have to be recognizable, so if you have a photo where your style was different, it’s best to take a new one. Maybe you have taken a professional photo about 4-6 years ago, and you would like to use that on LinkedIn as your new profile picture because it is quick and easy. However, investing a little time and energy will pay off. A fresh photo with your current style and look will represent you better and should give an idea of how you would look in real life.
Use a cartoon avatar as an ideal LinkedIn profile picture.
There are millions of LinkedIn users, which means that you need something special or maybe something different to stand out from the crowd. A professional profile picture is essential, but if you haven’t got one, there is a creative way to make one. If you are not happy with the existing pictures you have or you think of yourself as someone who isn’t that photogenic, a cartoon avatar is an outstanding idea. Additionally, if you’d like to use a photo that is a good option for a profile picture but has a few issues, turning it into a cartoon avatar will solve the problem.
But what exactly is a custom cartoon avatar?
In a nutshell, it’s a handmade drawing that turns the subject into a cartoon. We have a creative team of professional designers with years of experience in the domain who could turn your photos into cool-looking cartoon avatars. If you want to make a great impression, this is a very good way of doing that. Not only does it make you more unique, but it also shows your outside-the-box thinking, which already sets you apart and puts you in front of many others.
Another great thing about cartoon avatars is that you can use them not only on LinkedIn but also on other social media platforms of your choosing. You will not regret boosting up your profile with an awesome-looking cartoon avatar. In addition, if you want to hide or highlight a feature of yourself, you can do that easily by mentioning it to our team. You could also express your individuality by using a custom cartoon avatar. This could represent not only you but your brand as well.
Choose a high-quality photo.
From an employee’s perspective, it’s always a good thing to know what would you look like if you’d met in person. It is annoying to figure out a blurry or poor-quality profile picture. The great idea is to avoid bad quality or too small resolution images. When it comes to quality, every detail matters, but try not to overcomplicate things. This is especially true if we talk about LinkedIn. Don’t rush this step; choose the right Linkedin photo, and if you don’t have one, try taking a new pic or hire someone to do that for you. If you don’t have the extra money to spend, there is always the option to ask a friend to help you out. It may take more time and energy, but it would also increase your chances of getting your desired job. It is said that your profile is 14 times more likely to be viewed if you have a high-quality photo. Sounds enticing, right? Connection requests lead to higher-quality career opportunities, so you need to implement these great strategies.
Make sure your face is recognizable.
If you are too far away in a picture, your face won’t be recognizable. Although it could make a great Facebook post, it is not optimal for a professional LinkedIn profile picture. Being too close isn’t a good idea either because it would become inappropriate. Your face should cover around 55-60% of the space, but if you have a high-quality picture, you could crop it to fulfill this requirement. This is an easy step, yet many users mess this one up. Do not be one of them! Try looking into the camera, forget about using shades, or God forbid, drinking alcohol in a pic. This may be self-explanatory, but you should always be aware of what is and what isn’t suitable for LinkedIn.
Here are some great examples:
- Avoid photos whit the crowd.
Being in a crowded place or being with some of your friends in a photo is a great way to communicate that you are a sociable person who can work efficiently in a team. Although, on other social media platforms, they could have a positive impact, using a group photo on LinkedIn doesn’t seem like a good idea. It’s hard to figure out who exactly you could be in the picture. Cropping a group photo isn’t a marvelous idea either because it may still contain a shoulder, a hand, etc. In a LinkedIn profile picture, you should always be alone.
- Don’t use selfies.
Can my LinkedIn profile picture be a selfie? As we mentioned earlier, being alone in a profile picture is important. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that you should take a selfie and use that as your avatar. If you’re thinking about taking a selfie, just ask a friend instead to take a pic for you, and by “a pic” I don’t mean only 1, but several, so that you have some options to choose from.
Not only would your pose look more natural, but it also would be easier to correct you, like telling you to smile a bit more, or to tilt your head a little, etc. Not to mention that the rear camera of your phone always makes better quality photos. There is only one situation when a selfie could work, and that is if you’d turn it into a cartoon avatar.
- Skip photos with distracting backgrounds.
A distracting LinkedIn profile picture background isn’t a good idea either. Keep it simple! This doesn’t mean that you should use a blank or a black empty background. Using contrasting colors would also help highlight your photos. Speaking of distracting backgrounds, distracting activities/hobbies are not usable options either. Incorporating hobbies into your photos would change the focal point of the picture, which would negatively impact your success rate. You should be the focal point of the photo!
Even though the size of the picture shouldn’t allow you to show that much background, you should always pay attention to it. Keep in mind that you will use it on LinkedIn, so it has to be more qualified.
There is another great method that you could use to highlight your photos, and that is: adding a colored circle to your profile pic. Adding a colored circle around the edge of your picture can help make it stand out and draw attention.
- Always select a suitable outfit.
When we are thinking about our outfit and that our photo should be on point regarding this matter, it is important to note that it’s not necessary to wear only a suit if you are a man or an elegant dress if you are a woman. You should choose the appropriate outfit which matches your style and communicates your vibe. You should wear something that you would wear at your workplace. You could use solid colors because they tend to work pretty well on camera. Even though it’s LinkedIn, it doesn’t mean that you can’t bring something different and engaging at the same time.
- A subtle smile always helps.
Being serious in a picture isn’t a problem, especially if it would fit the desired job. However, being too serious could transmit the message that you are a little harder to approach. On the other hand, a smile helps you to look more sociable. It could also be an indication to others that you are influential, likable, and competent. Additionally, it is one of the most important nonverbal communication tools that you have. Also, smiles showing teeth are twice as likable as closed-mouth smiles, a study shows. There are some great tips on how you can practice in front of a mirror to look more natural when you smile. One of them is that you can press your tongue against the back of your teeth while smiling, thus relaxing some of the muscles in your face so that you look more natural. Any profile picture would certainly look better with the appropriate facial expression.
- Consider the lighting of the photo.
This is the last tip, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t important. Quite the opposite is true. Anyone who has worked in a domain that has to do with photographs knows that good lighting makes a ton of difference, even between professional works. You can look like a model and have an expensive camera, but if the lighting isn’t good, then you are probably doing it wrong. Lighting is one of the most powerful things about any kind of photo. Try not to take pictures under direct sunlight; it’s usually too bright; instead, try to take pictures when it’s overcast. That way, the lighting will be much softer. Sometimes a good filter can help, but why fix it if you can fix it before taking the picture? In any case, be careful when using filters for a LinkedIn profile picture. This could also be a great time to use a cartoon avatar. Thus you don’t have to worry about the lighting, the background, the size, or the quality of the photo.
Read more >> 10 things you should know about digital oil paintings
Linkedin profile picture tips.
Here are some tips as a bonus that would also help you to make your LinkedIn profile picture stand out. At this point, you should know that your face should be the focal point of the pic, so try not to cover it with your hand, hair, etc. If you feel like you can’t take an adequate picture, you should consider hiring a professional photographer without spending a ton of money. A lot of the time, people are afraid that hiring someone would be super expensive, or they might think that their avatar is fine as is. However, investing in your ideal Linkedin profile as a whole is worth it, because it means that you are investing in yourself, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.
