Photo by Havva Yilmaz
Does my LinkedIn profile picture really matter? The short answer? Yes.
People like to know who they're networking with, considering for a job, or connecting with.
Have you ever heard stories about a friend of a friend or a long-lost relative? As you learned more about how this person speaks, their kind deeds, and their accomplishments, didn't you just need to know what they looked like? I'm a visual learner, so I love being able to put a face to a story.
Your LinkedIn Profile picture is a small window into who you are, so try to make it count. You're asking this small, circular image to do a lot for you. Your LinkedIn profile photo should convey professionalism, trustworthiness, approachability, and expertise. It's a tall order!
So, how can you ensure your LinkedIn profile photo is "doing it all"? Let's find out!
Table of Contents
- The Benefits of a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo
- The Basics of a LinkedIn Profile Photo
- 10 Tips for Taking a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo
The Benefits of a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo
If you're reading this and you don't even have a LinkedIn profile picture, consider this statistic. Simply having a picture makes your profile 21 times more likely to be viewed!
If you're looking to expand your network, hire for an important role in your company, find funding for your startup, or get your next big job, your LinkedIn profile photo and your LinkedIn profile act as your digital business card. Make sure they're ready for their close-up!
The Basics of a LinkedIn Profile Photo
Before we teach you how to Annie Liebowitz your own profile picture, let's get the technical aspects out of the way.
Photo Size + File Size
For optimal clarity, use a square image that measures 400 x 400 pixels. The maximum file size LinkedIn will allow you to upload is 8 MB.
Don't forget the banner image or background picture. This appears behind your main profile picture at the top of your profile. We'll cover the dimensions (and limitless possibilities!) for this image, too.
Format
LinkedIn allows users to upload a PNG or JPEG (JPG) file.
If you don't have an image editing software like Adobe Photoshop, try using Canva or another free editing and design app. These can help you to crop and resize your images easily. Some will even allow you to use different filters, replace distracting backgrounds, or brighten images.
While it's great to hire a professional photographer with a top-tier camera, you don't necessarily need to take that expense on. Nowadays, you can do a lot with your smartphone and all of its lenses!
Pro Tip: When using filters, less is more. Don't edit yourself into oblivion. Your teeth don't need to be blindingly white, and you don't need to face tune your freckles or every blemish. Make sure that your profile picture looks like you.
10 Tips for Taking a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo
Now that we've gotten the nitty gritty out of the way, let's explore our favorite tips for creating an impressive and professional-looking LinkedIn photo.
Whether you're building your personal brand or trying to grab the attention of prospective employers, your social media photos can be the eye-catching elements of your profile that garner those much-needed extra clicks!
Pro Tip: We're about to go into a whole lot of detail, but you know yourself better than anyone else. If these tips don't resonate with you, or if you want to do something extraordinary (because *that's* your brand!), go for it!
Let's get to snapping.
1. Know Where You're Looking
If you're like me, looking directly into a camera lens is unnatural at best, and a horror show at worst. However, it's important to look at the camera. Think of your profile photo as the introduction section of your profile. Look your visitors in the eye when they arrive at your page.
Nice to meet you!
Personally, I love this LinkedIn profile photo (and background image) from Laurie Ruettimann. It's so welcoming and friendly. In fact, Ruettimann is using LinkedIn to her advantage with a customer button, a well-designed banner photo, and friendly eye contact.
2. Look Like Yourself
Writing this article forced me to have a long overdue reckoning with my own LinkedIn profile picture, which is about three years old.
If I were job-searching or engaging in serious networking, my interviewers or coffee guests would look for a woman with a dark brown bob—not someone who is completely blonde (to cover my incoming greys that I have earned over the past three years, ok?!) I have some work to do after finishing this article.
Beyond keeping your profile picture somewhat current, make sure you (or the professional you hired) don't go overboard on photo filters or other edits. Look like yourself!
3. Use an Interesting Background + Steer Clear of Distracting Backgrounds
If you're in a creative field, you might want your LinkedIn headshot to include some of that creativity. One way to show that is by using an interesting (but not overwhelming) background.
Here's what I mean:
Interesting Background
- A textured wall (brick, shiplap, larger mural)
- A complementary color
- A natural background (a tree, a field of flowers)
Distracting Background:
- An intricate painting
- A busy street
- A bold color that overpowers your face
You can even use some editing software to alter or blur backgrounds that might otherwise be too distracting.
This profile picture by Khadine Singh shows how you can use a textured, natural background successfully. Singh, a Sustainability & Climate Change Technology professional at Google, also uses her background image to show her main focus: Planet Earth. So cool!
4. Use Light Creatively
If you seek professional assistance, you might head to a studio for your LinkedIn photoshoot. The photographer might have professional lights that highlight all of your best features. If you're taking your own professional headshot, there's still plenty of opportunities to use light creatively. Photography is, after all, simply painting with light.
While it might seem smartest to photograph yourself on the sunniest day, you might not like the harsh shadows that direct sunlight creates. Additionally, you might not want to be squinting in the sunlight.
Some of the best light happens right before sunset. It's dubbed "the golden hour", because the sun gives off rich, golden hues perfect for portraiture.
Another perfect time to shoot your LinkedIn shot? Those bright, but cloudy days create a gentle softbox effect that evenly lights your entire face. Try these out and see what happens!
5. Try a Shallow Depth of Field (aka Portrait Mode on Your Smartphone)
Why does portrait mode look so good on the iPhone?
With portrait mode, your phone's camera creates a depth-of-field effect. This effect allows you to capture photos with a sharp focus on the subject and a blurred background.
The effect can be very elegant and extremely professional-looking. In fact, it can turn a distracting background into an abstraction, which has an interesting effect.
Alex Shiau, a Product Designer at Grammarly, has a LinkedIn profile picture and background that work overtime to show what an amazing designer he is. Check out that portrait mode! Beyond that, I suspect he also had this photo shot during the golden hour (Tip #4!)
6. Laugh or Smile If You Want
This goes back to tip #1. If having your photo taken or taking your own selfies is uncomfortable, try laughing or smiling. You can even put on your favorite funny video in the background or have a friend cracking jokes behind the lens.
Personally, I find smiling LinkedIn photos to be the most inviting. Bring a little joy to anyone looking at your profile.
While Atlassian's Sarah Goff-Dupont is neither laughing nor smiling her LinkedIn profile picture shows that she is down to have a good laugh at any time.
7. Don't Crop Yourself From a Group Photo
We know you looked great at your friend's wedding last June. We know it's beyond tempting to just crop your face out of that group photo and use it for your Instagram photo, your Hinge photo, and your LinkedIn profile picture.
Our advice? Don't do that. A good LinkedIn profile picture is going to feature you and only you. Aside from that, cropping yourself from a group photo is most likely going to threaten a photo's quality.
But, definitely use that photo on all of your dating apps!
8. Know Your Size + Resolution
We covered this above, but it's worth repeating. When taking LinkedIn headshots, create and upload the image at its optimal size. This ensures that your photo will be crisp and clear when it shows up on both web browsers and mobile browsers.
As a reminder, the optimal size for a LinkedIn profile picture is 400 x 400 pixels!
9. Don't Ignore the Banner Photo
The banner photo is that horizontal rectangle that your LinkedIn profile picture rests on.
The maximum size for your personal LinkedIn page cover photo (or background image) is 1584 pixels wide x 396 pixels tall.
Dr. Tiffany Jana's banner photo is so bold and beautiful, it's hard to look away! Jana uses a brightly-colored banner to showcase their name and published books. Also, those teal-colored glasses! Love it.
10. Don't Be Afraid to Show Who You Are
The LinkedIn profile photo and banner is arguably the best place to showcase a little self-expression. Don't be afraid to use this area (and its "top of the page" real estate) to reflect your personal brand.
Our CEO, Lauren McGoodwin uses both her profile picture and her banner to showcase her own branding. Using red accents and a custom banner, Lauren showcases her brand, The Career Contessa Podcast, and book, Power Moves.
Want More LinkedIn Tips + Tricks?
LinkedIn is a robust platform with over 950 million users worldwide. If you want your professional profile to be seen, you're smart to create and optimize a LinkedIn profile that showcases your achievements, talents, education, and much more.
Here are more articles and resources for using LinkedIn to flaunt your professional profile!
- The 40 Best LinkedIn Profile Hacks to Make You Stand Out
- 6 Lesser-Known LinkedIn Profile Tips for Personal Branding, Job Searching, and Networking
- The LinkedIn Lab (Course)
- How I Increased My LinkedIn Profile Views by 300%
- Creative LinkedIn Profile Summaries to Attract Your Next Boss
