LinkedIn is one of the Internet’s most popular networking platforms. Business professionals from all over the world use it. It’s used to help people find jobs, make new connections, and even socialize with colleagues. If it’s a platform you have previously heard of and want to begin using yourself, you need to make sure that you take the perfect profile picture. This post’s intention is to tell you how to do that, as well as showcase a few great examples of professional LinkedIn photos for you to copy. 

Hiring A Photographer

If you want to take the perfect LinkedIn photos, the best piece of advice anyone can give you is to hire a professional photographer. An experienced photographer will be able to take great pictures for you. An added bonus of hiring somebody is that if you are unhappy with the service that they provide, you can always ask for a refund. If you take pictures yourself, there is nobody you can demand a refund from and it’s hit or miss relative to whether you’ll be able to pull off professional photos independently.

Finding a photographer to take pictures for you doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, it has never been easier thanks to search engines like Google and Yahoo. If you are using them to search for a professional LinkedIn headshots photographer for your profile picture, make sure you hire one with good reviews, as reviews are an effective way of figuring out how good a photographer’s service is.

Copying People’s Photos

There are millions of users on LinkedIn. If you come across a person with a picture you like, copy them. Copying people’s pictures on LinkedIn is nothing to be ashamed of. You can make your own picture out of theirs with editing software that allows you to personalize it and add your unique style. In fact, it’s something lots of people do. The only time you should not copy a person’s picture is if they are somebody you have a connection with. If you are connected with somebody in the real world and you copy their picture, they are going to notice and they are going to call you out, possibly also telling others about you stealing from them.

Outfit Choices

For your headshots, you need to make sure that you are wearing a professional, formal outfit. While your photo will only show you from your chest up and therefore your entire outfit won’t be seen, the small bit that can be seen will have a big impact on people’s opinions of you. If you wear a T-shirt, nobody is going to take you seriously, especially if you are applying for corporate jobs. Your outfit choice is a reflection of your personality and your attitude to work. Because of this, you need to make sure that you choose one that looks great. If you hire a photographer to take pictures for you, they will be able to make suggestions relative to outfit choice and help you find one that looks great.

A lot of people rent outfits for professional photoshoots. This might seem a little excessive, especially since you’re taking photos from the chest up, but why not turn your headshot photoshoot into a full-body one? Taking full-body photos of yourself can be a great way to ensure that you have nice photos of yourself in the future. Of course, you need to talk to your chosen photographer and make sure that this is possible first. Not all headshot photographers are able to take good full-body shots. Speak to them via email or over the phone before hiring them.

Getting Haircut

For your headshots, you need to make sure that you get a haircut. On LinkedIn, there are millions of users. If you are applying for jobs, you need to stand out. If you look lazy or unkempt, nobody is going to want to hire you. You may still be able to network with people if you look scruffy, but again, they won’t take you as seriously as they would if your hair was neat and cut well. Go to a proper stylist and make sure that they give you a cut that goes with your outfit. A stylist should be able to advise you on what goes well with it.

When it comes to finding a stylist, conduct extensive online research. A bad haircut can ruin your image and your photos. If you are going to pay for a professional photographer to take pictures for you, you need to make sure that you get as much out of the experience as you can. Turning up with a bad haircut is ultimately going to lead to bad pictures being taken, which will negatively impact your performance on LinkedIn. If the photos you take do not help you, you have essentially just wasted your money.

Professional Attitude

Good pictures can definitely come in handy on LinkedIn, however, there’s a lot more to finding work and meeting people on the platform than just photos. You also need to make sure that you have a professional, cordial attitude. Be sure to be friendly and polite to people that you reach out to so that they get a good impression of you. First impressions are everything in business. If you are not a native speaker of the language in which you are going to be communicating on LinkedIn, make sure that you are not excessively polite. Appearing excessively polite can be as bad as being rude sometimes, as people find it strange.

If you have never worked a professional job before, you may want to consider taking classes. Taking ethical classes can help to give you the best chance of achieving success when it comes to finding work on LinkedIn or on other networking platforms. As a side note, do not hesitate to reach out to people directly. LinkedIn allows people to message members directly, so not taking advantage of this feature is a massive waste, especially if you are paying for a premium that grants such a privilege.

If you are planning on using LinkedIn, first find a professional photographer and ask them to take headshots for you. A professional photographer’s help is an invaluable resource when it comes to using the LinkedIn networking platform. Take the other guidance issued in this post also.

Need Office Space? We can Help for FREE!