Thursday 21 May 2015

Is the photo on your LinkedIn Profile possibly harming your job opportunities?  
If so, get it sorted or remove it.

This week I have seen some applicants on Linkedin whose photos were letting them down.
It's a minuscule part of the process but your complete profile is a box that needs ticking.

First example was an inappropriate photo 'on LinkedIn' of a young lady reclining on a bed in scanty attire.  I was surprised to see this as I was looking for candidates for a quite Senior Role in the Pharmaceutical sector.   It was not professional and more suited to Facebook,  if at all.

The second was of a Mother cuddling a baby.  Why could this be seen as a problem?  People could discriminate after looking at the picture.  Nothing wrong with the photo but it creates a risk that someone could discriminate against a perceived young Mother.  Yet it may even have been an auntie with a niece or nephew.
As an agent I would advise that she should have used a different photo on her profile to protect against the possibility of discrimination.

Finally, someone who looked liked they had just clambered out of a kid's dressing-up box. Also her face had a look of thunder that made her look hostile.  Again this was a person in a fairly highly qualified role. Why would someone put a photo like that on LinkedIn?

My point here is that no photo is better than a bad photo.
The advice is to get a photograph taken by a professional or someone who is competent.

Click here to access advice from Andrew Bradley (a social media guru, author and blogger) 

LinkedIn Profile Photo Tips: Examples of Best LinkedIn Profile Pictures


No comments:

Post a Comment