5 Tips to Choose a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo

5 Tips to Choose a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo5 Tips to Choose a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo6Your LinkedIn profile is very often the first impression you make with a potential employer. Since most employers Google job candidates, and LinkedIns profiles are often at the top of the results, your profile is going to be seen. Thats why its so important to choose an appropriate, professional LinkedIn profile photo.Why is your photo so important? When a recruiter or hiring manager sees your picture, they begin to form an impression of you in their mind. Until they meet you in person (and if youre applying for work-from-home jobs, they might never see you in person), this is how theyll picture you. You want that image to be good, right?There are a few considerations to keep in mind when choosing the best LinkedIn profile photo. Lets go through each of them.5 Tips to Choose a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo1. Have a PictureFirst and foremost, have a picture Even if you, for whatever reason, a bsolutely dont want a photo of yourself, choose something. A flower, a landscape photo, a painting. Anything professional will do.There are a lot of scammers on LinkedIn, and the generic gray profile placeholder might make people confuse your account for a spam account. Or they might assume you dont use LinkedIn very much, which is elend a good message to put out there.2. Know LinkedIns Picture RequirementsYou can upload JPG, GIF, or PNG files.File size 4MB maximum.Your photo should be square.The ideal pixel size for your photo is between 200 x 200 to 500 x 500. If either width or height exceeds 4000 pixels, your photo will not upload.3. The Overall PictureThe picture you choose for LinkedIn should be a headshot, meaning that it shows you from the shoulders up. Full-body shots arent recommended because youll appear tiny, making it difficult for people to see you. 4. LightingChoose a LinkedIn profile photo that shows you in the best light, literally. There are so many profile pictur es that show peoples faces in shadows. Or the photo relies on overhead lighting that makes your forehead and eyebrows look like a cavemans, while your eyes peep out from dark circles. Lighting is really important, so make aya your face is well-lit and you arent hidden by shadows.5. CroppingYou should be centered, as best as possible, in the photo you choose. You can use a simple program like Microsoft Office Picture Manager, which is included on most PCs, to crop your photo and eliminate unnecessary space. If youre cropping other people out of the picture, be sure to remove all of them. Seeing someone elses arm in your picture looks a littleodd. And if you take a selfie, be sure to crop out the arm you extended to take the picture.Thats it- to choose a great LinkedIn profile photo, keep it simple, make it a headshot, and pay attention to the lighting and composition.Readers, how did you choose a LinkedIn profile photo? photos thinkstockphotos.com