First impressions matter. This familiar old saying remains relevant. On platforms such as LinkedIn, a professional opportunity may be only a few clicks away. The first time someone sees your profile photo, you have already made an impression—good or bad. You can shape that first impression by presenting the best photograph of yourself.
Here are seven things not to do when choosing a good LinkedIn photo.
1. Do Not Use Your Best Selfie
A selfie may be fun, but it is not professional. That may sound obvious, yet many people still take an arm’s-length selfie for their LinkedIn profile, perhaps because that is what they are used to posting on Instagram.
They forget that LinkedIn is primarily a professional platform. Unless appearance is central to your work, you are not judged there on how attractive or muscular you look, as you might be on Instagram.
2. Passport Photos Belong in Your Passport
Do not assume that having a passport photo taken lets you solve two problems at once. Passport photos must meet strict requirements for facial expression, background, posture, lighting, and positioning, so they are not suitable for a LinkedIn profile. They are usually rather dull and will not help you make a strong impression on a potential client or employer.
Replace that passport photo with a genuinely spontaneous, approachable portrait.
3. The Forced Smile
If smiling for the camera does not come naturally, you can practice. Research has shown that even a slight smile can make you appear considerably more trustworthy than a neutral expression. In Japan and China, service employees are often trained to smile. It not only looks good in a photograph; it may also contribute to greater customer satisfaction and higher sales. That is reason enough to exercise those facial muscles with a pencil or chopstick held in your mouth.
4. Leave Your Private Life Out of It
Some photographs are best kept off your LinkedIn profile, especially images from your private life. If you want to show the world your vacation in the Alps or introduce a new partner, Instagram or Facebook is the more appropriate place. Common unprofessional choices include photographs featuring your children, partner, vacation, sunglasses, hobbies, childhood, or new car.
5. Does the Background Really Matter?
In a good portrait, the viewer’s attention should go to the person, not the background. Avoid a setting that pulls the eye away from your face. A simple solution is a plain background, such as a solid-colored wall or a professional backdrop.
If you do want to show some of the surroundings, keep the background slightly out of focus or less brightly lit. Plenty of context may be appropriate in a business portrait made for a website , but for LinkedIn you should crop more tightly so the face remains the focus.
6. Too Casual—or Too Formal
Whether casual or formal clothing is right for a portrait depends on the audience you want to reach. Neither is automatically better, and it is even possible to look both too casual and too formal at the same time.
The right clothing for a profile photo depends on who will see it. Know your audience and adjust your wardrobe accordingly. Replace the Hawaiian T-shirt with a smart shirt, or swap the black suit for a blazer.
7. Simply Show Your Face
Given all the mistakes listed above, it should be clear that a portrait is usually better than a full-body photograph—if only because people can see you more clearly. Your eyes and facial expression are two of the most important parts of a profile photo. A good portrait depends on them.
It is also important for the face—and especially the eyes—to be sharply focused. The eyes reveal something about you as a person.
Many LinkedIn profiles still have no profile photo at all. What does that suggest? Perhaps the person is not interested in connecting, because few people engage with a profile that has no photograph. That is a missed opportunity.
And if your photo shows only your left eye and a lens, put down the camera and look at the birdie for once.
