From the course: Rock Your LinkedIn Profile

Add a photo to stand out - LinkedIn Tutorial

From the course: Rock Your LinkedIn Profile

Add a photo to stand out

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- Picture this. You've just met Jacob at an industry conference and you hit it off while discussing the latest innovations in your field. The conversation was so good, you decide to add him to your LinkedIn network. A few days later, you go to search for him, but when you find his profile, there's a blank silhouette instead of a photo, and you see hundreds of other Jacobs with the same last name. How do you know which one to connect with? And honestly, would you feel comfortable connecting with someone who doesn't even have a photo? Probably not. You're not alone in this. LinkedIn data shows that profiles with photos get up to three times more connection requests than those without. You don't necessarily need a professional headshot when updating your profile picture. You can use your smartphone or camera and snap a photo that captures you. Just make sure it's high quality with great lighting and set against a neutral background. Adding a profile photo can lead to up to two times more profile views, so don't skip this simple but powerful step. Love color? Check out Ezra's photo with that blue background. It really pops. Prefer something simple? Pria nails it with a clean, professional headshot. Or maybe you're into an artsy blurred background effect. Naomi's photo looks great, right? Now, what do you notice about this first photo? And how about this one? These are the types of photos you definitely want to avoid using as your profile photo. While pets, kids, and family are awesome, your LinkedIn profile photo should only feature you front and center. And don't worry, like I mentioned before, your profile photo doesn't have to be a high-end professional headshot unless that's your style. You can easily snap a great photo with your phone or camera, upload it to LinkedIn, and then polish it up using the platform's built-in photo filters and editing tools. Let me show you how to do this with Ezra's photo. First, Ezra will click on his profile photo on the top left and select the pencil to edit. He can select from a variety of editing tools to crop, filter, or adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, and vignette of his photo. He can click on the eye to choose who sees his profile photo. In this case, he only wants it available to all LinkedIn members, so he'll select that option. Then he can simply hit Save Photo. And ta-da, he's got a gorgeous new profile photo. Whether you go for a professional headshot or do-it-yourself profile photo, the key is to add a photo that truly represents you. No matter what kind of photo you choose, make sure it captures the incredible professional you are. After all, adding a photo can get you up to three times more messages from your network.

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