Your social media headshots are your brand.

In today’s business landscape personal branding has become an important part of your professional exposure. Companies know people stay for a few short years and move-on. Those who have taken the time to develop their personal brand with the addition of a LinedIn headshot are more likely to create stronger and more memorable business relationships. They are also more likely to recoup faster from any major disruptions to their careers. The relationships they solidify through personal branding and social networking will serve them well into their future wherever they go. We already know that people who overlook the importance of developing their personal brand are at a disadvantage in today’s business landscape as seen by the evidence presented in today’s mainstream online media.

Susan Joyce wrote an interesting article For Huffington Post titled, 5 Reasons to Have a Photo in Your LinkedIn Profile. “A professional social profile without a nice LinkedIn headshot of you hurts you much more than the lack of one. So don’t skip it. I think of the photos we have in our social media profiles, particularly LinkedIn, as akin to personal logos. I recognize the photos of many colleagues and others from their profiles in the various social networks, and I look for those familiar faces in other settings, both online and off.” (see article https://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-p-joyce/5-reasons-to-have-a-photo_b_6534840.html)

LinkedIn profile headshots are the new personal branding tools that you can’t be without. Having a strong Linkedin headshot has become a necessary part of your professional life.
You simply can’t be on linkedin without a profile image.

80 to 90 percent of a first impression is based on just two qualities — trustworthiness and competence.

“When we form a first impression of another person it’s not really a single impression. We’re really forming two. We’re judging how warm and trustworthy the person is, and that’s trying to answer the question, “What are this person’s intentions toward me?” And we’re also asking ourselves, “How strong and competent is this person?” That’s really about whether or not they’re capable of enacting their intentions.” … Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy ( full article: https://www.wired.com/2012/11/amy-cuddy-first-impressions/)

People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products. About 62‐90 percent of the assessment is based on colours alone. (Impact of colour on marketing … Satyendra Singh Department of Administrative Studies, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada)

While the LinkedIn website does offer advice on how to crop your headshot, you will most certainly not stand out among others if you follow it completely. It might be beneficial to follow some of the suggestions however, if you want your profile to stand out amongst the blocks of every other person’s photo, we suggest you consider the studies mentioned above about colour choices. The other point to mention about your linkedIn profile is that your photo should reflect your personality and not resemble a year book.