Your (Smiling) Face Here

In my line of work I spend a lot of time reviewing peoples’ profiles on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, et al. One of the biggest mistakes people make is having a less than appropriate photo on their profile.

Profiles have become a way of life and virtually everyone has at least one. Since it’s a way for employers and others you want to favorably influence to evaluate you, it’s a good idea to have a professional yet warm photo of you. Not you and your husband or your kids—just you.

The photo should be as professionally done as you can manage, and should show you in your best light. That means no sunglasses, no weird hand motions (ideally no hands at all—this is a portrait), no unbecoming or overly-revealing, attire. Nothing that might make people question your judgment. When people don’t know you, they have no other way to form an impression besides a visual one, so take care.

When you’re looking for a job, you never know who may be turned off by how you portrayed yourself. So it’s best to err on the conservative side. Just my two cents.