LinkedIn Deadly Sin # 1- No Photo

I am surprised by how many people use LinkedIn without a photo. It is clearly the #1 LinkedIn sin. No one likes their own photo, but it is really important to put your best face forward with a smiling headshot on LinkedIn. It reflects well on your professional image.

You will connect better with a photo. Here’s how that works: If you are sending out invitations to connect, your new contacts might not realize who you are without a photo on your profile. I receive invitations without photos and I usually decline them. Some of the LinkedIn profiles have inappropriate photos like a dog or a tree instead of a nice headshot. I do not accept those invitations unless I absolutely know the person and I get a personalized note about why he or she wants to connect. An invitation without a face or other pertinent information makes me suspicious. It makes me wonder:  “Is this a real person?”

You will be easily identifiable to your new contacts with a nice photo.  I frequently use LinkedIn to help identify someone I am meeting for the first time. Perhaps I have scheduled a coffee meeting with an industry insider or prospective new customer. I check the LinkedIn photo before I head out to Starbucks for the meeting. It’s a big let down to find no photo for my new contact.  So if you are an active networker, you are definitely hurting yourself if you don’t have a photo.

Get a great headshot made and display it proudly.  Don’t commit this # 1 LinkedIn deadly sin. Instead, show the world that you take your professional image seriously!

By Sandra Long

http://www.myinterncoach.com