Well, which photo should you choose for your profile?

Let me ask you this:

Which photo do you have on your LinkedIn profile?

Which photo would you put on your CV (or job application)?

If you were looking for a job

If you were not looking for a job…

Which photo would you use

If you were?

The exact same principles apply here

And they always have when it comes to job hunting

Or at least, that’s the advice I’ve always given

Think about it this way:

It’s your potential future manager who will be looking at your photo

And as far as I know,

He weren’t invited on your vacation

Or with your family walking in the woods

Or your birthday party eating cake

So save the sun hat, spaghetti straps, and tropical cocktails for Facebook

Instead, show your future manager

The version of yourself

That you bring to work

The professional you

The same goes for your background

No tropical island scenery

No matter how beautiful it was

And no trees from your favorite forest

It’s simply not the right combination when you’re trying to present yourself professionally

Ideally, your background should be as neutral as possible

So no Greek islands

And no wind blowing through your hair

Sorry

I’m sure plenty of people would love to see your amazing vacation photos

I know I would

If it weren’t for one small detail:

I was about to hire you

So what do you look like when you’re at work?

Or when you’re being professional?

Well, that’s up to you.

But here are some suggestions:

Smile. (Nobody wants to hire someone who looks unhappy)

Make sure your hair is neat

If you have curly hair, wear it the way you normally do

If it suits you, consider wearing it up

Wear tidy, appropriate clothing

Business attire can work, but isn’t always necessary

In short:

Look the way you would look at work

And above all,

Make sure the photo actually looks like you

Vacation photos

Photos where someone has clearly been cropped out

Or pictures with busy, distracting backgrounds

Are all a no-gos when you’re presenting yourself professionally