Up to date? You may love that picture of yourself from 10/20/30 years ago, but who are you kidding? What do you say to the person that wants to meet with you and do business? What impression does it give? How do they come to terms with a totally different person to what they were expecting? That you don’t like who you are now?  You wished you still lived in the 80’s? Don’t hide behind a picture that suggests you aren’t comfortable with who you are now. Or that you haven’t had time, or worse, couldn’t be bothered updating your profile. Even if you wished you still lived in the eighties, don’t hide from the person you are now! Embrace the present so you can live in the future.

Motivated? Do you look like you love what you do? Are you dressed smartly? Or have you somehow uploaded a picture of yourself fishing, or sky-diving, or laid back on the sand, holidaying at the beach? Suggesting maybe, that you are the sort of person who would rather be anywhere else than at work?  

Professional? No, this doesn’t mean you necessarily have to go and have a professional photo taken (by a photographer with a camera in their hand, often obscuring part or all of their face … btw, I wonder, why that is? Why are there more photographers with a prop in their profile picture than in any other industry I can think of … hmmmm, strange??) So no, not necessarily a professional photo, but it does need to ‘look professional’; it needs to have good lighting, your face needs to be in focus, and you should aim for an uncluttered background. No bathroom selfies, sorry. 

Just you? You can’t cut yourself out of group photos. It honestly looks bad, especially if part of the other person is still in the picture; some stray hair off to the right, half an arm or a cheek close to yours, but missing … and usually these sorts of photos are taken at parties, so your attire may not be entirely appropriate either? 

Just you? I have to clarify this point again. No husbands, no babies, no pets! Seriously, don’t do it. Don’t be judged on your homelife. Especially as a young woman holding a baby. First thought that comes to mind is; ‘this woman isn’t ready to leave her child’. As an employee she could be a liability. Sick days with kids … I understand, I am a Mum, too! But don’t be judged by that first glance at your profile picture. Prove you are capable of the job and can leave your family life where it belongs. At home. Fill your private Facebook page with all your extra’s and if anyone stalks you they will see that you have a million friends,  are happily married, are a great Mum or Dad and love your cat <3 

Connected to the viewer? When you make eye contact, conversation follows in reality, why not apply that same theory to the virtual world. While the customs and significance of eye contact may vary widely between cultures, it is a key non-verbal communication in the Western World. Eye contact lets someone know you are ‘interested’ with the briefest of glances, even across a crowded room. On a platform with thousands and thousands of profile images, that ‘brief glance’ can make someone stop and pay attention. Have an industry appropriate image that appears professional, motivated and establishes eye contact to engage your audience, make it meaningful and please don’t wear sunglasses. Establish the first rule of non verbal communication and it will pay off. 

The correct size? There is nothing worse than an out-of-focus, pixelated image that is unrecognizable in a profile picture.  Make sure it fits like a glove.

Blank? Actually, this is the worst profile picture of all! What is a blank profile picture telling your potential clients and customers, your future employees/employers or even the network you are a part of? That you aren’t confident in your appearance, maybe just shy, that you don’t have time to upload a photo or worse, you just couldn’t be bothered, which will go down really well at an job interview … A blank profile picture tells me nothing! And I lose interest very quickly.