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If you think that HAVING a photo on your LinkedIn profile (and elsewhere online) may red-flag you for discrimination – age, weight, ethnic background, etc. – think again.
NOT having a profile photo can be a red flag, too.
I originally published a shorter version of this controversial post in 2011 and, over the years, several people have left impassioned comments. You’ll see them below.
Whether or not to include a photo on your LinkedIn profile seems to be an evergreen hot button issue.
Discussions continue over whether or not to include a photo and potentially face discrimination
I want to state plainly that discrimination in executive job search most certainly exists . . . based on all kinds of things that have nothing to do with someone’s ability to do the job. It’s probably more pervasive than many of us think and, unfortunately, may always exist.
C-suite and senior-level executives – typically over 50 years of age – are understandably worried that they’ll suffer from age discrimination. Age can be somewhat minimized on LinkedIn and the resume by not including earlier career history in the “Experience” section, but a photo could well give an indication of age.
Many job seekers face racial discrimination, as noted in some of the comments from readers below, and they’ve found that they land more job interviews when their profile has NO photo.
But I wonder, doesn’t it make more sense to post a photo to your profile so you will attract the many companies that are committed to diversity, or looking to build diversity?
NOT including a LinkedIn profile photo can sabotage your chances to land a great-fit job
Your reasoning for not including a photo may be that you hesitate “putting yourself out there” so visibly. Although you know that for executive job search and networking you have to be on LinkedIn, you resisted putting up a profile in the first place.
You didn’t really want to have an online presence at all, but you slapped up a LinkedIn profile because you felt you had no choice. But you feel that adding a photo will make you way too visible online.
You may have good reason not to include a photo, but I encourage you to include one. For the most part, the benefits outweigh the pitfalls.
Think about the recruiters and hiring decision makers at your target companies who click through to your LinkedIn profile. The first thing they’ll notice is your photo . . . or lack of one. If you have no photo, their initial thought will likely be “What is this person trying to hide?”
One of the strategies you should be using with your LinkedIn profile is branding yourself to differentiate the qualifications and qualities you possess from your competitors. Branding is also about creating emotional connections.
People connect easier and believe content more when it’s accompanied by the author’s photo. They’re more likely to reach out to someone when they can “see” the person. Your photo helps to personalize and humanize your brand-driven content.
Why NOT having a LinkedIn profile photo is a bad idea:
✅ You can be perceived as not understanding how to use LinkedIn. It can make you seem out-of-touch with current technology and trends. You can appear to be technically incapable of uploading a photo.
✅ “Fake” LinkedIn profiles do exist. Those without photos may be perceived as not belonging to real people.
✅ Lack of a photo keeps your profile from being complete. Profiles that ARE complete are more likely to show up higher in search results, giving them an advantage over “incomplete” profiles.
✅ LinkedIn Help says:
“Profile photos can receive up to 21 times more profile views than those without profile photos.”
✅ If you have no photo, then get an interview sight-unseen, show up for the interview, and experience discrimination based on your appearance and/or ethnic background, you’ve just wasted your time and faced an unnecessary rejection, which is always hard to take.
Your LinkedIn Profile photo is one of the first things people see
If you do decide to use a photo, choose it wisely. Don’t assume that ANY picture of you will do.
I’ve looked at a lot of LinkedIn profiles, and there are a lot of bad profile photos out there.
Remember that, since your profile photo is in the introduction section at the top of your profile, it’s the first thing (along with your background photo in the same section) that people will see when they land on your profile.
And your photo (in other words, your face) follows you everywhere on LinkedIn, when you post to your stream, publish articles, comment on others’ posts, etc.
Naturally, a poor or inappropriate photo will reflect negatively on you. You may turn people off before they read anything about you in your profile.
As with most aspects of job search, put yourself in the shoes of recruiters or other hiring professionals assessing you, your photo or anything else (LinkedIn Profile, resume, etc.) they’ll find associated with you.
What will their first impression be, when they see these things?
Present yourself as a professional and you’ll be judged as one.
Don’t limit the visibility of your LinkedIn Profile photo
According to recruiter Ed Han, a surprising number of job seekers limit the visibility of their headshot to only their LinkedIn connections:
“Limiting the visibility of your face is a BIG mistake on LinkedIn.
To be most visible to recruiters, be sure that your photo is visible to people viewing your LinkedIn Profile even if they aren’t on LinkedIn. For the most successful job search, check your Profile’s privacy settings to be sure that your Profile and your “headshot” (the Profile photo) are completely visible.”
What makes for a good LinkedIn Profile photo?
You can take the worry out of it by hiring a professional photographer. But that’s not a realistic option for most people, cost-wise and time-wise. It could cost you a few hundred and may take a few weeks to get your headshot.
As you probably know, most smartphones these days have very good photo-taking capability. If you take a selfie, using a phone stand will work much better than the phone on a selfie stick or your arm.
A better option is to have someone you know use your phone to photograph you, preferably using a stand.
Take several shots, experimenting with different options, using these guidelines:
🎯 You don’t want a blurry, poorly lighted photo that doesn’t clearly show your face. Pro tip: When your face is in full light, wrinkles and other signs of age are minimized. Try some outside photos and inside ones in naturally lighted rooms. Supplement with lamps directly on your face, if needed.
🎯 Pay attention to the background. You want something that’s not busy and distracting.
🎯 Don’t use a group photo. No one, except the people who already know you, will know which one is you.
🎯 Don’t use a casual photo of you, say, on vacation with a drink in your hand.
🎯 Don’t include more of you than your head, from shoulders up. Any more of your body will mean your facial expression is smaller and harder to read. Your face should take up 50-60% of the frame.
🎯 Look right into the camera so people will clearly see your whole face.
🎯 If you wear glasses all the time, keep them on for the photo, but make sure there’s no glare on them.
🎯 Dress professionally, as you would for an in-person job interview, in the kind of clothes you’d wear on the job. Avoid stripes or bold prints that can be distracting.
🎯 For women, a little makeup goes a long way. Experiment with different colored lipsticks, eyeshadows, etc. Flashy jewelry may be too distracting.
🎯 Don’t use a dated photo. You’ll confuse (and possibly turn off) people when you show up for interviews.
Your expression is important
I can’t stress enough how important your facial expression is in your photo.
A Flexjobs article agrees:
“People hire people that they like. And the fastest way to look like someone a hiring manager might want to work with—day in and day out—is to give your LinkedIn photo a simple smile.
Strangers easily misinterpret almost all facial expressions. So, while you may think the intellectual look in your LinkedIn photo is helping your career, the hiring manager who reads you as smug might disagree.”
Look approachable. Smile genuinely and warmly, showing teeth or not, whichever looks better. An engaging smile will draw people in and help them get a feel for your personality.
How to size your photo
According to LinkedIn specifications:
- Maximum file size is 8MB.
- Pixel size is between 400 (w) x 400 (h) pixels and 7680 (w) x 4320 (h) pixels. We recommend adding a photo that won’t require much cropping. You can adjust the photo after it has been uploaded.
- File type must be PNG or JPG. Note: We don’t support GIFs.
What if you have a photo you like but it’s blurry or otherwise needs some cleaning up?
You can use Photoshop, probably the most popular app for editing photos, or other similar tools.
If this is beyond your capability, there are many services that will do the retouching for you. My own photo needed some work so I had The Headshot Wizard clean it up.
Their photo guide includes a few more tips to take the best photos:
- Set your camera or phone to the highest resolution setting.
- Don’t crop your image too tight. Have some space around either side of your arms.
- NEVER use a flash!
- Take the photo during daytime in natural even light.
- NO direct sunlight.
- NO ceiling lights.
- The camera should be slightly above eye height.
How to upload your LinkedIn Profile photo
Follow LinkedIn’s easy guidelines to upload your photo.
Be aware that LinkedIn can remove your photo if it “doesn’t include your likeness or a headshot photo.” Photos that shouldn’t be used include:
- Company Logos
- Landscapes
- Animals
- Words or phrases
If LinkedIn removes your photo 3 times, you lose the ability to upload a photo again.
Check in Settings for your profile photo visibility. Although you can adjust who can and can’t see your photo, it’s best to stick with the default setting, which is “Public”.
More About LinkedIn and Executive Job Search
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A senior business professional, who is a minority herself, said on this topic, “They’ll figure it out when you show up. And it will be the worst interview of your life if they are biased as they try to find a reason to exclude you.” She said, “By posting a picture you are saving yourself the hassle of preparing for an interview for a job, that you’ll never get.”
Meanwhile, if you lack a picture, your profile will be seen as “incomplete” so you will not be rated “All Star.” As a result, you won’t appear in the top half of search results. That’s a problem.
Rich, thank you for adding your thoughts and advice to the conversation. Important points!
I have faced race and age discrimination in the workforce. Don’t appreciate it when it’s downplayed by folks who don’t have to go through this.
Have applied through resume with qualifications for simple—not—so—high— paying clerical jobs and, when they called for a phone interview and heard my middle—age voice and tone, I never heard back passed that first phone interview. Let alone a well paying job with great benefits, even less!
I consider LinkedIn job search—a beauty contest for the very young, which will connect you to a great job based on your attractive looks and attributes.
Ageism is rampant. I worked for a few companies in the past that the 20s y/olds used to make fun and sometimes bully; if they had managerial positions, to older folks in the 40s & 50s, and this was in the blue collar sector. These white collar jobs are worse with the age and race discrimination. However, I believe age discrimination is the worst of all.
This is sad, but if this doesn’t change for the better, we’ll see more older middle—age and not so attractive workers losing their jobs to younger— attractive folks, “because only the young and physically attractive have the human right to make a good living and have quality of life”.
I guess, if this doesn’t change for the better, us older and less attractive will be doomed to live in poverty and lower quality of life. Not fair to be punished to be destitute for being old and not so eye appealing. Sad world we live in where only looks and physical beauty matter and your qualifications come last.
This is my opinion and I will stick to it.
Thank you for sharing your story, Invisible. So sorry to hear that age discrimination has impacted your career so much.
Heavy sigh. Despite LinkedIn’s best efforts, and all the articles about it – it turns out that by early 2021 it is decidedly “not cool” to put up a picture on ones’ LinkedIn profile. There, I said it. Every one of my (almost 200) connections, do not have a public picture on their profiles. Not one. Now, I can understand the reasoning for and against, but for some reason (and I really don’t care why this is,) other than if you are a public figure of some sort – or one of those super users with hundreds or thousands of contacts and followers; the fact is that we don’t “do” that right now. Sorry. Save it for Facebook.
Rick, thank you for commenting and sharing your take on this controversial topic. While I appreciate your point of view, I still urge job seekers to include a professional profile photo.
I worked as a contractor for an overseas company that used facial recognition to crawl the internet for our presence (and to make sure we were the real person they’d hired showing up for work remotely). I’m concerned about them nosing around and mis-using that information. I’ve also had a stalker, and someone in my family stole my identity. … I used to be “high profile” and ‘had to’ use my photo and real name. Batting 0 for 3 on reasons to use a photo for me. Glad to hear it’s kinda passe using photos. But I see people using photos in linked in profiles mostly.
Thank you for sharing your story, whosit. Everyone needs to decide whether or not to include a LinkedIn profile photo. I can see why you chose not to.
Thanks for sharing how the benefits of having a photo on your account outweigh everything else. I am trying to get a job right now. I’ll do anything to increase my chances of being hired honestly.
Thanks for commenting, Chris. Having a profile photo is not THE most important thing, but it is VERY important, since it’s one of the first things people will see. All the best in your job search! -Meg
Dear Meg,
What I am noticing lately with this topic is that people feel more free to make and say any negative, insulting, xenophobic, racist and obscene comment when they do not have a profile picture in their profile. Possibly this is due to the Masked antihero syndrome: They believe that the fact of not having a photo makes it more difficult to be identified and penalized. The well-known syndrome of the double personality of the lawless
Miguel, I hadn’t thought about this angle. I’m sure lots of people think it’s okay to say anything, about anyone, if they think they won’t be identified. Thank you for your insightful comment.
Ahhh . . . the days of NO computers and NO cell phones. None of us had to worry about putting a photo on Linked In. All you had to do then was walk in, fill out an application, and either get called back in for an interview, or not. I’m in my 60s and can’t get a clerical job because I’m “older.” The only way that interviewers will know what it’s like to get older is when they’re there themselves and can’t get a job. It’s called “walk a mile in my shoes.”
Terri, I sympathize. The realities of job search in the digital age can be overwhelming. There are so many moving parts. Like it or not, just to keep pace with competing job seekers, having things like an online footprint, a LinkedIn photo, social media presence, etc. are now a given. Thank you for commenting and reminding us how much simpler things used to be.
Some people may not want to put up their photo, to protect privacy or to avoid their personal data being all over the internet. Why should I be forced to put up a Photo? you should only care about my Skills, not so much as to how I look !
In this day and age , even the comments I put on the internet are anonymous , else you Name appears in entire search results all over the internet ! Your god damn privacy is compromised.
Thank you for offering your opinion. You’re not obligated to put up a photo if you don’t want to. Everyone can choose whether or not they will include a photo on their LinkedIn profile, or anywhere else online.
Oh the joys of having the profile that doesn’t typically face discrimination. It’s unfair to sit on a soapbox and tell people who face discrimination to partake in something they know will cause more discrimination.
I am against using a profile picture and for my last two positions the recruiter reached out to me. Your argument for going along to get along doesn’t explain how people land jobs on other job boards that don’t require a picture.
Your reasoning is that you want nondiscriminatory employers reaching out so ‘add that picture’ but I maintain that the employers who are reaching out to a profile without the picture are the ones that are nondiscriminatory as well.
Generally you have a phone interview where people can ascertain your age and sometime race before you waste your time in person. A simple what year did you graduate will give you a ballpark age.
I think if we moved forward and took our rose colored glasses off; especially in this current climate it would give people a real look at what others face and respect for what they must do to get a foot in the door.
Thank you for allowing me a place to share my opinion.
Samantha, I appreciate you taking the time to write such an insightful comment. You make some important points that readers here will relate to.
I don’t have a photo on my LinkedIn account. I do wonder why I have so many people looking at my profile yet never hear from anyone. People shouldn’t be forced into using social media because everyone else is but then you’re left behind. What you put out there on the internet gets indexed in search engines. I don’t have a profile picture because it gets indexed in search engines which means my identity can be found. I want my anonymity. I don’t want any digital footprints of me. Do I have anything to hide? No. My question to you is why do you want to give your information away to the masses? Maybe you don’t value your privacy and want various corporations to profit off of your data. How do you plan on proving who you are in the event your identity get stolen. It only has to happen once. The term “personal brand” is absurd. I’m a person. I’m not a thing. We’ve been reduced to search results, data and dollars.
Social media creates convenient, superficial interactions. Do you feel more connected to the online help and chat staffers because they have a photo of themselves? Look at the substance and not the superficial. We live in a world where superficial and shallow is rewarded.
My identity is my own. If you want to share yours with the world, go ahead. I shouldn’t be homeless, destitute and jobless over a stupid photo. Do you pick a doctor or specialist by their photo or their credentials? I know which one I’d pick.
Tao, thank you for offering your take on this issue. It’s unfortunate but true: those who have a more robust online presence (including at least one headshot) are typically considered to be more sought after candidates than those who have little to no online footprint. But as you said, it’s certainly your choice whether or not to have an online presence.
I don’t have a LinkedIn photo and I get constantly bombarded with messages and connection requests from recruiters and companies. I am in a high-demand area though, in which luckily it’s all about technical skills.
I am convinced that a photo would hinder my prospects in other industries, due to my age and shall we say lack of photogenicity 😉
You have a unique situation. Sounds like you made the right call about having or not having a profile photo. Thanks for commenting!
Absolutely, Meg Guiseppi, without a profile picture on LinkedIn there is an immediate distrust and connectivity and consideration suffers. As my Mom taught me “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
Kevin D. Turner
Managing Partner
TNT Brand Strategist, LLC
BOD SMU Digital Accelerator & Big Data
Agreed, Kevin. But I understand the dilemma some people face when deciding whether or not to include a photo. Many thanks for commenting!
Linkedin is playing with privacy. People need to stop being so “emotional” and become more professional when it comes to examining profiles. Recruiters need to look at credentials and stop fussing over the little picture. Linkedin could simply remove all photos. This would force a more professional atmosphere where we are judged (branded) by the content of our resume not by our appearance. You do not find photos on US resumes, Indeed, monster etc. Linkedin is suppose to be a professional site not facebook with resumes.
Thanks for your insightful comment, Ken. I appreciate your point of view.
Yes I concur. Infact, I think Linkedin is shady as hell. Lets call it what it is. An Employer stalker website. Where they bypass the details and go for looks. Or… they fall for someone who has paid for a well designed Linkedin. Linkedin = Shady!
William, thank you for sharing your take on this issue.
That is what other resume writers pretty much say. However, in my case I still do get contacted even though I don’t have a photo posted. I am sure there are shallow people who don’t contact me because I don’t have a photo., I don’t care I wouldn’t want to work for a company like this, given the low salary I am looking to make. I have a number of reasons I don’t post a photo on LinkedIn. One reason is my age, age discrimination is rampant. I have seen people get jobs who were half my age but they didn’t have the specific industry experience I do, and I didn’t even get called in for an interview. Its easy to check who did get the position through LinkedIn, you can see there education, skills and experience. The second reasons is I am heavier because of a medical issue. Three I have
never been photogenic. The main reason I don’t post a photo is, I am not applying for a client facing position or a management position, so I really don’t think it should matter at all. I want to be judged by my experience, not how I look. Many companies will now screen candidates on the phone and also require aptitude and skills tests before you even get called in for the first onsite interview. If they don’t like how you look, then they won’t call back, its just that simple.
Steve, thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. Everyone needs to decide for themselves whether or not to include a profile photo. I understand why you chose not to.
Hmm…
Do NOT dare put your photo on your resume.
Do NOT dare to leave your photo off of LinkedIn.
Logic apparently is not important to hiring staff.
I am ugly & old, so I don’t get the interview if I put a picture on LinkedIn.
And, apparently, having no picture means I don’t get the interview.
So why have a LinkedIn account at all, when it may be a detriment?
If you want to know about me, read my resume.
If you can’t make a decision based on that — without seeing what I look like — then I guess I and other ugly/middle-aged people are doomed to be homeless.
Dewey, thank you for weighing in with your experiences and thoughts.
Whilst I accept there is a lot of truth in this, I do know people who have issues putting up a photo of themselves for other reasons. It makes it too easy for abusive exes to find them or their place of work. They go to the trouble of moving house, changing their name, and then they run up against the issue of having to put up a photo of themselves in order to get the next job on the ladder. If there is a reason that you cannot have your face as your LinkedIn picture along these lines- what do you recommend?
Thank you for commenting, Bethany. You bring up a serious issue and big dilemma for people in this situation. But I don’t see the profile photo itself as the problem. After all, the abusive person knows what their victim looks like, and the photo won’t help them locate them. Additionally, the victim can put a general area for their own location, instead of a specific city or town. I believe employers and education pose the biggest problem. They could be identified through past employers and the education section, and located through the current employer.
I don’t have a ready answer for this dilemma, but I did pose it on LinkedIn to some colleagues who are also LinkedIn experts. You can follow the thread here — https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6498208781854396416
Actually, this is ignorance on your part and on the part of many job recruiters who want a photo (which, ironically, is usually a man demanding a photo). A photo and general area is all an abuser or stalker needs to find someone who escaped that situation.
Thanks for your insightful comment, Laura.
Meg, You are dangerously wrong about “the photo won’t help [an abuser] locate them.”
Go to Google Images and click on the camera icon in the search box. An abuser can then upload a photo of their target and all images on the Internet, including (especially?) LinkedIn profile photos will be analyzed.
It’s called “Reverse Image Search.”
It’s very easy to do with LinkedIn Profile Photos, as Google indexes the site.
Theodore, I don’t see where I said that (either in the post itself or comments), but readers should certainly be aware of this issue. Thank you for commenting.
I say, beyond having your photo on LI, you need a personal branding video in the summary to show your communication style, energy, personality and business value.
We are genetically programmed to make judgements in any context with any resources. Conversation, photos, location, dress, accent, word choice all play into our assessment. We’re human, that’s what we do.
What you look like is just one of those factors and the best way to succeed isn’t to provide less information, it’s to provide more. It’s to provide a video, a photo, posts, media, quality writing and a variety of education and work experience. Overwhelm them with quality.
I can’t say that I have much experience being discriminated. I can’t speak to that, but as a 50+ yo white guy, I can say that the last person I want to hire is another one of me. Smart companies seek diversity. Anyone (or company) who discriminates on basis of looks, isn’t worth working for. They’re dinosaurs.
As for a photo, absolutely, it’s one part of who you are, and it adds to the narrative of your personal brand.
I agree, Michael. Video, when it’s done well, is a smart addition to any LinkedIn profile. Thank you for your insightful comment.
Thank you sir,
I really appreciate your point of view. It shows that there is still decent Employers left who won’t judge a book by it’s cover.
There have been a number of studies in the academic literature which indicate that attractiveness is a factor in the outcome of hiring decisions. Hence, if you are an attractive individual, then by all means you should include a photo on your LinkedIn profile. Spend the money and get a good looking headshot from a professional photographer.
If you are not attractive (as in my case), don’t do it. As this article points out, you might be passed up by not having one, but it is equally as likely (and maybe even more so) that you will be passed by if you do have a photo as you will be deemed less appealing due to physical attractiveness. Keep in mind it is the first thing that viewers of your profile will see. They won’t see your education, your work experiences, or references before they see your physical characteristics. Their opinion has already been partially formed before they know anything else about you.
Hence, I do not have a photo on my profile. I am not an attractive person and do not take a good photograph. But, if people meet me and get to know me and get past my physical appearance, they realize that I am an accomplished individual and would add value to any organization. Hopefully, people will scroll down and see my non-physical attributes on my profile before they dismiss me based on my photo.
As an aside, I recently had to have my passport renewed which required a new photo. The lady who was taking my photo, took one and cheerfully said lets try it again after looking at the camera screen. She tried three more times. I finally told her that it wasn’t going to get better and that we will just use the last one taken. She seemed relieved!
So, while you are correct that not having a photo may hurt, but for people like me, it won’t really matter as I would not have been considered with a photo either.
Marc, thank you for adding your perspective. Something for all of us to consider.
Is it possible to just use my business logo for my profile photo? I would rather not use a personal photo on my LinkedIn page.
Hi Lera,
Yes, I believe you can use any image for your profile photo, as long as it’s in an allowed format (gif, pdf, etc.). Thank you for commenting.
I am partially blind and have a lazy eye. I cannot even pose for a photo and have my face pointing directly ahead, because the center of my field of vision will not line up correctly.
And even if my face could be pointed correctly (by looking straight ahead and then having a cameraman reposition himself to take the shot), my wayward eye would creep people out.
Today’s photo-obsessed society is no fun for people like me.
My LinkedIn profile does not have a photo. For the record, I’ve never changed jobs in 18 years. I’d be happy to never go on another interview (and scare people with my eye) again!
Your situation does pose a challenge in job search. I can see why you haven’t posted a photo to your LinkedIn profile. Thank you for taking the time to post such an insightful comment . . . something I hadn’t thought of.
If you are a minority, do not post your photo. It’s a statistical fact that you will get fewer interviews. At least if you get to the interview phase, the interviewer either has to confront their -ism or invent a reason that your skills didn’t match the position (not to mention exposing him/herself to greater liability for discrimination). Those who dismiss a profile without a photo were looking for non-job-related reasons to dismiss you anyway. From an opportunity, legal, and social standpoint, enabling easier ways in which -isms can affect you and your social group is not a wise path.
John, I appreciate your insightful advice. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
The advice to include a photo on LinkedIn may very well work for the average LinkedIn client, but may be a significant detriment to those who experience discrimination regularly. Quickly Google, “Uglies need not apply,” and then tell me everyone is better served attaching even a professional headshot to her/his LinkedIn profile. It’s not a popular topic, I understand, but discrimination exists and can have catastrophic effects. Studies over the past few years demonstrate how gender, race, ethnicity, body size, general aesthetics, and age discrimination can close people out of the workforce, even when they otherwise have objectively outstanding credentials.
Another point: some people, though professionally highly competent, may just not be particularly likable intimately. A recent article I read pointed out that hiring managers for medium and small companies strongly prefer to choose from among qualified candidates those they’d “want to sit next to for eight hours a day.” Other studies in social psychology conclude that humans feel we can infer crucial information about character and intellect from the way people look. Together these points suggest some people may experience a net loss from opening with even a “good” photo of themselves.
As the workforce has become better educated and both business and technology savvy than ever before, prejudices, like ageism, can mean the professional kiss-of-death for eminently qualified applicants who’re simply different from how hiring teams envision their perfect coworker. It is too bad that these factors arise often in interviews, too, but at least in person one can hope to wow a hiring manager with one’s personality and command of the knowledge domain.
EK, thank you for your very insightful comments. There’s no question that discrimination exists in job search, and people may make a judgement based solely on one’s profile photo. But the over-riding fact is that many people will dismiss a candidate outright if their profile has no photo. Everyone needs to make their own decision about whether or not to include a photo. Much needs to be considered.
I don’t know one person who has gotten a job from Linkedin. Profiles seem to get viewed all of the time, but no offer for interviews. In my opinion, personal networking still lands you the gig. To put in layman’s terms, it’s who you know. It seems like ever article written suggesting minorities leave a picture is authored by someone who isn’t a minority and has never had the experience although it is appreciated the discrimination is recognized; however, most responses from minorities who left their picture off of their profile have proven to increase their chances of getting a fair shot at employment. As a minority, I have been called in from my credentials on paper, but when I arrived for the interview, I could clearly see the look on people’s faces, i.e., “That’s the guy from the resume?”, and observed their staff had no diversity. BTW, my name doesn’t sound like a African-American name.
Kevin, thank you very much for your insightful comment. You’re absolutely right that networking lands the gig. I’m sorry LinkedIn hasn’t helped in your networking efforts. I appreciate you sharing your experience with job search discrimination. I wish it hadn’t happened to you. As I’ve noted in other comments here, each of us has to decide if NOT having a profile photo is best for us, and whether to risk losing out on opportunities because we have no photo.
I have nothing to hide, however I am not interested in doing business with individuals that make a decision to hire me based on my appearance. The job hunt is not dating. First impressions should be skills and experience, not appearance.
As a woman, there is no way I would publish my photo to Linkedin or any other social media site. Its a open invitation to be stalked.
Additionally identity thieves are now using site photos to facilitate more sophisticated crimes.
I’d rather be jobless then a target.
Lynn, you should do whatever you’re comfortable with regarding posting a photo or not. If you’ll fear you may be stalked, it’s probably not worth taking the risk. Thanks for commenting!
I completely agree with this. It took me years to post a photo and its against my will. Some of us have personal issues that warrant not posting information. I agree that if someone needs to see my photo to determine whether or not to reach out to me that itself is discriminatory. I have nothing to hide. I’m simply a private person. Also, women are awful. i find be i g attractive works against me, not for me. You’re canned if you do, fanned if you dont.
Alex, I understand. Everyone has to weigh the pros and cons of posting a photo. Unfortunately, when you have no profile photo, you risk losing opportunities for jobs or business. Thank you for commenting.
People judge, including you. It is part of our biology. A picture is worth a thousand words, and can tell a lot about a person. The problem is, it is easy to misinterpret what we see, so judgments are often inaccurate in truth. What is our FOCUS here ? i think Education + Skills + Experience matters, Take a picture of yourself all dressed up and nice, take another one of yourself in less than perfect condition.
Fact is .. Make 2 profiles, have the profiles identical in every way except the pictures, and the one with the good pictures will get infinitely more views and messages than the one without. ( what will happen to people with no looks ?? ) so, say no pic on professional networks.. pls make it a world a better place to LIVE & WORK.
I Agree with Alex+Mikki
Madhav, it’s unfortunate, but true. Most people probably do judge a book by its cover. Thank you for joining the conversation!
I agree with Alex fully. I got a lead for some illustration work through a friend who had shown my artwork to a potential client. The client emailed me about me how beautiful my work was. When I replied, the clients attitude really changed. I wondered what had changed so fast. Then I realized my picture was on the account. I immediately removed it. I am African American and I cannot express the different levels of discrimination alive and kicking. I am going to remove my picture from LinkedIn also. Some of you guys really downplay the element of race when you have zero experience with suffering its effects. Please stop denying and downplaying.
Mikki,
Thank you for your insightful comment. I can appreciate the discrimination dilemma you face. You have to do what you feel is right regarding whether or not you post a photo. If you feel your photo is a hindrance, then don’t post it.
But if you find that fewer people are reaching out to you, it may be because your profile has no photo, so you may want to try putting it up again, to test results. See what works best for you.
Unfortunately,I have to agree with Mikki,
I am currently experiencing the Same thing. I will apply to jobs or be contacted by a recruiter, only to never hear back from them. I found out they were checking my profile on LinkedIn by doing a search of the companies who last viewed my profile.
One of the companies even asked if they could share my LinkedIn profile with the Employer. Of course I never heard back from them after that.
So I have decided to remove my picture in Lieu of deleting my profile.
I had no plans to use LinkedIn for job search. I was only using it to keep up with my former colleagues and Managers. Sad world that we live in. A lot of people complain about the equal opportunity hiring laws. Yet these laws wouldn’t have to exist if not for employers doing underhanded stuff like this.
Melissa, I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a negative experience. Known as “social recruiting”, it’s standard and accepted practice for recruiters and other hiring professionals to take a look at the online presence of people they’re considering. And they’ll go to LinkedIn first. I understand why you chose to take down your LinkedIn profile photo. I hope it helps you find a job you want.
Alex your comments are right on!
You make interesting points but I still think that people should be judged by their education and experience and not how attractive they are. In addition, I also find it interesting that of all of the people who are dispelling the possibilities of discrimination, none of them are people of color. In addition, I think that from a sexual harassment perspective this opens up the chance of potential liability. As a Human resources business partner, coming across cases of sexual harassment has been a regular thing. By posting a picture of yourself on Linked in you run the possibility of being selected for a position simply because the individual hiring you may want a chance at giving you a lot more than a pay check. Earlier in the comments posted I noticed one person comparing dating to hiring. HUGE Mistake!!! When people are dating they are looking for a physical and emotional connection. Hiring or looking for employment should not encompass either of the two. LinkedIn in some ways is more than just a means to network. In many cases your entire career and certain aspects of your personal life are open for all eyes to see. In some ways it’s even more open than Facebook because Facebook at least gives you the option of allowing who gets to see what. I think LinkedIn is a phenomenal tool, I just think not having a photo should not be a “red flag”.
As I mentioned before I’ve been in Human resources for over 8 years and I’ve seen all types of issues involving employee relations. In one instance a few years ago, I terminated a manager who openly admitted that he hired a young lady he found on linked in because he found her to be attractive. Little did he know, she was unable to fulfill the duties of the job and became engaged shortly after being hired. In fact, he even went as far as to check out her personal Facebook page from work the day of the first interview because she used her personal email address on her resume. When this happened I decided to conduct an experiment. I asked my then girlfriend (now fiancee) to take a look at the list of people that have viewed her page on LinkedIn. Being that she is a young, attractive and in shape woman with a photo on her linked in account, I was curious to see if those who were looking at her page were people in her line of work or industry. What we found was interesting. All of the men that showed up had NOTHING to do with her line of work. In many cases they couldn’t have even been potential clients. One guy was a school bus driver and another was a janitor. When we looked for the individuals that were in her line of work, they happened to be women. Point is hiring should be based on prior experience and education not looks. You want a job not to be homecoming king/queen.
Alex, thanks for commenting and bringing up these issues.
You’ve pointed to an ongoing debate among career professionals and others — whether or not including a photo in your LI profile will leave you open to discrimination.
The thing is, you’ll never know if your photo helps or hinders your candidacy. It could be that including your photo actually makes you a more appealing candidate, even for the very things others may discriminate against you for.
In this age of transparency, more and more job seekers are comfortable including their photo, which leads me to believe that hiring professionals will be less and less likely to discriminate.
My advice — People should weigh all the odds and make the decision for themselves. But I always advise my c-level executive clients to include a photo, because I feel it helps more than it hinders.
Meg, perhaps you can share some of the experiences of some of your c-level executive clients who are of color.
John, I don’t have any particular stories I can share of my clients’ experiences with discrimination, but I’m sure they’re similar to what others experience. Thank you for commenting!
Meg:
You make some great points in this article. In fact, before I speak with a prospective client, I check out their LinkedIn profile. If they do not have a photo-I have the same thoughts. I wonder what “they are trying to hide” so I can only imagine what a prospective employer is thinking.
Randi
Hi Randi!
Thanks for your comment. This makes me wonder whether people who don’t have a profile photo, and do business via LinkedIn, sabotage opportunities.
I would be surprised if those of us in the careers industry discriminate against doing business with job seekers who don’t have a profile photo, but there could well be other businesses that would shy away.
One more consideration when deciding whether to include a photo – people may not want to do business with you.
Interesting but I think that some people rightly fear discrimination, if not based on age then definitely on race. Many studies have shown that racism is still a major factor in hiring.
Jeff, you make a valid point, of course. But it could be that discrimination against those without photos could be more prevalent than for reasons of color, age, or any other physical factor. You never really know.
Thanks for commenting!
Susan, Your “first date” comment sings. Your full name is also beautiful branding not to mention memorable…easy to say and spell. Grand slam.
Meg,
I couldn’t agree more about the importance of having a photo on LinkedIn. In many ways dating and interviewing are very similar. You’re both selling yourself and trying to figure out – will this company and I be a good match?
Would you date (or hire) someone you’ve never seen? A LinkedIn profile is like a first date.
Susan, I love that! “A LinkedIn profile is like a first date.” It’s so true. Give prospective employers a visual image of what they’ll be getting, as well as an idea of how you’ll perfor, through hard-hitting content.
Thanks for commenting!
Meg has nailed this key element of embracing LinkedIn. My hunch is that you, like a majority of my tribe (boutique client base) have put off and put off intensely optimizing your LI profile way beyond the minimums (full green line) that LinkedIn recommends. Big mistake! Meg can in less than 60 minutes, get your profile on the road to being “found” if you will only say yes to her. You have less competition to be intensely optimized, because so few members of LinkedIn will do the work. How can I say this? Because I have been on LinkedIn since 2007 at a mere 21 million!
Steve, thanks for your thoughtful comment. You make a good point. So many LinkedIn members have not optimized or fully competed their profiles. Those who take the time to do so, will have a greater competitive edge. They’ll be more likely to be found on LI.