I’m grateful that my director mentioned my faux pas of not mentioning the LinkedIn background image as an important part of the profile. He didn’t want to leave the default image, because doing that would show that he didn’t care about his professional image. But it shows he cares about his professional image. I was critiquing one of my clients’ profile when I noticed, as his background image, a black and white photo of Lowell, MA.ĭoes it represent what he does as program manager? No. When you use a background image on your LinkedIn profile, it shows you care about how you present yourself. The answer was a resounding “NO.” What you do I recently asked a facetious question of my LinkedIn connections about including family members and pets in your profile background. You may have a background image of the New York skyline, a tranquil lake, a field where horses are grazing, or anything else that describes you as a person. Her photo is also work-related, so it is relevant. It works because she loves hiking and wants her connections to know this. One of my client’s background image is of her hiking in the Appalachian Mountains. You might not have ability to go that far. Obviously she has gone through the effort of creating her own personalized background. This is truly reflected in her background image above.Īsk yourself, “What does my background say about me?” If the answer is, “The same ole tired background many LinkedIn members are using, it’s time to think about how you can create a unique identity, as Shelly has. She takes it to a higher level than most people when it comes to developing a unique professional identity and coherent message that sets her apart from others. One of my most valued connections, Shelly Elsliger, PPCC, is all about branding. This is perhaps the best reason to have a background image on your LinkedIn profile. So why don’t LinkedIn members put more thought into their background photo, and what does your background image say about you? Your brand Any image larger than that will be cropped, so you might not be able to include that great portrait photo of you standing before Mt. If done well, your image will be properly sized at 1,584 by 396 pixels. This is prime real estate on your LinkedIn profile. Therefore it should reflect who you are, what you do, your brand, and that you care about your professional image. To take a pass on this area is a mistake, as this is the first image people see when they visit your profile.
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