Guidelines For A Great LinkedIn Headshot

April 12, 2022 Jasmeet Singh

If you're a job seeker or recruiter on LinkedIn, you might be scrolling through tens, if not hundreds, of LinkedIn profiles a day. Naturally, we're drawn to those LinkedIn profiles that have a headshot. In fact, LinkedIn members with a headshot receive up to 21 times more views on their profile versus members that do not upload a LinkedIn profile photo.

However, don't upload any old selfie on LinkedIn for your headshot photo. If you're on the job market, it's important to send a message about your professionalism. And that message can be conveyed with a great, professional headshot!

Your LinkedIn is more than your work experience and biography, it's your personal brand. Make sure your personal brand is elevated with a headshot from one of our headshot photographers at 415headshots.

Indoors or Outdoors?

Before booking a headshot near you, decide on whether you'd like an outside background or a profile picture with a studio backdrop. The rule of thumb we use at 415Headshots is to stick to your industry standard.

For example, if you're in the business industry, you'll notice that a vast majority of business headshots are conducted in the studio, with a gray or white background. On the other hand, if you're in the environmental industry, you'll see that your peers might have a professional photo taken in a green park or in nature, such as Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

For business and corporate headshots, such as finance, law, business, biotechnology, start-up tech, and more, we recommend studio headshots with a backdrop. For industries, such as real estate, non-profits, psychology, and therapy we highly recommend sticking to an outdoor headshot.

Poses and Facial Expressions for LinkedIn

LinkedIn photos, especially headshots, are cropped to be just around your face. At 415Headshots, we highly recommend that for a great LinkedIn headshot to be yourself for expressions and poses! We don't want you to feel uneasy or unnatural while you're in your headshot photography session. In fact, if you're going for an unnatural pose and/or facial expression, you can tell that the quality of the headshot degrades.

If you are open to trying out different facial expressions, your headshot photographer will guide you through various facial expressions that are commonly seen in your industry. For example, some headshots will be taken with a nice, big smile with teeth showing. Some other professional headshots will be taken with a more serious face or casual smile.

Your professional headshot photographer will be well-versed in poses for a great LinkedIn photo. There are standard poses that are highly recommended for all headshots. However, poses should also fit into the industry that you're trying to make a splash in.

For example, in corporate headshots or business headshots, standard poses can be arms crossed or one hand grabbing your wrist in front of you. In other professions, such as therapy or real estate, your headshot photographer might guide you into more casual poses, such as a hand in a pocket.

Outfit Decisions for Your Headshot Session

As you search for professional headshots near you, you'll see many examples of various headshots, ranging from business headshots to real estate headshots to creative headshots. It might be confusing to pick a wardrobe that will be just right for a great LinkedIn headshot for yourself.

As mentioned earlier, it's best to stick to your industry standard while picking out an outfit for your professional photo. Before you come into your session, feel free to look at companies you'd like to apply for and mimic their wardrobes. For example, a headshot photography session for a lawyer might include a three-piece suit with a tie versus a realtor headshot session might be more on the casual end with a blazer, nice denim jeans, and a shirt.

If you're looking to come to 415Headshots for LinkedIn headshots, don't worry! Our headshot photographers will recommend outfit options for you before your LinkedIn profile photo session.

Ready To Get A LinkedIn Headshot?

Feel free to contact us for a headshot session in the San Francisco Bay Area. We can accomodate a headshot session, outdoors, anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area or in our studio in the Sunset District. Our pricing starts at $159 for a 20-minute session, which includes 100% rights to all photos taken during the session, 2 free retouched images, and the option of a background change or an outfit change, during your session.