What Your Profile Photo Is Telling Employers (Infographic) Yes, your resume is important, but as with any real-world encounter, it's the photo that makes that crucial first impression.
By Laura Entis
Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*
Claim Offer*Offer only available to new subscribers
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
With more than 90 percent of employers recruiting through social media, you can't afford to ignore how you present yourself visually on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook but most importantly, of course, LinkedIn.
You only get one chance to make a good first impression, and while your resume is important, it's your photo that gets noticed first. Recruiters spend an average of six seconds per LinkedIn profile, dedicating19 percent of that brief window to looking at the photograph, an ample amount of time to form an initial impression (researchers from Princeton Universityfound that it takes us a mere 1/10 of a second to judge someone else based on a photo).
So how can you wow a potential employer via a photograph? Firstly, don't obstruct the eyes. Sunglasses make wearers appear 10 percent less likeable, and if your hair covers your eyes in a photo, your perceived competence decreases by 15 percent, according to an infographic from career blog AvidCareerist. For more tips on how to increase your likeability, competence and influence via your social media photo, check out the infographic below.
Click to Enlarge+
Related: From Marco Polo to Mark Zuckerberg: The Evolution of the Entrepreneur (Infographic)
