The Importance of a decent photo in social media - especially in job search

posted by Shannon Russo on Oct. 19, 2009

How
you present yourself online is critical, as it can be very beneficial
or detrimental when it comes to your career. With the wide acceptance
of social media and the growing number of job seekers on the market,
public profiles (Facebook,Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn) and resumes (iResume)
are being viewed many times daily. Recruiters, hiring managers, and
colleagues in your professional network are seeking you out online,
with or without your knowledge.

We have all heard the horror stories about someone claiming they were sick and then posting pictures on Facebook of the party from the night before. Or the guy on Twitter who
slammed a company that had just offered him a job - a job offer which
was then rescinded. This brings us back to the topic of pictures...You
should be aware that what is on the internet is not private, and first
impressions can help or hurt you in this age of social media.

One area where few people spend a lot of time to thinking about is
their profile photo. Many times this is a small photo, anywhere from
48×48 pixels to something slightly larger. It is hard to find a good
photo of yourself that works well in this format. Plus, many people
don't like photos of themselves... This is understandable. We often
prefer to be behind the lens than in front of it, but it is important
to have a good photo of yourself to create a good first social media
impression.

Many times, the wrong kind of photos are being chosen. Don't choose
your mug shot (or something that resembles one) or a full body shot
that provides no facial recognition or professional appearance. These
photos don't work in small formats and make your online profile look
sloppy.

You do not necessarily have to use a standard "corporate" style
headshot...often, something more unique is preferred...But the main
thing to remember is to present yourself in a professional and
interesting manner at the same time. Remember that the first thing most
people are going to see in the job search process is your profile
photo. Do you want your potential boss having a first impression of you
holding a beer? How about being hugged by two girls in bathing suits?
OK guys, this sounds great! But don't miss the point...potential
employers might not get the right idea.

Articles are coming out daily sharing that more and more employers are searching the internet (using Google or Bing to search your name, searching Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) as a part of their vetting process for new hires. When they do find you on a social media site, what will be their first impression?

On many social media sites, you may choose to display a family
photo, which can be very tasteful. On more professional sites such asiResume and LinkedIn,
a head and shoulders shot is much more appropriate. It can be off
center or black and white (as long as it is not too dark) to add
variety but still provide a professional appearance.

So, should you hire someone to take a professional photo? Not a bad
idea! You can find someone locally that can shoot your photos from $50
to $150 dollars. We suggest taking several setups such as wearing a
suit to something slightly more casual like a white shirt and jeans.

But, if you are looking to save money and have a friend that can
help, you can have them can take photos for you. But know that
self-portraits (sometimes abbreviated as "sp") don't always turn out as
nice. People tend to create weird angles or perspective or develop a
double chin. At a minimum, have someone else take it, even if it's a
spouse or girlfriend or friend - just have someone else take it. So
when I say "hire" it doesn't mean necessarily paying someone, if you
can find it free, go for it.

Revisit your social media profile photos and ask yourself "is this
the right photo?" If not, make the effort to get one taken. Remember,
people beyond your friends and family may view it, and in this
competitive market, you want to standout in a positive way.

Happy picture taking and happy job searching!

-Allison

This entry was co-authored by Frank Lazaro, an experienced marketing
executive, BS from Kean University, MBA from Coles School of Business,
and founding board member of Atlanta photography and arts-based
not-for-profit, Atlanta Photography Exhibit.

7 comments

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   Phil McCutchen

  
  1
  point
  
  55 minutes ago
  

  Shannon,
  you are, unfortunately, absolutely right. I say unfortunately because
  photos add a measure of subjective judgement to the recruiting process
  that has the potential to be turned against the candidate in ways that
  undermine proper compliance with non-discriminatory legislation.

  
  

  There are plenty of studies that demonstrate the facts: pretty
  people (or at least "not ugly" people) are more likely to get the job
  if all other qualifications are equal; photo images are used to support
  our racial, ethnic, gender, appearance, disabilities or age-related
  pre-dispositions.

  
  

  That's a good reason why staffing and recruiting software doesn't
  include photos of candidates or contingent employees on their profile
  pages. The EEOC would frown upon the practice mightily, knowing that it
  would tend to lend itself to subjective judgement in the placement
  process. This is NOT to be confused with model and talent agencies,
  where appearance is part of the job requirements.

  
  

  So, yeah, get a well-done photo of yourself for your social
  networking pages. One that you can be reasonably satisfied with -- and
  one that isn't a lie (taken 20 years ago when you were 80 pounds
  lighter). Using a bad photo, a gimmicky icon or photo, a photo of your
  cat, or no photo at all merely implies what you think of yourself. And
  that, too, becomes fodder for interpretative speculation.

  
  
  
  
  
  


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   Jay Lowry

  
  1
  point
  
  23 hours ago
  

  My frist thought was, "NEVER POST A PHOTO ON A RESUME" 

  
  

  But reading the blog, I could not agree with Shannon more.  Social
  Networing sites can be a great resource, or a major stumbling block. 

  
  

  I always tell my candidates to be careful what they post.

  
  
  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

   Shannon Russo

  
  1
  point
  
  23 hours ago
  

  AMEN....Thanks, Jay!

  
  
  
  
  
  


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   Bill Wager

  
  1
  point
  
  1 day ago
  

  This article made me realize how important a good photo is, so I updated my photo on ERE as soon as I read it.

  
  
  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

   Shannon Russo

  
  1
  point
  
  23 hours ago
  

  Bill - Thank you for your comment.

  
  


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   Sarah Lucas

  
  1
  point
  
  1 day ago
  

  I
  couldn't agree more. I use a tool called AutoSearch
  (www.getautosearch.com) to do my candidate sourcing. This tool has
  allowed me to see if a consistant message is being portrayed of an
  indivudual across all social and professional networking sites.

  
  

  I found a great candidate on Linkedin, however, when I pulled up
  their myspace page a very different image was portrayed and I
  immediatly knew I could not reach out to this person.

  
  

  My recommendation would be to make your image consistant on all sites!

  
  
  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

   Shannon Russo

  
  1
  point
  
  23 hours ago
  

  Sarah - I definitely agree with your recommendation. I will also check out the tool 'AutoSearch'. Thank you.