![\"underground-rebel-bingo\"](\"https:\/\/michaelwilding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Underground-Rebel-Bingo-300x243.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen I\u2019m on LinkedIn, I often come across a photo where I think\u2026 \u2018damn, you look like shite<\/i>\u201d.<\/p>\n
And not because the person\u2019s ugly, just because the photo is a crock of crap.<\/p>\n
LinkedIn defines itself as\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cManage your professional identity. Build and engage with your professional network. Access knowledge, insights and opportunities.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you think photos like that are really the way to manage your professional identify and engage with your professional network?<\/p>\n
Hells to the no.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re the absolutely wrong way to do it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d love to show an example, and legally I could, but I feel it would be a breach of someones privacy to do that in this email.<\/p>\n
So instead, I\u2019m going to use an example of myself. It would be like me using this photo on my LinkedIn profile:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Instead of the one in the header of this email.<\/p>\n
Nobody in my professional network wants to see a photo of me at a Rebel Bingo Rave.<\/p>\n
Okay, maybe they do, but they shouldn\u2019t be seeing it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s for personal relationships, for folk like you \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Imagine if you\u2019re a business, who would you rather see coming into your office to consult with you, who would you rather introduce to the CEO of your company, who would you rather trust.<\/p>\n
The photo above of me at a Rebel Bingo Rave, or the one at the top of every email I send you.<\/p>\n
Obviously, it\u2019s the one at the top of every email I send.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clean, professional and still gets across my personality.<\/p>\n
If you think I\u2019m going a bit over the top on this, think again. Don\u2019t forget, I used to be an actor, and I\u2019ve auditioned hundreds of people for shows in the past.<\/p>\n
So I\u2019ve spent a lot of time staring at photos, and there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learnt doing it. Everybody makes a first impression. Your LinkedIn profile is your first impression for potential work, partnerships and joint-ventures. Which means you need to look professional and good.<\/p>\n
There are loads of people who can take a professional business headshots. If you\u2019re in the UK, then I can recommend Louise Rose Photography, who took mine.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve known her for years, she\u2019s an excellent photographer and you can check out her website here\u2026<\/p>\n