Don’t be a B-rated candidate!

If you’re NOT looking for a job, then post whatever picture you want on LinkedIn. If you ARE looking for a job then choose your picture wisely.

If a recruiter or hiring manager is sifting through a list of profiles and sees an unprofessional picture, they might skip over that profile, altogether.

Here's my No ‘B’ Rule for profile pics. 
No. . . .

• baseball caps—especially worn backward
• booze
• bars—neither the traditional walk-in type, nor the swim-up type
• bros—you should be the only person in the photo
• boats or bikes
• bridal anything
• body parts that belong to other people—shoulder, chin, hair, ear, hand, elbow…the list goes on
• bare belly—your own or anyone else’s
• back of your head
• Bambi or any other animal—domesticated or not
• bathroom accessories of any sort—this includes towel rods, mirrors, showers, bathtubs, and commodes
• beds; nor any bed accoutrements; nor bedroom eyes, gazing into the camera
• bedhead or unkempt hair
• bandeau boob tube or off-the-shoulder tops (FYI, you just look naked)
• biases (visual displays of your political, religious, ideological leanings are not work related)
• baby pics—yours or your kids’

One memorable profile picture was of a young man wearing a ripped, sleeveless T-shirt and a backward baseball cap. He was sitting on a boat in the middle of a lake, holding a beer, and looking away from the camera.

He had so many Bs, I lost count. It’s been 10 years, but I STILL remember that picture. It’s the benchmark of what NOT to do!


Better to have NO picture than the WRONG picture!