Why post a good LinkedIn picture?  The WSJ reports hiring managers often check out LinkedIn profiles of applicants, and looking the part there can help people get the job and make more money according to a recent Harvard Business School study. The researchers controlled for face, gender, and age, and “found that certain photo features could tilt the selection process… The advantage could be roughly the equivalent of a 5% pay differential.” Images were especially helpful when it was hard to differentiate between candidates per the study.

What does it mean to look the part?  Wearing glasses and having a computer visible helped software programmers get jobs. For design and media jobs, smiling and using a high-quality photo were important.

For the Bay Area, an SF recruiter told the WSJ that “It’s generally a good idea to have a neutral background and no children, pets or celebrities in the photo” and to avoid an “obviously AI-generated photo or tone down the makeup.”

If you feel like that a neutral picture is hiding your true self, then of course show that true self and accept your target audience is smaller. The WSJ talked to a lawyer in Amsterdam who “says that for much of her early career, she dressed the part and concealed her piercings and tattoos.” She purposely “wore a stereotype of what a professional looked like,” but “never felt comfortable or able to express [her] own individuality or creativity through [her] appearance.” When she started her own firm, however, she updated her photo on her website, email signature and LinkedIn and is now “wearing a friendly smile, a blue sleeveless dress and a visible sleeve of tattoos,” with the goal “to look friendly and approachable, … key to [her] brand.” Her LinkedIn profile here.