austin texas headshot photography by steven noreyko

headshots by steven noreyko

Professional portraits for actors, corporate, business and more

Monthly Archives: October 2014

Profiles with pictures are more likely to be viewed.

The Internet is awash in articles on how to improve your LinkedIn profile. Many of them cite research stating that profiles with a picture are X times more likely to be viewed than a profile without a photo. Depending on the article, this might be seven, eleven or even fourteen times more likely to be viewed. I wasn’t able to find the specific research studies to back up these claims, but even if a photo was to just double the number of profile views, it would certainly be worthwhile (especially in a job search).

Once you’ve gotten that profile view, don’t you want to make a great first impression?

This quote from Tom Humbarger’s Social Media Musings blog sums it up:

The worst thing you can do on LinkedIn is to not have a profile picture, and the second worst thing you can do is have a profile picture that leaves an unprofessional impression…

The simplest advice is to look at your photo and ask yourself, would you hire this person?

The Squinch – research says it works!

New York photographer Peter Hurley has over a million views for his “squinch” technique video. The idea is pretty simple and Hurley says it will make someone more photogenic.

…it’s a good idea to squint ever-so-gently in photos (as you’d do naturally in a genuine, relaxed smile).

The folks over at PhotoFeeler did a small research study and guess what? The research says the squinch works. Pictures with the squinch increased a subject’s perceived Competence and perceived Influence scores.

Is the squinch right for you? Maybe yes and maybe no. It all really depends on the look you want for your photo. However, this research suggests its a technique worth trying.