People

Tips for the perfect LinkedIn headshot: Confident, not cocky and smart instead of sexy

An applicant's odds of receiving an offer can be diminished by a headshot that doesn't match the picture in the boss's mind

Selfies are free, but some people chasing that just-so photo for their LinkedIn profile are paying $1,000 or more for headshots
Selfies are free, but some people chasing that just-so photo for their LinkedIn profile are paying $1,000 or more for headshots Photo: Alamy

Look confident but not cocky. Assertive yet approachable. Smart instead of sexy, unless you can pull off both — and only if it's subtle sexy.

Nailing your professional headshot seems harder and more clutch than ever at a time of record job changes and on-screen first impressions. The buttoned-up and made-up looks that once dominated business directories and professional profiles now seem stuffy in the work-from-anywhere era.

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