Ways to Improve Your Profile Picture and Career Management Tips for Women – March 2017

Brand Career Management Monthly Tip Sheet

As you may know, March celebrates International Women’s Day (March 8^th). Because of this, I’ve filled this issue with links, resources and articles related to women in the workplace and I share some websites specific for working women. I hope you enjoy them.

Working with women in career management has always moved and motivated me. One of my major career / business goals is to start working with more women and women’s groups, and finding new ways to engage women with their careers. If you have any ideas for me in this regard, please feel free to share them.

Best wishes,

Paula

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Improve Your LinkedIn Profile Picture:   You don’t have to hire a professional photographer for a LinkedIn profile picture; however, make sure you ask someone who is capable of taking a good shot. Selfies have no place here. Below are three tips to help ensure a good profile picture.

1. The picture should show YOU.   This may sound obvious, yet I’ve seen enough examples to the contrary. Your profile picture should only be of you – no family members, no friends and no animals (unless you are a Veterinarian). Also, don’t use a picture with others and then crop them out.
2. Focus on your neck up.   This was always true, but even more so now. With the new profile picture showing up as a circle and not a square, you lose the surrounding space, so it’s best to make your face the main focus of the picture. Also, remember that your profile picture appears in many places on LinkedIn, and usually in a miniature view (which makes it hard to see you). The biggest version will be on your profile page but everywhere else, for example, next to your comments, your picture is much smaller.
3. Your look.   Be sure to smile and look approachable. You want others to be drawn to your profile, and looking friendly is one easy way to do that. Also, make sure your photo is in focus and up-to-date. Using an older picture that no longer looks like you is not recommended. If a new person wouldn’t recognize you in a Starbucks based on your profile picture, you need a new one.

The posts below offer advice to women on various aspects of career management, to increase their rate of success in the workplace. Consider how you can apply these bits of wisdom to your own situation.

MENTORING

Megan Della-Camina offers good advice and interesting thoughts on why women should seek out a mentor and how to do it.

BRANDING AS CAREER INSURANCE

One of my favorite reinvention and branding experts, Dorie Clark (dorieclark.com) is quoted in this article by Nneka Orji on www.theglasshammer.com (a career resource for professional women), about challenging some perceptions of professional women as you brand and reinvent yourself.

TAKING RISKS TO FURTHER YOUR CAREER

This longer LinkedIn post is actually an excerpt from Joann Lublin’s book Earning It: Hard-on Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World. It illustrates how leaping off of the “glass cliff” may end up helping your career.

MAINTAINING THE LOVE OF YOUR CAREER

I was honored to recently guest blog for www.sharpheels.com (a site tailored for professional women on careers, fashion, travel and shopping). Please check out my February post about loving your career. If you wouldn’t mind sharing it, liking it, etc. there are links on the original post to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn on the bottom of the page. If it’s helpful to know, my Twitter handle is @brandcareermgmt, my Facebook business page is Facebook.com/BrandCareerManagement, and click here for this post on LinkedIn.

LEANING INTO YOUR CAREER

If you’re not familiar with Sheryl Sandberg, she wrote Lean In, and has started a website to help women succeed at work. Look for a group of support in your local area, or start a Lean In circle near you.

Over the coming months, I will be spreading the word about the major LinkedIn overhaul and how to best manage these changes, in a presentation titled ”What’s New, What’s Gone and What You Need to Know.”

Tuesday, March 28 at 4 pm (closed to the public)
at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.

Monday, May 15 at 7 pm (free and open to the public)
at the Broadneck Branch of the Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL). You can R.S.V.P. starting on May 1.

As mentioned last issue, I’m really interested in speaking to women’s groups focused on mid-career professionals between 40 and 60 years of age. If you know of any groups that match this criteria, please let me know. Three popular topics I can address are: Assessing and Marketing Your Strengths, Proactively Changing Careers, and Managing Your Career for Success.