When Was the Last Time That You Updated Your LinkedIn Profile Image? [Survey]

“You don’t appear like your LinkedIn photo”

Have you ever ever been hit with this devastating realization, that the sands of time have passed faster than you felt, and now, you’re looking significantly different to what you once did?

You’re not alone. I personally am not a fan of photos, and customarily just persist with the few professionally taken images I actually have of myself, which were taken for various purposes over time.

But time does indeed keep moving, and people images will grow to be outdated. After which, they won’t appear like you do anymore, which may be jarring if you meet people in real life, they usually’re expecting to see a unique person before them.

Which may be particularly relevant on LinkedIn, where people go to search out out more about your skilled experience.

So when was the last time that you simply updated your LinkedIn profile image?

To glean some additional insight into this, the team from Passport Photos Online recently surveyed 1,040 lively LinkedIn users from the U.S. about their profile updating behaviors, and the way they perceive others.

Here’s what they found.

First off, just over half of the survey participants said that they’ve had the identical LinkedIn profile photo for 3 years or more.

Which isn’t any surprise. Most individuals should not overly confident with their portrait shots, so that you default to essentially the most professional-looking, or last professionally taken image that you could have.

Indeed, the survey also found that around 45% of persons are dissatisfied with their LinkedIn profile image.

Look, we’re not all supermodels, and for many of us, we’re just attempting to put our greatest foot forward, and there aren’t all the time a heap of options on this front. So yes, lots of us are using old images, however the survey also showed that having an up-to-date picture is essential.

Even those that haven’t updated their headshot agree that they need to. So if it’s something that you simply’ve been laying aside, you almost certainly must update your LinkedIn image, as a minimum, to make sure that you really appear like you ahead of in-person meetings.

Because 56% of respondents also indicated that they’ve met someone who looked so much different to their LinkedIn profile pic, which, happening this element, is sensible:

Though there was also one particularly interesting note amongst the information points:

“Roughly 17% of LinkedIn account holders haven’t updated their profile headshot yet on account of age discrimination concerns.”

Sadly, this continues to be a consider many individuals’s pondering, and something that must be addressed at knowledgeable level. But it surely does make sense. Yet, even then, there’ll still be a disconnect between the way you present yourself online, and the way you look IRL.

For most individuals, presenting yourself is a challenge, and never something that comes naturally, and posing for photos can feel unnatural and strangely difficult. But there are essential reasons for keeping your online representation up thus far, and it is probably going price considering if you last updated your LinkedIn profile, specifically, and perhaps giving that photo a refresh.

Possibly, in future, this will probably be less relevant, as we’ll all be meeting within the metaverse, via avatars which are ageless. But straight away, IRL stays a vital element, and on LinkedIn specifically, that’s price factoring in.

Now to update my very own profile image.

You’ll be able to read more of Passport Photos Online’s survey notes here.