Neha Tiwari Pvt. Ltd.

I recently noticed a new feature on professional networking site Linkedin. Everyone currently has the ability to add a teeny-tiny picture themselves on their public profile.

There already has been some discussion on the photo addition on the Linkedin forum. While I don’t mind it, I question its intention. Linkedin has always been the place that seemed to pride experience, skill and academics over anything else. On the other hand, if you can have interviews over the web it seems to be a natural step for the site. For me, not having the option to post a photo on Linkedin is what set it apart from others. It was purely business and brains, the way the corporate world ideally should be.

Linkedin Santa doesn't want to know if you're naughty or nice.
He just wants to know if you're hot or not.
Regrettably, the real world is not like that. Let’s face it, beauty rules in any society–tangible or not. To their credit, they are trying to retain their street cred by making the pictures ridiculously diminutive. If Linkedin is hopping on the Facbook-esq bandwagon, deliver it all the way; offer members the option of having a visual portfolio of head shots, etc. In my own field, PR, acting, and modeling, I could see how this feature could be used effectively. You don’t necessarily want a troll in front of the camera or reppin’ your company. It matters in any field, whether it is discussed or not.

Growing up, my family had a sandwich shop. It consumed my after school afternoons, and I worked there starting at the age of 12 through college. As I grew older, one of my responsibilities extended to hiring new employees. I would sift through applications and interview those who seemed half-way coherent. Anytime someone who was two apples short of a fruit salad walked in, I could tell. I was not being overly judgmental–as the interview proceeded, this was exposed. If we desperate and needed an employee, they were hired and proved their original impression.

Will people’s books be judged by their cover on Linkedin? I hope not, unless if they truly are a wreck. Or, you can just leave your photo off your page and have a blank square. I think having a picture is most likely preferable–being “just an empty canvas” on Linkedin might not be how you want prospective employers to see you. Inevitably, it comes down to meeting the person physically, which means Linkedin’s attempt to fit in is purely innocuous.