Who scores best?

Updated for October 2021!

In 2018 JDP completed an analysis of photographs in LinkedIn.  The result is a really indication of trends with different industries.  

This graph shows the overall score on the photographs used for those industries.  The photographs were scored by comparing the following characteristics of the photos.

• Framing

• Lighting

• Resolution

These are pretty basic components of a photograph but if you manage to get these 3 things right, you will probably have a good photo.

There are other components that take a good photo to a fantastic photo but for now we’ll stick with these.

The results shouldn’t really be a surprise.  The top 4 all rely on presentation of people goods or property.  As much as we all like to think we don’t judge a book by it’s cover, deep down we all know that we make judgements on others in the first few seconds of meeting someone or seeing their photo.  In fact, science has shown that it only takes seconds and we all do this.  If you have any doubts that this is the case, you just need to see where MARKETING, REAL ESTATE and SALES are in the list.  Having a good shot really makes a difference and yet it is an advantage that not everyone is taking.  The second chart shows us that only some people are taking this seriously whish is great for the rest of us.

This next list shows us the percentage of people in each industry that have a professional photo.  It is no surprise to find MARKETING at the top of the list with 70% of people having a professional photo. If anyone knows what sells, it’s marketing!

If they’ve done the heavy lifting for us, why don’t the rest of us follow up with action to take advantage of this.  The truth is that not everyone is willing to take action.  Even when presented with a clear path of what works and how to do it, some still lack the drive or willingness to take action.  This is a good thing for the rest of us.  It means we get an advantage when someone else is not willing to put in the work or implement certain changes.

So, you’ve read all this and you may be one of the people that needs to update that photo.  Are you the type of person that will let this opportunity pass by, or will you take action and elevate your profile that little bit over everybody else?  The fact that you are reading this post makes me think you will take action.

If you would like to read more on the JDP study, you can find it HERE.