Good Photos a Must for LinkedIn Profile

Remember when photos were verboten for résumés and the job search? No longer. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal claims a professional photo for a LinkedIn profile is a good idea. Experts say a high-quality photo helps an individual stand out among applicants and that profiles with a photo are 11 times more likely to be viewed than those without.

But are professional photos the only way to go? Not according to AJAX Workforce Marketing CEO Jason Seiden. He advises using several photos to see which ones elicit the most responses.

Advice from College Senior Who Scored a Job

Students are used to getting advice from counselors, instructors, and of course, their parents. But when one of their own talks, students may very well listen a little harder.

David L. Pierce, a senior finance student in Arkansas who landed a job as an investment-banking analyst as a senior, offers the following advice to fellow soon-to-be grads.

1. Never wear a black suit to an interview. Save it for funerals.

2. Become comfortable in social situations before interviewing. Just going to a bar to strike up a conversation with a stranger is a good way practice becoming more eat ease in a high-pressure interview.

3. Use a Gmail account with an easy-to-understand form of your name. Avoid Yahoo or AOL accounts; many interviewers consider them suspicious.

4. Reset Facebook privacy settings, make Twitter and Instagram fully private, and choose a presentable photo for public viewing.

5. Send both e-mail and US mail thank you notes.

6. Set up a professional-sounding voice mail.