Resumes are important. Many recruiters still use them to hire people, and they cannot be replaced by a LinkedIn profile. Ideally, you should have both. However, even the people who oppose the irrelevance of CVs admit that they are being "put under question" as "97% of recruiters use LinkedIn to screen candidates".
The point, however, is not that CVs are obsolete, but that, nowadays, they are not as important as your LinkedIn photo. And yes, we have the data to prove it…
LinkedIn vs. CVs (Statistics)
More than half (60%) of companies still rely primarily on CVs, but that number is not as impressive when one considers "90% of employers use some form of social media when looking to fill a vacancy." When it comes to jobs, LinkedIn is always the social media platform.
The potential of CVs, unlike LinkedIn's, seems unpromising, with 43% of young workers stating they are an "outdated recruitment model." This suggests that, to hire top, young talent, recruiters need to forget about CVs and start relying on online platforms like LinkedIn.
So, LinkedIn is essential for anyone looking to find a job or make bold career moves. But how important is a LinkedIn photo?
How LinkedIn Photos Influence Recruiters
LinkedIn photos matter because they're the presentation card of your LinkedIn profile. They're like the cover to your book, but not just that. Because they show faces (namely, a headshot), they also impact recruiters psychologically. In other words, they influence recruiters' decisions even if they don't notice it.
A concept that helps to explain this is thin-slicing, a research-based phenomenon in which people make inferences about someone with minimal amounts of information. In LinkedIn, headshots are usually the only visual cue in one's profile, so they carry the most "thin-slicing power". You can't thin-slice a job description, but you can certainly thin-slice a picture of someone's face.
Another crucial factor is the halo effect, a common cognitive bias of associating attractiveness with competency. This adds up to the importance of LinkedIn photos. The more attractive you look in your headshot, the better your chances of making a recruiter's brain go "Person that looks good = Person that's good at their job".
Getting the Perfect LinkedIn Photo (With AI!)
LinkedIn is the prominent player in the current (and future) job market, and LinkedIn photos are one of the main psychological drivers of recruiters' decisions (even when they act subconsciously). Now, what can you do about it?
Professional services for improving LinkedIn headshots abound, but they can be expensive. AI provides an alternative that offers similar degrees of tailored optimization, but without any of the hassles (like having to pose for a camera for hours on end until you get the perfect shot).
With AI, the ideal shot can be generated in seconds, and it's up to you to select the one you enjoy the most. With LinkedIn surpassing CVs as the world's main recruiter playground, it's probably a good idea to get all the help you can to improve your LinkedIn photo.
