Rod Stewart wrote that every picture tells a story. And apparently, that's never been more important than it is right now.
In a survey of more than 200 human-resources professionals, business owners and managers, 71% said they at least once had rejected a job candidate because of his or her LinkedIn (MSFT) profile picture, even if the person was properly qualified. And 38% do it regularly.
The survey comes from photo app Passport Photo Online.
The results showed that 4 of every 5 of the respondents (80%) thought that a job candidate’s LinkedIn profile picture helped them get to know the applicant better. The same number of respondents also see that as an important ranking factor.
“Even if we don’t care to admit it, we all judge a book by its cover, and we need to understand how it affects our decision-making,” Cindy Corpis, chief executive of SearchPeopleFree, a website for finding information about people, said in the report.
To be sure, the report says that 82% of respondents think they shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover.”
A good-looking profile picture creates a “halo effect,” making hiring pros “give a person some boost in one area, based only on a favorable judgment in another area,” the report said.
“Although we know this should not happen, we favor candidates with attractive-looking profile pictures, believing it correlates with their performance. And by the same token, we reject others, disregarding their actual competencies.”
The report quotes Alex Shute, founder of FaithGiant, a website about Christian faith, who said, “Sometimes I form an opinion about a certain person based on his LinkedIn profile picture because it is the only visual that truly represents him. It boils down to the power of first impressions.”
