However, the profile pictures of some LinkedIn members seems to reject contacts rather than inviting them.

An inviting picture is simple. You don’t need to be a natural beauty for an ‘inviting picture’, as long as you don’t make any of the top 10 mistakes below. Don’t be afraid your picture will be too much like others. Your face is unique!

1. No picture

Displaying the company logo or something different from your face is similar to ‘no picture’. In fact you are hiding. If you like to be found, why would you play hide-and-seek?

2. Sunglasses

The eyes reflect the mood. If you are hiding your eyes behind sunglasses, what mood are you hiding? Anger, sadness, lack of self-confidence? If it is something positive, please take off your sunglasses and show us!

3. Leisure

You like skiing, sailing, play tennis, but you wouldn’t mention your hobbies and sports in the first line of your CV, would you? Your profile picture is seen even before the first line of your CV. So, what is your message? Your leisure and hobbies are more important than your work?

4. Wine

You are holding a glass of wine on your profile picture. Assuming you aren’t a professional wine trader, you must be a relaxed person who likes to take a glass of wine after work. But is this really the most important thing you like to tell visitors?

5. Distance

Your picture is taken from a large distance. We almost can’t see your face. Your message seems to be: the emotional distance between you and me is large and I like to keep it that way. Was this really what you meant?

6. Multiple people

Your picture is showing multiple people. One of them must be you. Maybe the one in the middle?

You seem to like your colleagues, friends or family or whoever the other people may be. You may be a good team player. But are you open to be approached as an individual as well?

7. Distraction

The visitor should be invited to look at your face. If other things in the same picture – buildings, cars, machines, animals - are attracting attention, your face will get less attention.

As a woman you should realize that a plunging neckline will also distract attention from your face.

8. Small size/low resolution/poor quality

Small, low resolution or dark pictures inhibit visitors to look at you. And a changed height-width ratio doesn’t make you look slimmer, but distorted. Why? Do you think you aren’t worth looking at?

9. Looking into a different direction

You are looking into another direction than the camera. Remember, the camera is the visitors eye. If you seem to ignore the visitor, the visitor might ignore you.

10. Anger/sadness

Smiling isn’t obligatory, but what’s the message of looking angry, sad or bored? That you’re unable to make yourself happy? Not really attractive…