Ever since social media became “a thing” experts and parents alike have been telling us to “watch our online image.” There’s so much information getting put out there on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, WordPress, Instagram, and LinkedIn. But where’s the line between fun and professional? While I wish to explore the “professionality” of all of the social media sites, I think the most important at this point is LinkedIn.

When you start coming into CP&R on a somewhat regular basis, they’ll ask you about your LinkedIn profile. What does it mean to update that? What’s the conduct for connections? That dreaded LinkedIn photo? That’s what I want to explore.

LinkedIn helps to keep track of people you meet after attending networking events. It’s like an online folder for business cards. It can also be used as an informal and casual way to get advice from alumnae or other connections. It can also be used for your friends and colleagues to connect your with their connections for networking and getting internships and jobs. (If you don’t know how important these are, look back at my previous post.)

In my Core II class about gender and economics, we read a study that explored the implications of sending a photo along with your resume. The results explain that you should not submit a photo because women who are making decisions often feel jealous of an attractive woman and men who are making decisions feel that attractive women are less credible. As a result, when CP&R told me to start a LinkedIn I didn’t want to have a photo. Here’s why I finally gave in:

Despite my qualms about sending a photo with a resume that could potentially have employers make implicit judgments one way or the other, I realized that it’s also unprofessional to have a profile without a photograph. Even though they have the same implications for employers and employment, it is appropriate to include a photo on your LinkedIn page (almost inappropriate if you don’t) while I would highly suggest not including a photo with your resume at it seems as though you are trying to get by on your looks. On a more personal note, picking a LinkedIn photo is really important. You need to pick a photo with good lighting, you shouldn’t be making a weird face, you shouldn’t be sweaty and in work out clothes, etc. This may sound fairly obvious, but I can’t even tell you how many photos I’ve seen like this and it makes the rest of your profile seem less credible.

In terms of connections, don’t treat LinkedIn like Facebook and become friends with someone you were friends with at camp or in middle school or had class with last semester. You should only connect with friends who you can talk about in a professional capacity, speak to their character, work ethic. Think about it this way: connect with someone on LinkedIn if you feel comfortable being a reference for them during the job search process.

LinkedIn is an important aspect of your professional image and development and should be taken seriously, more seriously and with more intentionality than the other social media sites.