Like it or not people searching for you online make their minds up about who you are based on your profile. And the single most important factor in your profile is your headshot.

Studies run by associations and independents alike find that people make a decision on whether or not they like you within 100 milliseconds. One-tenth of a second is all it takes to assess your profile photo and decide whether to trust you and work with you. So the image on your website or social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, has a big influence on whether people want to connect with you or not.

Unfortunately most people end up using an old snapshot and look unprofessional. Worse still,some have no photo at all, stay anonymous and miss out on the benefits of building a strong online brand. Out of the 130 million people who have a professional profile on LinkedIn, fewer than 30% have a professional headshot.

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing with you the most common mistakes people make when it comes to their online profile pictures.  Today we start with the most obvious one:

Headshot Mistake #1 - Having no photo

Being anonymous in your online profiles is the single biggest blunder. We’re naturally suspicious of anonymity. We give scant credence to people who literally don’t show their face, making us feel less inclined to connect with them.

The message having no photo gives to others: ‘I can’t be bothered to invest the time into creating a credible and professional image for myself.’