What is the vibe of your LinkedIn profile?

The vibe of your LinkedIn profile matters.  What is your vibe and how are your perceived?

Your vibe will be integral in inspiring action and trust. It forms the basis to attract  networks, conversations, ideal clients or a new job or career.

Most Australians will recall the brilliant line from the much loved movie The Castle when the bumbling lawyer Dennis Denuto  (played by Tiriel Mora)  could only voice his court argument with ‘it’s just the vibe’.      Whilst poor Dennis couldn’t articulate clearly the legalities he communicated a feeling and sense of the justice and purpose behind the legislation.   But before we dive into the vibe of your LinkedIn profile here is the scene:

Far too often the  ‘vibe or tone’ of members LinkedIn profiles  ignored to the detriment of attraction and engagement.  What your objectives are for LinkedIn need to be scaled and weighed against the results and outcomes you gain.   Your vibe either will attract or repel.

LinkedIn Profile Purpose

Your LinkedIn profile has many different aims and reasons.  It may be used for business relationship building, new business, finding and verifying  suppliers, business acquisitions, networking, branding, thought leadership  positioning, sales funnel development, recruitment, headhunting, PR, job seeking, testimonials, new opportunities etc – the list and opportunities are endless and individual.  But what is consistent across both is the need for authenticity and vibe of the person and the feelings  that are unearthed when reading a profile, company page.

How is it working for you!

One of my favourite sayings is Dr Phil’s – ‘Hows it working for you’.  Often we don’t know what we have missed out on because we didn’t even have an opportunity to see it.  We don’t know who looked at a profile or resume and decided  ‘no way that person isn’t for me or my business’. Or a resume that just didn’t cut the mustard because of something that didn’t resonate.

And of course unless you have the luxury of hearing WHY someone didn’t call or email, you are often none the wiser.  Humans are funny animals with a myriad of conscious and subconscious perceptions and  inter-plays at work. But fundamentally we are attuned to get a sense of a person, a situation or company quickly.  And its that ‘feel or vibe’ that will impact positively or negatively.

In the case of LinkedIn profiles  opinions are made instantly – generally on a gut/ emotional level. And that is where the tone and vibe is crucial.

Candidates are checking out prospective managers and companies every day and its crucial your profiles attract not repel.  We buy, recruit and engage with people who we feel a connection with and then look for the skills and capabilities to further engage and back up our ‘feeling/vibe’.

There is no value in trying to communicate a corporate vibe if you are a relaxed small business. Conversely it is futile communicating you are a relaxed people person if you are hard nosed fiscally orientated type.

Three touch points for your Vibe

Tone – Start with an honest personal inventory of YOU. And always write in the 1st person as writing in the 3rd person gives an impression of disconnect and arrogance.

What are your values, what do you stand for, what drives you, what concerns you, what do you want to make a difference in/for ? What is unique about you ? Show glimpses of your  personality  and vulnerability..  Be authentic for whatever is true for you and relevant to your business, career and objectives. This is not Facebook but to get the right results and attention you need to inject your humanness.

Watch your engagement style and tone on other peoples posts and how you respond to messages.  Things like a lazy thumbs up when someone has crafted a personal message is not a good vibe.  Nor is bitchiness and digs in comments on posts.  Disagree with respect.

There is a lot of logical business value in the old fashioned elements of charm.

Content /Story– Your  business journey and company culture also has a tone and needs peppering.   The starting point here is what do you do, how you got to where you are, what problems do you solve and how  you solve them.  And what is special about YOUR business and working there.

Style/Images/Photo – Your photograph is an essential piece of your tone and vibe on LinkedIn.  A photo will instantly attract or repel and must be congruent with the rest of the profiles content and tone. Consistent messaging is key.  And a background banner is the visual instant website of sorts.  Use it well to be a brand stamp and instant value point of recognition.  People are visual and its a nanosecond to form a vibe.

Remember first and foremost – we are all humans dealing with other humans – lets bring some directness but also fun and relevance with our tone and vibe. It will attract better clients, staff, jobs, supplies and build a stronger business and personal brand reputation.

Ensure your profile and  actions on LinkedIn have a really great vibe.