You’re having a (LinkedIn) laugh! CV coach says funny posts can work for work

Humour has been endorsed as the one BIG thing contractors might be missing if their LinkedIn posts are struggling to get ‘Likes.’

CV and work-winning expert Matt Craven made the endorsement after a post entitled the “Seven Deadly Sins of LinkedIn, 2023 Edition” cheered up his feed.

Written by copywriter Dave Harland, the post pokes fun at LinkedIn faux pas, ranging from “asking people to work for free by calling it an opportunity,” to outright “stroppery.”

On the site, stroppery is “when people don’t reply to your message straight away and you get in a pure mood like you’re 14 again, proving what a total nightmare you'd be to work with.”

'Humblebraggery'

Boss of his own PSC, The Word Man, Harland also takes aim at LinkedIn users who engage in “Chatbottery,” “Humblebraggery” and in a toe-curling bid to feign interest, “Breadrollery.”

He demystified the term: “Asking people what they call a bread roll in the area of the world in which they live. It’s the lowest form of [engagement]. Repent and ye shall win business.”

Craven believes Harland is onto something.

'Tried and tested strategy to become a thought-leader'

“Using proprietary language [like this is memorable],” said the work-winning coach, who heads up The CV & Interview Advisors.

“Dave’s amusing phrases are brilliant and entertaining which is one thing, not that they’re easy to pull off.

“But this tactic of developing your own terminology, of coining phrases, is a tried and tested strategy to position yourself as a thought leader.

“If you give your thoughts and ideas -- philosophies, frameworks, processes, even systems -- names, and talk about them regularly, you’ll be on the road to being considered an expert.”

'A little humour goes a long way'

Reproduced below, the post by Harland should encourage contractors to not always opt for the serious and sober when updating their profiles, but to be distinct -- while trying to raise a smile.

With ContractorUK readers in mind, Craven advised: “As a contractor, I encourage you to share your expertise on LinkedIn and sometimes [doing that with] a little humour goes a long way.

“And it’s ok to be a little ‘out there.’ Remember, people like real people, so there’s nothing wrong with being a bit controversial. So, it’s sometimes better to be ginger and biscoff than vanilla [in your posts]. Not everyone will like it, but ginger and biscoff will get you noticed!”

Also an adviser on LinkedIn best-practice, Craven added: “Humour on LinkedIn gets great engagement. So if you have the talent for a bit of comedy, don’t be afraid to use it. It’s not something we can all pull off, but if you can, go for it.”

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The Seven Deadly Sins of Linkedin, 2023 Edition, by Dave Harland
 
1. Chatbottery – Hailing the latest popular AI writing tool as the answer to all of our content creation prayers, simultaneously fast-tracking huge swathes of the underskilled towards the biggest era of marketing mediocrity in history. 
 
2. Carousellery – Pumping out self-eye-gougingly tedious 57-page slideshows every other day with content that you really could’ve covered in a single text post but carousels are better for the algorithm aren’t they so who cares what the audience thinks? 
 
3. Thievery – Shamelessly copying other people's ideas almost word-for-word like a snidey little weasel because your brain can’t go more than 5 seconds without the dopamine boost from all those likes and comments that you know deep-down you don’t really deserve. Oooh ya little weasel. 
 
4. Humblebraggery – Making stories about your charity work more about you than the charity, so everyone knows how secretly amazing you are. And don't forget the hashtag #Humble 
 
5. Cheekybastardry – Shamelessly probing fellow professionals for ideas that will help your business without ever offering anything in return. Or asking people to work for free by calling it an opportunity, mentioning exposure, or promising future work. 
 
6. Stroppery – When people don’t reply to your message straight away and you get in a pure mood like you’re 14 again, proving what a total nightmare you'd be to work with. 
 
7. Breadrollery – Asking people what they call a bread roll in the area of the world in which they live. It’s the lowest form of shi*.  
 
Repent and ye shall win business.