LINKEDIN TACTICS THAT MAKE ME WINCE
But even before the facts came to light, I found the post cringe-inducing with dramatic sentences such as:
“What struck me wasn’t just the legendary career – transforming DBS into a global digital banking leader – but the humility and presence with which he carried himself. No entourage. No airs. Just quiet conviction.”
The post promoted the expedition by borrowing Mr Gupta’s fame: “He smiled and said, ‘What an incredible opportunity – for women of any age – to step outside the office and into something truly meaningful.’”
Do people speak like that?
I get it. It is hard to stand out on a platform with over a billion users, including heavyweights like Bill Gates who has 38 million LinkedIn fans. But in the wanton pursuit of LinkedIn fame, many users resort to content tactics that beggar belief.
For example, there are LinkedIn influencers who like to boast about making a lot of money.
The pitch often goes like this: “Here is how I went from US$100 to US$1 million in one year in my new online business”.
Or “You can become rich like me too, if you take up my course on how to become a LinkedIn content creator.”
Initially, such posts can inspire awe and envy, especially for those new to LinkedIn. After a while, the same spiel appears too frequently and you realise these people often have little else to offer.
Then, there are those who keep posting irrelevant selfies. LinkedIn’s algorithm appears to boost our visibility when we put up photos of ourselves, but some users go overboard – all their posts contain well-photoshopped selfies, regardless of the content.
We already encounter too many pointless selfies on Instagram and TikTok. Please don’t do this to LinkedIn.
Finally, there are the insensitive posts from people who survived a retrenchment exercise. Layoffs have become more common, and people are less shy to share how they have been retrenched. But it feels inappropriate when their unscathed colleague writes on LinkedIn about how sad they feel about the layoffs, what a loss of talent has occurred, and they promise to be a pillar of support for those who need it.
In my opinion, if you are really sincere about helping your retrenched colleagues, you should reach out to them directly.
