A Little Advice for My Angry LinkedIn Connection

When I was a youth, I had a friend who was angry all the time. Johnny was his name. He had a younger brother, Billy, who was a better athlete than him and more affable. Johnny was jealous of his younger brother.When we played pick up football, Johnny was the slower and less nimble of the group. Billy and I were the better football players. This, I suppose, made Johnny even more angry.At times Johnny would lash out at me for no apparent reason. I would disagree with him and BAM he would hit me. One time I ducked his punch and smacked him in the face. And then I ran like hell. I was a lover, not a fighter.The other kids in the neighborhood couldn’t understand why Johnny was so angry; why he lashed out at me.At the time I didn’t understand his anger. And then one day my father told me that some people are just plain angry, and there’s only one thing you can do about it; distance yourself from them.So that’s what I did. My angry LinkedIn connection, I see some of your posts on LinkedIn, and I think that you are angry. Angry all the time, like Johnny. And I think there’s no reason for you to show your anger, especially when others are watching you.I recently read a post on LinkedIn that made a helluva lot of sense to me. It is called, “ An open letter to Obama haters on LinkedIn .” The author of this post is Sherry Nouraini, PhD.I took away from the article that employers/possible business partners are looking at what you write and think to themselves that angry verbiage is a sign of a problem maker, not a problem solver. Johnny was a problem maker.What broke the proverbial camel’s back was the relentlessness smear campaign against LinkedIn. You made it your goal to bring LI to its knees by using long posts to do this. But what you wrote before was also full of anger.I must profess that I have written out of anger, but not with as much vehemence as you do. I have, at times, criticized LinkedIn (I still can’t let go of losing unlimited searches). But how I criticize LinkedIn is nothing like the smear campaign you’ve started.It’s not only your attack on LinkedIn that rubs me wrong, it’s also expressing your opinions on politics and religion that are inappropriate. First of all, I don’t care who you support in the upcoming primaries. Second, there’s no room for politics on LinkedIn.Simply liking an article or photo that is politically minded is further evidence of your anger and negative attitude. To like something politically or religiously minded implies that you agree with its message, that you might also write it.Have you not read that people don’t think LinkedIn is the forum for politics and religion? (Hint: Facebook is a better forum for expressing one’s political and religious views. I’m quite enjoying my new foray on Facebook.)If you read the aforementioned article, the author talks about how bashing politicians or any other public figures is noticed by potential employers who are looking for people to solve their problems, not to create problems.Your confrontational attitude will cause employers to think the latter of you; that you will cause problems.You are currently unemployed, yet you continue to criticize how employers fail in the hiring process. I get it; employers don’t always make the best decisions–68% of them admit to making a bad hire at least once–but what good does it do you to criticize their practices.Related: 7 Wasted Networking Opportunities That Hurt Your ChancesAgain, I admit to throwing mud at some recruiters, but not every single time I get the opportunity. If I did this, many of my connections would disown me.Have you thought that it may be you who is at fault for not getting hired? Keep in mind that employers troll LinkedIn to find talent and if they see the way you bash them, you’re seen as an excuse maker and a complainer; both of which employers try to avoid.It’s not only what you write that makes you come across as angry; it’s your photo. Your photo looks like a mug shot. You look angry enough to kill someone.Johnny always looked angry, too. Your photo is your first impression. Do you want to turn away employers before they even read your profile?What I find ironic is that you have the word “Professional” in your headline. You don’t come across as professional, not by my standards.And in your Summary you talk about demonstrating a willingness to help others achieve their goals. I don’t buy any of it when I read your updates or spiteful long posts.I’m sorry, connection, your anger is obvious, and I fear it is hurting your chances of getting a job. When you land your next job, I’m afraid that what you wrote on LinkedIn prior will come back to bite you in the ass.I can only assume that 1) you don’t care if people are turned off by your angry verbiage, or 2) you don’t know you come across as angry. If it’s the former, I hope you read this and right the ship. If it’s the latter, I fear, like Johnny, there’s no hope for you.