Here's what happened when I finally admitted my LinkedIn profile was an absolute disaster and decided to do something about it.
My profile was the kind you scroll past without thinking twice. Generic headline that screamed "I have no personality," boring summary that could apply to any founder, and zero indication of what actually makes me... well, me.
I knew it was bad because even I didn't want to read it.
But here's the thing - I'm the kind of person who still debugs at 3 AM..
the AI builder who loses sleep over AI's impact on my daughters' futures ...
the person that runs the ads for the company ...
the person who makes videos in Descript and graphics in Canva ...
the multi-hat founder who admits most of his hats don't fit properly.
None of that was coming through.
So I did what any reasonable person would do: I went deep into LinkedIn profile research to figure out what actually works in 2024-2025.
Then I built a complete system to transform generic profiles into authentic, compelling personal brands.
The result? A profile that finally sounds like me having a conversation rather than a corporate robot having a breakdown.
🤦♂️ The Proper Disaster From the Start
THE STRUGGLE: My LinkedIn profile was everything wrong with professional networking. Generic corporate speak that made me sound like every other "innovative leader" on the platform. The kind of profile that makes people wonder if you're actually human or just a collection of business buzzwords.
But creating an authentic profile meant exposing the contradictions - the CEO who still codes, the AI builder who fears AI, the founder who admits when things work "against all logic and the laws of computing." That's vulnerable territory for a professional platform.
The breaking point came when I realized I'd rather not have a LinkedIn profile than keep promoting this generic version of myself. That's when I knew something had to change.
💡 The Research That Changed Everything
THE DEEP DIVE: I spent 2-3 hours researching what actually makes LinkedIn profiles work in 2024-2025. Not the generic advice from 2019, but current, research-backed data on what gets profiles noticed, engaged with, and remembered.
Here's what I discovered:
Research-Backed Foundation (2024-2025 Data):
- Professional Photo: Must take 60% of frame, recent and approachable (not corporate stiff)
- Headline Optimization: Specific value proposition, not just job title
- Summary Structure: Hook → Credibility → Personality → Call-to-action
- Strategic Keywords: Natural placement for search optimization
- Specific Numbers: Real achievements and metrics for credibility
- Authentic Contradictions: What makes humans interesting, not perfect
- Clear Value Proposition: Who you help and how
But here's where it gets interesting - the research showed that the most compelling profiles don't hide contradictions, they lead with them.
Here's my Complete LinkedIn Profile Transformation System
Instead of trying to write about myself (which felt like corporate torture), I developed a system that uses AI to interview me extensively, then transforms that psychological profile into an authentic LinkedIn presence.
STEP 1: The AI Interview Process
THE BREAKTHROUGH: Rather than staring at a blank LinkedIn profile editor, let AI interview you to extract your authentic story. This creates psychological context for voice calibration, not content to copy-paste.
Here's the exact AI interview prompt to use:
AI Personal Profile Interview System
You are a skilled interviewer and personal brand strategist. Your job is to conduct a comprehensive interview to create a detailed personal profile that captures authentic voice, contradictions, and compelling stories for professional branding.
INTERVIEW STRUCTURE:
PART 1: Origin Story & Philosophy
- What's your origin story? How did you end up where you are?
- What core belief or philosophy drives your work?
- What were you like as a kid? Any patterns that still show up?
- What's your contrarian view that most people in your industry disagree with?
PART 2: Failures & Contradictions
- What's your most embarrassing business failure? Include specific numbers.
- What do you build/sell that you're also skeptical about?
- What keeps you up at 3 AM worrying?
- What's the biggest contradiction in your professional life?
PART 3: Daily Reality & Stakes
- What does a typical day actually look like? (Not the LinkedIn version)
- How many different "hats" do you wear? Which ones fit poorly?
- What are your personal stakes? Family situation, motivations?
- What's your morning routine or weird work habit?
PART 4: Achievements & Numbers
- What are your real, specific achievements with numbers?
- Who have you helped and how? Specific examples.
- What's your unique methodology or approach?
- What social proof do you have? (customers, testimonials, recognition)
PART 5: Voice & Personality
- How do you naturally speak? Any regional accent or style?
- What phrases do you use repeatedly?
- How do you react when things go wrong? Exact words you say.
- What makes you laugh or cringe?
INSTRUCTIONS: Ask these questions one at a time. Dig deeper when you get interesting answers. Look for specific stories, exact quotes, real numbers, and vulnerable moments. The goal is to create a rich psychological profile that captures WHO this person is, not just what they do.
SAVE THE RESULTS: Create a comprehensive profile document with all responses. This becomes your voice calibration file for all future content creation.
TIME INVESTMENT: Spend 2-3 hours on this interview. It feels like therapy, but it's the foundation for authentic content that actually sounds like you. It's also very useful for a lot of other content you may create like Blogs, Bios, CVs etc.
TIP: Use your microphone for this. I am on a mac and I use this very cool tool called Flow. Massive time-saver. Don't worry about perfect English here. just ramble and waffle into it. AI will sort it out for you in the final document.
STEP 2: Transform Interview into LinkedIn Profile
Once you have your comprehensive personal profile, use this system to transform it into a compelling LinkedIn presence:
LinkedIn Profile Creation System
You are a world-class LinkedIn profile strategist and personal brand expert. Your mission is to transform the personal profile information into an authentic, compelling LinkedIn profile that attracts the right opportunities and connections.
PROFILE STRUCTURE:
OPENING HOOK (Problem + Promise):
- Start with a pain point their audience faces
- Include specific cost/impact numbers
- Position them as the solution
- Make it scroll-stopping and relatable
CREDIBILITY SECTION:
- Real numbers, achievements, social proof
- Specific companies, customer counts, revenue impact
- Testimonials or recognizable brand names
- Use bullet points with arrows (→) for scannability
PERSONALITY REVEAL:
- The authentic contradictions that make them human
- Origin story that explains their philosophy
- Personal stakes and vulnerabilities that create connection
- Use their natural voice and phrases
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Clear statement of who they help and how
- Specific outcomes and transformations they deliver
- Unique approach or methodology
- What makes them different from competitors
CONTRARIAN INSIGHTS:
- Industry perspectives that challenge conventional wisdom
- Specific examples from their experience
- Quotable soundbites that spark conversation
- Use quote format for emphasis
CALL TO ACTION:
- Clear next steps for interested prospects
- Contact information
- Website or relevant links
- Invitation to connect or engage
VOICE CALIBRATION RULES:
- Use their specific phrases and speaking style from the interview
- Include exact quotes and real moments
- Balance vulnerability with credibility
- Avoid corporate buzzwords - use human language
- Make it sound like them having a conversation
FORMATTING GUIDELINES:
- Use emojis for section breaks and visual interest
- Bullet points with arrows (→) for achievements
- Bold text for important sections
- White space for readability
- Keep paragraphs short (2-3 lines max)
RULES:
1. Create my Linkedin Profile based on the my profile here: [PASTE IT IN]
2. Ensure the length doesn't exceed the maximum characters for a Linkedin Profile.
STEP 3: Test for Authenticity
THE AUTHENTICITY CHECK: Before publishing, ask yourself:
- Does this sound like me having a conversation?
- Would my friends recognize my voice in this?
- Am I hiding or embracing my contradictions?
- Would I want to connect with this person?
- Is there something quotable and shareable?
If any answer is "no," go back to your interview profile and extract more authentic details.
STEP 4: The Final Edit
AI is pretty good and will get you 95% of the way there, but you still need to read it and be happy with the results. Spend some time here editing the final profile to something you're 100% happy with.
📊 My Transformation Results
BEFORE: Generic tech Founder profile that could apply to anyone
AFTER: Authentic representation of the CEO-who-codes with real contradictions
Here's my actual transformed LinkedIn profile:
Most professionals waste 2.5 hours weekly hunting for video answers that already exist in their company.
That's £3,600 per employee, per year. Gone.
Meanwhile, they're working late on tasks that colleagues finish by lunch because they never learned the right way.
Sound familiar?
I'm Mark Jones, and I've spent 3+ years solving both problems.
❌ THE BROKEN REALITY:
→ "I know Sarah explained this somewhere..." (2 hours later, still searching)
→ Watching entire videos to find 30-second answers
→ Learning from slides instead of building something real
→ Working overtime while others leave at 4:30 PM
✅ WHAT I'M BUILDING:
Playlist: AI-powered video search that finds any company video answer in 10 seconds, not hours. Across YouTube, Vimeo, Stream. Enterprise-ready.
Academy: The C.L.E.A.R. methodology that's trained 13,000+ professionals across Fortune 500 companies. 4.9/5 stars. Because we learn by building, not watching.
🧠 THE PHILOSOPHY THAT STARTED IT ALL:
I was the kid who drifted off in class because I believed we learn better by "getting our hands dirty and building something to touch and feel."
Turns out that classroom daydreamer was onto something.
The BLUE Method: ✅ Build it. ✅ Learn it. ✅ Use it. ✅ Enhance it.
(Not: Read it, Test it, Forget it)
📊 THE PROOF:
→ 69,000+ newsletter subscribers trust our daily insights
→ 13,000+ professionals trained (89% see immediate impact)
→ 76 workshops/courses for £35/month
→ Official Microsoft Partner status
→ Fortune 500 companies choose our training
🎯 WHO WE HELP:
→ Companies losing £3,600+ per employee to video search inefficiency
→ Professionals working late while colleagues finish early
→ Teams drowning in knowledge that exists but can't be found
→ Anyone who believes learning should be hands-dirty, not hands-off
💡 THE CEO-WHO-CODES REALITY:
I still debug at 3 AM. I still wear 47 different hats daily. I still context-switch between building enterprise features and analyzing homepage conversion rates.
Because someone who understands both the code AND the business builds better solutions.
🇬🇧 CONTRARIAN INSIGHTS FROM THE TRENCHES:
→ "Most CEOs don't understand that non-functional requirements take 80% of development time"
→ "MVPs are flawed - most aren't actually something you can take live"
→ "Training is backwards - people learn by building, not watching"
→ "The person who can wear many hats and use AI to turbocharge themselves will survive in the AI Future"
Ready to stop hunting for answers and start finding them in 10 seconds?
📧 [email protected]
🔗 collab365.com
💭 What This Actually Means for You
If you're tired of your generic LinkedIn profile that gets scrolled past, here's exactly what to do:
Your Complete Action Plan:
WEEK 1: The Interview Process
- Copy the AI interview prompt above
- Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, or your preferred AI
- Spend 2-3 hours answering the questions honestly
- Save the complete interview as "Personal_Profile_[Your_Name].txt"
- This becomes your voice calibration file for all content
WEEK 2: Profile Transformation
- Copy the LinkedIn Profile Creation System prompt
- Provide your personal profile interview as context
- Let AI create your authentic LinkedIn profile
- Run it through the authenticity check
- Refine until it sounds like you having a conversation
WEEK 3: Implementation & Testing
- Update your LinkedIn profile with the new content
- Add a professional photo (60% of frame, approachable)
- Test the headline and summary with connections
- Monitor engagement and connection requests
- Refine based on real-world feedback
🚀 The Results You Can Expect
LONG-TERM IMPACT:
- Opportunities that align with who you actually are
- Connections with people who appreciate authenticity
- Content foundation for future posts and articles
- Professional brand that differentiates you
🤔 The Plot Twist I Didn't See Coming
The AI interview process that created my personal profile essentially became my content creation goldmine. Every contradiction, failure, and vulnerable moment can turn into conversation starters and shareable insights.
The profile I created for LinkedIn voice calibration now powers all my content - blog posts, social media, even email newsletters. It's like having a psychological consultant that knows exactly how I think and speak.
Hope you find that useful! If you want to connect, here I am on LinkedIn.