Profile calibration in action: Defusing my job title.

For those of you who read yesterday's article, here's how I practiced what I preach.

One problem that I had with my profile was that a lot of matches immediately closed me, with the statement, "Based on statements in this profile, I'm not interested in this match." Granted - in every good profile, some people should say this. But I was getting a lot.

I experimented with a number of factors. One of them? My career. I do have a high-powered career, and it can give some people the "creeps".

Of course, hiding it would do no good. The profile directly asks what I do for a living - and giving a "weenie answer" to such a benign question would look very bad.

So, I turned it on it's head. I took the "What are you most passionate about" section, and wrote about how my career has allowed me to help so many people.

And, suddenly, a lot of the "creep factor" disappeared. Because I explained that my job isn't the role of an insecure man, trying to gain power over others - it's a way to positively impact the world. And that is something that I'm passionate about.

So, I tested it in the field. And, yes, response rates improved. A lot.

But, there was one problem. People who were in my similar job fields tended to close my profile, with the same statement. "Based on statements in the profile..."

So, I started to think, "Okay. Why would someone in my job field reply this way?" Certainly, they're not intimidated by the stigma that comes with my career...

One answer that came to mind? Maybe they think I'm a workaholic.

So, I added the phrase, "Of course, I'm passionate about a lot of other things in my life as well, but...", and continued the exposition about my job.

And the problem was solved - it reliably attracts people within my career field. And, in spite of the slight watering-down of my passion (something I did worry about), it didn't seem to gather any less enthusiasm from other matches.

... And that's how I solved that problem.