Dos and Dont for Making Connections on LinkedIn

Dos and Dont for Making Connections on LinkedIn Dos and Dont for Making Connections on LinkedIn 20LinkedIn, which years ago was known as Facebook for old people, is now the top social network for professionals. It boasts more than 200 million users and is used by the majority of the Fortune 100. If you’re not on it every day, you need to be. And there are some tricks to making connections on LinkedIn. Making connections on linkedin wasnt around  when I was new to the business world. At that time, you had to attend in-person networking events to meet anyone. But then, along came the marvelous invention of LinkedIn, and suddenly you can interface with an exponentially larger number of contacts in a fraction of the time. There is, however, a right way and a wrong way  of making connections on linkedin. To  meet new contacts on LinkedIn, here are a few dos and don’ts. Don’t wait for people to find you. Although this will happen eventually, it’s much more efficient to proactively connect with people by searching for former colleagues and business associates (the search function is on the top of every page). When you start typing a person’s name, a list of potential connections appears. You can also find connections by perusing the “People You May Know” section, as well as your current connections’ profiles. Do personalize every connection request. My biggest LinkedIn pet peeve is when people I don’t know or don’t remember send me the default connection message. Increase your chances of getting a positive response by typing a friendly, informative message reminding the person of who you are. If you don’t know them yet, make sure you say why you feel it will be a mutually beneficial connection. Do interact with contacts. In addition to fully completing your profile, participate actively in groups related to your industry and areas of interest, and connect with other members. Endorse and write recommendations for contacts you know well, and post interesting news items you think your contacts will find useful. Don’t spam or impose. Never send a blanket request to all 200 of your contacts. This is more likely to annoy people than result in any good input. Also, take care not to message people you barely know asking about job opportunities, leads, or referrals. This puts contacts in an uncomfortable position. Because they aren’t able to give you exactly what you want, they’ll probably just ignore you. Do target individuals for informational interviews. Search LinkedIn for companies you think would make terrific places of employment (or clients, partners, etc.). Identify individuals who perform job functions similar to you and ask them if they’d be willing to have a 15- to 30-minute conversation about their career trajectory and their role now. Your goal is to use this initial talk as a jumping-off point to a one-on-one personal relationship that could bear fruit down the line. Readers, how have you had experience making connections on linkedin? What are your tips for making connections on LinkedIn?