Now more than ever, those who are proactive in managing their career as well as jobseekers are needing to network online. We live in a virtual world and still need to meet people who can help us and people who we can help as well.
LinkedIn is the top career social media for now, so it is a great place to build a professional network whether self-employed or seeking a new opportunity.
LinkedIn as a platform to help you advance your career is foreign for many people, whether from a generational, security, or technology standpoint. Yet, it is still a helpful tool to learn more about what will help you clarify and pursue opportunities to realize your professional aspirations.
So, today I felt inspired to share some tips that common up quite often when I’m helping the social media shy take advantage of this tool to research professionals, companies, industries and career moves to make informed and empowered professional decisions.
I’m not going to twist your arm. I support people deciding who and what is the best support for you to reach your goals. I just want to share some tips to help it go smoothly if you decide to lean into virtual connections.
- Don’t start sending a bunch of requests as a mystery person.
- Complete at least a basic profile with your industry, location, job title / job target, and past experience titles and companies before you start connecting beyond your family and close friends.
- Don’t send strangers random requests because you think you’ll look cooler if you have 500+ connections. It doesn’t mean anything and it’s a waste of time.
- Do use the general rule than anyone you connect with is someone you would be willing to do a 15 minute favor for. This is a key purpose of LinkedIn! So if you worked with someone (and like them at least that much), or you have connections in common, or a shared industry or location, etc. those are all good prospects to connect and see if you might be able to help each other.
- send a personalized message as an invitation to connect, starting with your email lists (this is under the network tab).
- Here’s what to include in a personal message:
- 1. why you’re reaching out.
- 2. remind them how you know each other
- 3. something that resonates with you about their profile. This could be acknowledging an accomplishment, asking about a company, finding common ground, or referring more specifically to your time together.
- Once you connect, endorse each connection if you know their professional capacity.