LinkedIn is the world’s largest online professional network, with over 700 million members from 55 million registered companies.
This means that
you can use LinkedIn for, well, just about anything related to growing as a
professional:
- Connect with
potential employers and get a new job.
- Network with experts
in your field and develop your skill-set.
- Source and hire
candidates for your firm.
- Find a business
partner for your next venture.
..And everything
else in-between!
Nonetheless, this
wide reach doesn’t make connecting with people and networking on LinkedIn an
easy process.
Truth is, using
LinkedIn can be confusing, especially if you’re just getting started.
After all, the
platform doesn’t come with a manual on how you can build a professional
description, approach recruiters, gain followers, or foster your professional
ties.
...But that’s why
we’re here!
In this guide,
we’ll be going through the 7 best tips you can use to upgrade your LinkedIn
profile, expand your professional connections, and network on LinkedIn like a
pro.
7 Tips on How to Network on LinkedIn
You probably
already have a LinkedIn account…
You might even
have some connections as part of your network from your last job or university…
But that’s far
from everything you can do to take advantage of LinkedIn to build new
connections and really take your career to the next level!
In fact, that’s
just the tip of the iceberg.
Here are the 7
essential tips you need to follow to become a LinkedIn networking expert:
#1: Complete Your Profile
If you haven’t
already, make sure your LinkedIn
profile is completely filled out. Meaning, all the sections on your
profile are filled in and there are no gaps and blank spaces.
Why?
Because LinkedIn prioritizes complete profiles over empty ones.
So, if an
employer looks up your job title, you’re more likely to pop up on page #1 if
your profile is completely filled out.
Even if this
wasn't the case, having a half-filled LinkedIn profile is like having a
half-page resume.
Anyone that
visits your profile is going to think that you just don't have much to say
about yourself professionally.
So, make sure to
add the following sections to your LinkedIn profile:
- A headline
- A profile photo and
background picture
- A LinkedIn summary
- Current job title
- Your country and zip
code
- Work experience with
relevant dates
- Education section
- Any volunteer work
or other hobbies
- At least 5
relevant skills
#2: Optimize Your Profile
Filling up your
LinkedIn profile is only step #1. If, however, you want to stand out from
thousands of other applicants on the platform, you also have to optimize
it.
So, implement
these tips when making your LinkedIn profile to build the best possible personal
brand for yourself:
Add a Professional-Looking, Friendly Profile Picture
As a rule of
thumb, pick a high-quality picture where you look neat and clean, smiling, and
located near the camera. If possible, consider getting your professional
headshot taken.
Add an Effective Headline
Your LinkedIn
headline helps you do two main things: show up in recruiters’ LinkedIn searches
and show them what you’re up to in an instant.
Here are some
tips that’ll help you pick the right headline keywords for your
situation:
- Find the exact jobs
you’re interested in. Go to LinkedIn’s Job Board and filter your search by
experience level, job type, geography, etc. Sift through the search
results and choose a number of roles you’re interested in.
- Continue by looking
for the words and phrases that appear most frequently across these
headlines. These are the keywords that recruiters use to find possible
candidates.
- Use these keywords
when creating your headline. So, for example, let’s say you’re searching
for an entry-level job as a data scientist in Tech. Keywords for this
position include Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Science, Data
Scientist, Data Engineer, Data Modeling, and Computer Science. Here’s a
potential LinkedIn headline you can use:
“Data Engineer
actively looking for new opportunities in Analytics, Business Intelligence and
Data Science.”
Create a Comprehensive and Eye-Catching Summary.
Include your years of experience, most relevant skills (especially technical skills), your current job title, passions, and what job position you’re looking for (in case you are).
Optimize Your Work Experience
Most people don’t
think to include their work experience details on LinkedIn. Instead, they
simply list their current and previous job titles.
Want to stand
out?
You should fill
out your work experience sections, just as you would on your resume.
Meaning, you can
include job responsibilities, duties, accomplishments, and tangible results
you’ve achieved for each position worked.
#3: Get Endorsements
LinkedIn
endorsements are a way for your colleagues and connections to attest to your
expertise in a specific field or skill. So the more endorsements you get, the
more credible your online profile looks.
But how does one
get endorsements?
Well, the best way
is through endorsing others. Start with your closest coworkers, friends, and
family on LinkedIn, as they’re most likely to return the favor. Do this by
scrolling down to the 'Skills & endorsements' section on their profile,
finding the specific skill you want to endorse them for, and pressing the “+”
button next to it. It’ll turn into a “✓.”
Afterward, ask
them to return the favor and endorse one of your skills or projects.
Another way to get endorsements is by directly asking for them. It doesn’t have to be a long message, you can just send your connections a quick: “Hey, mind endorsing me for X project/skill?”.
Make sure what
you’re asking to be endorsed is something they’ve seen you do, complete, or
that appears on your LinkedIn profile, otherwise, this approach might not be
too effective.
#4: Gather Connections from People You Know
There are many
different ways to grow your LinkedIn network, but the first and most reliable
way is by connecting with people you already know.
And, luckily,
there’s a very easy way to find them on LinkedIn.
Start by
importing all of your phone contacts on LinkedIn and sending them a connection
request. Then, use the “People You May Know” feature to find more people you
might have missed from the same school, company, or from your industry.
You can do this by tapping on the My Network tab in the navigation bar, and scrolling down to the “People You May Know” section.
#5: Connect with Strangers in Your Field
The goal of
networking on LinkedIn isn’t to add as many people as possible. Rather, it is
to create meaningful connections with people who can help you grow
professionally.
Do this by:
- Sending invites to a
manager, recruiter, or company representative that works in your specific
field and can help you get your desired job position. If you’re in
accounting, don’t connect with strangers who do the polar opposite, like
medicine, geology, or engineering. They might give you a “like react”, but
they likely won’t be interested (rather, slightly annoyed) in the content
that you post.
- Send a personalized
message along with your request. For example, you can add 2-3 sentences
explaining why you two should connect, such as: “Hello, I see that you
work for Company X. I wanted to reach and connect because I am currently
exploring new job opportunities. I’ve been working for ABC Company for 4+
years and I’m now ready for my next challenge”.
#6: Join LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn groups
are dedicated forums where professionals with similar interests, or who work in
the same industry, share their knowledge, ask questions, and have conversations
about topics they want to learn more about. Joining these groups can help you create
new connections, grow partnerships, and show off experience and
expertise.
LinkedIn makes
finding and joining these groups easy—all you’ve got to do is search for
specific keywords related to your industry, interests, or desired
customer.
For example, a
quick search of the keyword “content marketing” in the group section results in
about 6,600 groups.
Joining just a
few of these active groups means thousands of people in your industry could see
your profile and reach out to you.
For this to
actually happen, though, you’ll need to do more than just join. You have to
interact with the LinkedIn group by participating in discussions, asking
questions, and posting relevant content, among other things.
#7: Regularly Write Content
Actively liking,
commenting, and showing love to your LinkedIn connections is a great way to
grow your network—but why stop there?
If you have
experiences and educational or informational content yourself, you can publish
it to boost your profile’s credibility and present yourself as an expert in
your industry.
Follow these tips
when writing content for LinkedIn:
- Tailor your language
to the LinkedIn demographic by writing in a professional and authoritative
voice.
- Post regularly,
which is usually several times a week.
- Add relevant visuals
such as infographics and pictures along the content to make the post as
attention-grabbing as possible.
How NOT To Network on LinkedIn
By now, we’ve covered all the DOs of networking on Linkedin.
Now, let’s go
over some of the don’ts of LinkedIn networking that’ll keep
you from losing a job opportunity, offending users, or accidentally
embarrassing yourself.
#1: Don’t Send Generic Messages
One of the best
things about LinkedIn is that it gives you the opportunity to connect
one-on-one with almost any professional, anywhere in the world. But if you send
the same automated, generic messages to every connection, you lose the
opportunity to give people any meaningful reason to connect.
Incorrect Example
- Hey John, I saw your
profile on LinkedIn and thought we should connect.
Spend a few extra
minutes to personalize your messages by researching the person you’re writing
to, explaining how you found them and mentioning the specific reason why you’re
reaching out to them.
Correct Example:
- Hey John, we chatted
at the Webbit conference back in 2019 about marketing. Let’s connect!
Or, if you don’t
actually know the person:
Correct Example:
- Hey John, saw you’re
passionate about AI and machine learning - so am I! Let’s connect.
#2: Don’t Expect Everyone to Network
Setting hard
expectations when networking on LinkedIn can lead to frustration and
discouragement. The truth is that not everyone’s going to accept your
connection requests, reply fast, or return your likes and comments.
This happens due
to a variety of reasons—some people want to keep their LinkedIn private, some
don’t use the platform as often, and others might just have different standards
for connecting.
So, dive into
LinkedIn networking with an open mind and don’t take people’s actions
personally.
#3: Don’t Spam People
There are
numerous ways you can use LinkedIn messages without getting discredited as a
spammer.
Avoid:
- Automated
subscriptions to your newsletter.
- Sending connection
requests to people you don’t know and have nothing in common with.
- Sending mass-produced
messages to all of your connections.
Networking on LinkedIn FAQs
Q —
#1: Does Networking on LinkedIn Work?
Yes, networking on LinkedIn works. That’s actually one of the main goals
of the platform. LinkedIn wants to help people and businesses build
connections. It currently has over 760+ million users, which means you have an
unlimited supply of network connections and job possibilities to choose
from.
Q —
#2: How Do I Network With People on LinkedIn?
You can network with people on LinkedIn in various ways:
- Send connection
requests to people you already know, such as friends, family, and
colleagues.
- Reach out and
reconnect with people you’ve lost touch with or haven’t spoken to in a
while. Send them a LinkedIn message addressing the pause in your
relationship and engage with their content by liking and commenting on
their posts.
- Ask to connect with
strangers, or acquaintances you’ve briefly met by sending a personalized
message that explains in detail why you two should connect e.g: we’re both
in managerial accounting.
- Share your
experiences, ideas, and any other learnings or engaging posts that are
relevant to your industry.
Q —
#3: Why is Networking on LinkedIn Important?
Depending on your career path and what your current career goals are,
networking on LinkedIn can be beneficial in numerous ways.
You can use it to find a mentor, hear about new job opportunities, contact potential
leads, get inside information about an organization you want to work for, learn
more about your overall industry and its challenges, open yourself up to new
trends and practices, and more.
Q —
#4: How Do You Introduce Yourself on LinkedIn?
On LinkedIn, you introduce yourself through your profile, specifically
your profile summary. So, make sure to create a profile that:
- Explains where
you’re currently at, professionally.
- Highlights your past
successes.
- Includes hobbies,
interests, and volunteer roles outside of work.
If you’re looking to introduce yourself to a specific hiring manager, on
the other hand, here’s how to make a good impression:
- Build a relationship
with them in advance by following them on LinkedIn and engaging with their
content.
- Send them a
personalized LinkedIn message. Introduce yourself, be specific about the
goal of the message, and mention the upsides you’ve heard about them and
their workplace.
- Keep the message
short and to the point - it shows that you respect a recruiter’s
time.
Key Takeaways
And that’s a
wrap!
We hope you found
our guide helpful in understanding how to use LinkedIn to create meaningful
professional connections.
Before leaving,
let’s quickly go over some of the main points we covered:
- On LinkedIn (just
like pretty much everywhere else) looks matter. So before networking, make
sure your LinkedIn profile is completely filled out and optimized.
- Look for connections
among people you already know and those working in the same industry.
- Join LinkedIn groups
and regularly engage in them by asking questions and leaving comments to
build new connections and gain exposure.
- Update your profile
regularly with your own work experiences and professional learnings.
- Personalization is
key: never send generic, boring messages to potential leads and
recruiters.