In today’s digital age, LinkedIn has become an invaluable tool for networking and job hunting. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social media platform. As such, many job seekers wonder how much stock employers put in LinkedIn profiles and specifically, the number of connections displayed. Do recruiters and hiring managers really care how many connections you have? Let’s take a closer look at this question.
It Depends on the Type of Job
Whether or not employers care about your number of LinkedIn connections largely depends on the type of job you are applying for. Here are some general guidelines:
Customer-Facing Roles
For jobs that involve building relationships and networks, such as sales, recruiting, marketing, PR, etc., the number of connections you have matters more. Hiring managers want to see that you are well-connected and have strong networking abilities for these types of customer-facing roles. More connections demonstrate your ability to build rapport and relationships with a wide variety of people.
Technical/Specialized Roles
For specialized roles in engineering, IT, accounting, finance, etc., your skills and credentials will hold more weight than your LinkedIn connections. While connections still matter for visibility and personal branding, employers will be focused on your technical abilities. What languages you code in or certifications you hold will be much more important.
Leadership Roles
For management, executive and leadership positions, your number of connections gives employers an idea of the breadth of your professional network. Leaders need to influence and work with people across an organization, so a wide network demonstrates your reach. That said, the quality and strength of connections also matters here. 500 strong connections goes further than 5000 weak ones.
Connection Size Matters Most for Entry-Level Roles
While your number of LinkedIn connections may not be a huge factor later in your career, it tends to matter more for those just starting out. Here are some reasons why:
- Entry-level candidates tend to have smaller networks and fewer connections, so size stands out more.
- Quantity can help compensate for lack of work experience early in your career.
- A good number of connections shows you understand the importance of networking.
- Entry-level roles benefit from broad visibility, which more connections provides.
For more experienced professionals, quality of connections becomes more important than sheer quantity. But early in your career, the size of your network is an easy metric for employers to evaluate your networking abilities.
What is Considered a “Good” Number of LinkedIn Connections?
Now that we’ve established LinkedIn connections can influence your job prospects in many cases, what is considered a “good” number to have? Here are some benchmarks:
Student/Recent Graduate
- 0-150 connections – Minimizes chances of getting noticed
- 150-300 connections – Pretty good for this stage
- 300-500 connections – Great for a student or new grad
- 500+ connections – Outstanding network for this level
Building connections while still in school will pay dividends when searching for that first job or internship. Identify classmates, alumni, guest speakers and more.
Early Career
- 0-500 connections – Lacking for most industries
- 500-1000 connections – Fairly standard size network
- 1000-2000 connections – Demonstrates solid networking abilities
- 2000+ connections – Very wide network for early career stage
At this point, you should start focusing more on relevant connections over total volume. Quality over quantity becomes more important.
Mid-Career
- 0-1000 connections – Small network for mid-career professional
- 1000-2000 connections – Average networking size
- 2000-5000 connections – Strongly positioned for opportunities
- 5000+ connections – Exceptionally broad network
Leverage your connections to open doors and progress in your career at this stage. Expand within your industry and function.
Executive
- 0-2000 connections – Limits exposure and visibility
- 2000-5000 connections – Solid networking presence
- 5000-10,000 connections – Powerful relationship network
- 10,000+ connections – Incredibly wide network for executive
Focus more on connecting with other industry leaders, partners, and influencers at this advanced career stage. Quality over quantity remains key here.
How to Grow Your LinkedIn Network Organically
While you can always pay for LinkedIn Premium to gain more visibility and access to other users, there are many free ways to grow your connections organically. Here are some top tips:
- Connect with colleagues and classmates from current and past jobs/schools. Don’t forget alumni.
- Engage with content from other users by liking, commenting, and sharing posts. This raises your visibility.
- Join relevant industry or interest-based LinkedIn groups and connect with other members.
- Follow companies you want to work for and connect with their employees.
- Search for people by industry, company, or school and connect if you have shared experiences.
- Connect with people who engage with your posts and content to build two-way interaction.
- Message contacts asking to connect after networking events or informational interviews.
- Use the “People Also Viewed” and “You May Know” sections to find relevant connections.
The key is being strategic and purposeful in sending connection requests. Focus on quality over spamming people en masse.
Yes, But Only One Factor Among Many
At the end of the day, while your number of LinkedIn connections can influence hiring managers, it is still only one factor among many they will consider. Things like your skills, experience, education, accomplishments, interview performance and cultural fit play a much bigger role in the final decision process.
Some key points to summarize:
- Connection size matters more for customer-facing, leadership and entry-level roles.
- Technical skills and credentials outweigh connections for specialized roles.
- Quality connections become more valuable as you advance in your career.
- Benchmarks vary based on career stage, but 500+ is a good goal for students/new grads.
- Focus on strategically expanding your network rather than spamming connection requests.
So while not the sole determining factor, having a reasonable number of LinkedIn connections for your experience level is still worth the effort and can enhance your employability. Just don’t become obsessed with amassing connections for the sake of vanity metrics alone. Think selectively.
Conclusion
Your number of LinkedIn connections can signal value to potential employers, but is not the only hiring consideration. Focus on expanding your high-quality connections strategically rather than inflating numbers arbitrarily. Benchmarks vary by industry and career stage, but a reasonable network size demonstrates strong relationship building and personal branding. That said, core skills and experiences are still the top priorities. Consider connections as an important added factor that can improve your candidacy and opportunities, but not the sole determining one. Be thoughtful in cultivating your network over time.