Networking on LinkedIn is an important way to build connections, nurture relationships, and advance your career. With over 800 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and presents valuable opportunities to connect with colleagues, clients, recruiters, and leaders in your industry. However, there are best practices to follow when networking on LinkedIn in order to build an effective presence and achieve your goals.
Have a Complete Profile
The first best practice for networking on LinkedIn is to have a complete profile. A complete LinkedIn profile is one that has a professional headshot, a customized public profile URL, an up-to-date headline, a summary statement, and a detailed experience section. Recruiters report that they are three times more likely to consider someone with a complete profile. Additionally, when your connections click on your profile, you want to make sure they can quickly get a sense of who you are and what you do. Take the time to fill out all sections of your profile and keep it updated over time. Having a robust profile establishes credibility and gives people more context on you and your background when networking.
Make Strategic Connections
Focus on making strategic, targeted connections on LinkedIn. Connect with people you already know and trust, such as colleagues, former coworkers, managers, clients, vendors, friends from school, event attendees, and more. Target people who would logically want to network with you based on shared companies, schools, interests, and professional organizations. While you can send invites to connect to anyone on LinkedIn, individuals are more likely to accept requests from people they already know. Look for connections who are directly relevant and valuable to your career goals.
Personalize Connection Requests
When sending connection requests, make sure to personalize the invitation note. Generic connection requests are less likely to be accepted. Mention where you met the person or what you have in common in the note. Referencing a mutual connection, shared experience, or specific work the person does will help provide context on why you want to connect. Avoid sending mass, spam-like requests. While more time consuming, personalized invitations show you actually read the person’s profile and are interested in them specifically.
Provide Value to Your Network
Post regular updates that bring value to your connections. Share educational articles, career advice, industry news,original thoughts, and other helpful information. Comment on and like your connections’ posts. Ask questions and provide feedback. Be an active member of your network by engaging regularly. You can also enhance your reputation by answering questions on LinkedIn that tap into your expertise. Providing meaningful value establishes you as a trusted contact and thought leader.
Join LinkedIn Groups
Become an active member of a few key LinkedIn Groups in your industry, profession, or field. Groups allow you to connect with like-minded professionals worldwide and participate in valuable discussions. You can join up to 100 groups. Look for active groups that regularly have new posts and comments. Be helpful by answering questions, sharing links and files, and contributing to conversations. Most groups have several thousand members, expanding your networking opportunities. You can even join groups for alumni of your university.
Follow Companies
Follow companies you admire or want to work for. This gives you insider information on these organizations for networking purposes. For example, following a company shows you when they have new job postings, company updates, product launches, employee promotions, upcoming events, leadership changes, and more. You can like and comment on company posts to get on their radar. Following companies leads to more targeted networking opportunities.
Ask for Introductions
If you see someone in your extended network who would be great to connect with, ask for an introduction. You can request your shared connections facilitate an introduction to the desired contact. People are usually happy to make relevant introductions, as this strengthens the overall network. Make sure to be professional and explain why you want to connect with the person. If no shared connections exist, you can send an InMail directly to the person requesting an introduction and providing context.
Recommend Your Connections
Proactively recommend your LinkedIn connections for opportunities that fit their background and interests. This builds your reputation as a helpful connector who looks out for others. When you see a job opening that matches a connection’s skills, share it with them and recommend them in a LinkedIn message. You can write recommendations for your top connections highlighting their achievements and strengths. Also, endorse your connections for their key skills. Recommending others facilitates networking relationships.
Follow Up After Meeting Someone
If you meet someone in person you want to connect with on LinkedIn, send them an invite within 24 hours. Mention where you met and include a note jogging their memory of your conversation. New connections should be followed up with within a week. Send them a message checking in, asking thoughtful questions, or sharing a relevant article. Fostering real relationships leads to more networking success than just connecting and moving on.
Keep Your Network Organized
Organize your LinkedIn connections with tags and notes. You can create customized tags to segment your connections, such as colleagues, clients, mentors, recruiters etc. Adding notes on how you met and what you have in common jogs your memory. This allows you to nurture each relationship more effectively. Also, arrange connections into the appropriate groups like Family, Friends, Acquaintances, and Close Connections. An organized network facilitates more targeted, relevant networking.
Leverage Advanced Search
Tap into LinkedIn’s advanced people search when looking to expand your network. You can search by location, company, job title, school, skills, language, nonprofit interests, military experience, shared connections, and more. For example, you could search for marketing managers at a certain company or alumni of your university located in your city. Use boolean search operators and keywords. The advanced search helps you easily identify and target relevant new connections.
Research Before Meeting
Before meeting someone for networking, coffee, an interview etc., review their LinkedIn profile. This provides valuable context on their background, experiences, skills, accomplishments, interests etc. It also gives you talking points and areas relate. Comment on their new job, promotion, award, or recent publication. Researching someone on LinkedIn shows you did your homework and are interested in who they are.
Use LinkedIn Articles and Posts
Leverage LinkedIn’s publishing platforms to establish yourself as an expert and thought leader. You can publish long-form posts as LinkedIn articles and shorter posts to your profile. Share your insights, career advice, industry analysis, success stories, and more. These posts allow you to showcase your expertise and perspective. Commenting on other people’s posts also enhances engagement. High-quality posts position you as an authoritative voice.
Connect in Person When Possible
While LinkedIn provides valuable digital networking, try to connect in real life when possible. Attend industry events, conferences, trade shows, and seminars that align with your goals. Identify relevant networking opportunities through associations and nonprofits. Introduce yourself to speakers and attendees. Get business cards and connect on LinkedIn after meeting in person. Face-to-face networking builds deeper relationships.
Showcase Volunteer Work
Highlight any volunteer work, mentoring, board roles, or teaching experience you have on your profile. This provides more context on your interests and demonstrates your commitment to giving back. Nonprofit groups are great networking resources, so showing your involvement draws more opportunity. Volunteer work also builds your reputation and leadership abilities.
Make Your Profile Easy to Find
Optimize your public profile URL and name settings so people can easily find your profile when searching on LinkedIn. Add your name variations, maiden name, nicknames etc. to the profile settings. Make your public URL simple, such as your full name. This improves your search visibility when networking and applying for jobs. Being easy to find makes it more likely new connections will reach out to you.
Conclusion
Following best practices allows you to maximize the networking potential of LinkedIn. Maintaining an optimized, complete profile lays the foundation. Make meaningful connections and engage regularly to nurture relationships. Provide value through sharing insights, giving recommendations, and facilitating introductions. Organize your network, leverage search tools, do research, and connect in person. With over 800 million members, LinkedIn offers invaluable opportunities to build your professional network and further your career, if leveraged strategically.
Best Practice | Benefit |
---|---|
Have a complete profile | Establishes credibility and gives context about you |
Make strategic connections | Targets relevant, valuable contacts for your goals |
Personalize connection requests | Increases likelihood of acceptances |
Provide value to your network | Builds your reputation and relationships |
Join relevant LinkedIn Groups | Expands your networking opportunities |
Follow companies | Gives insider information for networking |
Ask for introductions | Leverages extended network connections |
Recommend your connections | Supports others and strengthens ties |
Follow up after connecting | Fosters deeper, ongoing relationships |
Keep your network organized | Allows more targeted, relevant networking |
Leverage LinkedIn advanced search | Easily identify and target new contacts |
Research profiles before meeting | Provides context and talking points |
Publish relevant articles and posts | Demonstrates expertise and thought leadership |
Connect in person when possible | Builds deeper relationships |
Showcase volunteer work and causes | Highlights interests and leadership |
Make your profile easy to find | Improves visibility and discoverability |