Dos and Dont for Making Connections on LinkedIn

Dos and Dont for Making Connections on LinkedInDos and Dont for Making Connections on LinkedIn20LinkedIn, 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 youre not on it every day, you need to be. And there are some tricks to making connections on LinkedIn.Making connections on linkedin wasnt aroundwhen I was new to the geschftliches miteinander 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 wayof making connections on linkedin. Tomeet new contacts on LinkedIn, here are a few dos and donts.Dont wait for people to find you.Although this will happen eventually, its 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 persons 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 dont know or dont 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 dont 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 deutsche post dhl interesting news ite ms you think your contacts will find useful.Dont 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 arent able to give you exactly what you want, theyll 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 theyd 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 y our tips for making connections on LinkedIn?