3 Quick Ways To Make Linkedin Work For You

LinkedIn is a place for professional connections where new opportunities are explored every second of the day. If businesses can send messages, why can’t my job-seeking friends?

So there it goes. A connection request pops up my screen that reads – “[candidate] wants to connect with you on Linked!?” I read through the profile and accept it. A few moments later, I receive this.

At first sight, it’s tough to decipher whether it’s a strange request or a polite order. Unable to choose between the two, I hit LinkedIn suggested reply – “Sure, I will” and I go back to what I was doing before distracted by this message.
While driving back from office, a thought runs through my head. Why the candidate sent such a request? Will he ever get a response to such a cold message? Would it have been better if he would have personalized the connection request? Just then, I realize he isn’t the only person. A lot of candidates connect similarly.

Me being me, instead of talking about it, I decided to write.

So here are a few observations/learnings that can help you and all of us to get the desired response from our connection.

First things first – be clear in your intent. Why do you want to connect with some stranger? Think about it. You are comfortable to share your details with someone who has a corporate title but not with someone next door. While you could have your reasons for connections, the following are some of the most possible rationales for the connection request.

Are you connecting only for a one-time job referral or looking for a long term association? People are more likely to respond if you are connecting for the longer term. When you send a request, you can brief them about your intent. Now, you would ask how I can do that. When I want to connect, request just goes off? So here is how you can do it.

Step 1 – Visit the profile page of the person.

Step 2 – Click on the “Connect” button.

Step 3 – When you click on connect, a message box will pop up.

Step 4 – Well, you know what to do. Write a compelling note in the shortest possible way. Done.

Again, people are more likely to help candidates who are very specific in what they are asking for.

Once the connection accepts your request, seek their advice on your career. You would find people responding to your request if you tell them that you are looking for advice and not necessary for a job. There is no harm in seeking advice, right? Show your inquisitiveness. Ask them about how they built their career, their life journey? Ask about the culture or policy of their organization – good or bad part of it? Are they contend with their work? What kind of skill sets are necessary to get into the organization? This will provide you with enough information that can aid you to decide whether you should apply to that company or not. You can, then, brief them about your career and achievement. You can then subtly inform them that you are looking for a job change and if they can guide you in the process. I am pretty confident that people would respond to your request positively and would be more than generous to help you out.

Secondly, ask what you can do for them. If your connection offers you any help whether it is a small talk or sharing your candidature with the hiring manager, be grateful to them. Whether big or small, appreciate their willingness to help. A good gesture of gratitude is to offer your services. Ask them if you can do anything to help in further their cause. At a bare minimum, you can like their posts. You can also mention their names in your posts thanking them for the interaction/guidance.

One of the requests that most people dislike, including me, is to find jobs for potential candidates. Remember jobs are listed on multiple portals. You can check yourself and share your preferred job with your connection. Your connection then has a defined target to run after. He can then speak to the right hiring manager and push your candidature. However, asking his help for spell checks in your resume or asking the status of your application, will end up damaging your relationship. Make sure your request is worth his effort.

Finally, have a killer LinkedIn summary and title. When you send a connection request, more likely than not, people would visit your profile. They would like to understand your work profile and what you have done in your life so that they can be prepared for the interaction. Therefore, you must have a nice title and an insightful career summary. My friend, Jena Viviano, can train you on how to write a summary or can write one for you. Whether you decide to write by yourself or hire someone, make sure that it gives the right information to the reader.

If you happened to apply these strategies, let me know if it worked for you. I am curious to hear about your experiences, opinions, and feedback.