Career, Growth, Success, Uncategorized
How to Network with a LinkedIn Connection
You’re slowly building your LinkedIn network and you get excited with each new connection!
Yay!
But what does this all mean? Yeah, your connection looks big but, it doesn’t add value to you.
What should you do?
You can start a conversation with them!
I hear you say ‘what for?’, ‘I’m shy!’ or ‘I don’t want to!’
The whole purpose of LinkedIn is to build your professional network that will be helpful to your professional profile – for referrals or possible employment.
So, how can these be possible? A simple conversation.
Here are tips to help you start connecting on LinkedIn
1. Focus on your subject line
What you have on your subject line will give an impression that you are a friendly professional. Start off with a ‘Thanks for the connection’ or ‘great meeting you here!’ as your subject. Develop or personalize depending on who you want to message. You can also compliment their LinkedIn content if you liked it. If you met them somewhere and connected in LinkedIn after, tell them where you met them and it’s nice to connect. Something like ‘it was nice meeting you at the 123 event’ or ‘I’d love to continue our conversation here from 123 event’. A simple gesture of messaging will let them know how appreciative you are.
2. Introduce yourself
Tell them who you are or where they might know you from. Forget mentioning your brand or purpose and be personal with them. It’s nice to have a conversation with just being people. It would be like starting a friendship.
3. Take a peek at their LinkedIn profile and mention things you have in common
It’s helpful to do a little research on them before starting a conversation. Aside from knowing what they like or do, they would possibly look at your profile and anticipate your message. Let them know that you have the same connection, same experiences, or same skill set. This would build the conversation and give you the chance to familiarise with each other.
4. Don’t ask for anything
It might be tempting to offer your services but doing these would defeat the purpose of being personal and building your connections even further. It would show that you only messaged the person to offer your services. It’s possible that once you ask for a favour, they would stop communicating with you.
5. Contribute!
To add value to your conversation, offer what you can do for them. Do this instead of asking them for a favour. Tell them that you can reach out to you should they need help in anything – especially if it involves your expertise. Let them know that you like to contribute as a connection. Like, comment, or share their content if possible and if you support it. It’s important to be visible to them as much as you can. Let them know that you’re not just another number in their connections. They will definitely see value in you and if they can’t offer you something directly, they can give out good words about you.
CONCLUSION
LinkedIn is more powerful than others imagine for your career goals. It’s critical to build a personal connection with your network. You never know who will contact you for your services. A possible LinkedIn connection can link you to a CEO and can be a big thing for your career. Don’t dismiss messaging your connections. Are you a fresh graduate who feels lost in the world of employment? These tips are for you!
And if that happens, your great personality needs an impressive resume and cover letter to further leverage your possible employment. Path Consulting has valuable service packages that you will definitely suit your needs!
We’re rooting for you!
