It’s been said before – if you want to land a job FAST start networking. Networking yields a much higher ROI on your job search than the alternative – competing against hundreds for jobs online.
But what if your network is lacking in terms of quality connections, or you just don’t have enough connections to amount to much?
Here are 4 golden opportunities offered by LinkedIn that can help you build your network and land a great job quickly:
#1 CONNECTION REQUESTS:
Before accepting, declining or ignoring – do some digging to see if a networking opportunity exists.
Check out their profile and if you believe they may be accept-worthy, reply with a quick note asking for a brief call. It can look something like this:
Thanks so much for connecting – I’m happy to accept but would welcome the opportunity for a brief call to explore how we can help each other now or in the future!
The beauty of LinkedIn is you can engage in a back and forth dialogue with or without actually accepting their connection request…totally up to you!
#2 WHO’S VIEWED YOUR PROFILE (AKA Caller ID for LinkedIn):
Make a habit of checking this feature out at least once a week – it’s like Caller ID for LinkedIn.
If someone interesting checked you out, don’t be shy. Respond with a request to connect that looks something like:
Thanks for visiting my profile! Looking forward to shared knowledge now or in the future. I’d be pleased to add you to my connections.
Should they accept – pull out the verbiage used when accepting connection requests.
If your profile visitor is a connection with whom you’d like to catch up, tweak your response by adding:
We are overdue to catch up! I’d love to set up some time to talk and see how we can be of service to each other.
#3 PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW:
Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn offers a list of those you may know based on your list of current connections. Find it by selecting “My Network” and scrolling down.
Take a few seconds to identify those that may be worth a connection request. Your note can look something like this:
Your name came up on LinkedIn as someone I should connect with! I’d love to introduce myself, connect and set up some time to talk for a few minutes to explore how we could help each other now or in the future.
#4 BLOG/POST RESPONDERS:
If you’re actively engaged in sharing or publishing content on LinkedIn – chances are someone has liked or even commented on it.
Go to “Your Recent Activity” to check out who has liked or shared and reach out. If already connected – send them a note thanking them for liking/commenting and ask for a call. If you’d like to connect roll out the connection request verbiage and proceed accordingly!
Maximum Return on Investment
These four steps give you the power to build a professional network rich with potentially qualified and vetted connections – offering you your best chance at a maximum job search ROI.
Previously appeared on Business 2 Community.
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