This article is for those who are new to LinkedIn or might have not cared about the LinkedIn etiquette.
As we all know LinkedIn is a amazing website to build your professional network. I meant ‘Professional’. That doesn’t mean that with a click of a button you can influence somebody. Or frankly, sending an automated connection request might not work every time when you need to connect with a person and help you grow professionally.
Lately I have been getting a lot of LinkedIn connection requests and I don’t even know them in any way. But I can totally appreciate the fact that people might require some help or might have seen you as an interesting person in their own profession and therefore sent you a request to connect. Now here is the thing, what you feel is important to you might not necessarily be as important for others.
So here are a few things which I feel can help you stand out when you approach someone on LinkedIn:
Personalize your requests: It is not necessary that the person you sent the request to connect, should know you in their real life, or through another professional interactions. And some people will hesitate to accept your request due to this reason. So what could possibly be done is to add a personalized message saying why do you want to connect with them. That helps someone like me on the other end to understand you are not just another spam.
Engage your connections: Now you have connected with them, what happens? You just go into hiding! No, it is just like any new professional relationship that you nurture in your real life. Interact with them. Normally people might share some updates, start a discussion in common groups or ask questions. Thus contribute to their discussions and share your views. Take it to the level where your online presence and personality are familiar to them just like the way they interact with you in your real life.
Think before you ask for help: Can you ask someone for a help out of the blue? Yes, but if you want the other person to respond to your help request, you might want to throw the rope a little further. And that is why I mentioned the need to engage them. For example in this case: Someone, who recently connected with me, requested to recommend him for a position that he applied for in a company whose HR Head is in my network. Now how on earth can I believe that you have all the qualities and capabilities that the position requires. Don’t you think that a little description of why you feel that you are a right fit for this position would help me believe that I am recommending a good candidate before I make a decision to forward your resume?
