How to Connect With Someone On LinkedIn You Don’t Know

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It’s no secret that half of the available job openings are never advertised. In addition to promoting internal staff, companies often create new vacancies or fill existing ones when and if they know their target candidate is on the market. The harsh truth is – the HRs will probably skip going through hundreds or thousands of resumes submitted by total strangers if they already know someone who fits the bill.

So it’s no wonder that even qualified professionals struggle with getting hired. That is unless they invest some time and effort into developing their network. With 225+ million professionals registered on LinkedIn, you’d be a fool not to tap into that gold mine to identify and link up with some connections that might prove to be useful for advancing your career. And while the tactics for catching up with old colleagues and business associates seem quite straightforward, the art of reaching out to strangers is complicated for many. So what are the secrets to becoming a LinkedIn networking expert?

1. Look presentable

Making a good impression online is just as important as effectively presenting yourself in person. That means that your LinkedIn profile has to be complete, professional, and polished. Make sure that the words you use clearly convey your industry expertise (or enthusiasm to acquire it, if you’re still at the start of your career) and project competence and confidence.

2. Do the research

As a job seeker, you probably have a couple of companies that you’d like to work for, or at least know that you want to develop your career within a certain niche. Now identify the people who could link you to job opportunities in your target organization/field or put in a good word for you when you apply for your desired position. Do some research to find out more about these individuals. What is their career track record? Do they have a blog? Do they have any presentations or publications under their belt? What are their interests and hobbies? All this information will help you make your connections more relevant and meaningful.

3. Get on the radar

Once you’ve identified your networking target, your goal is to make them notice you. You can read their blog and leave intelligent comments to interesting posts or try to interact with them via social media (e.g., by following them on Twitter and retweeting or responding to their tweets). Another great way to find common ground is to join the same LinkedIn groups, proactively offering input on discussions. You should also follow your target companies’ LinkedIn accounts to stay informed about their news and comment on their updates. But do make sure that your interactions are professional – nobody likes a creepy stalker.

4. Make a connection

If you think you’ve gotten on your potential contact’s radar, feel free to initiate a connection. If you have a shared acquaintance, ask them to introduce you. If not, write a concise, personalized message to invite them to join your network.

Start by telling that individual how you know about them and state why you are reaching out to them. You could be seeking their specialist advice or providing an insightful comment on their current/past project offering an observation that might prove useful to their research. Or perhaps praising their work, or just plain asking a question (obviously, it has to be something interesting or intriguing, i.e., not a query answered by a simple Google search). Proceed with telling them a little bit about yourself, demonstrate your willingness to be helpful if they should require your expertise, and thank them for their time.

Keep your message short and sweet – two to three paragraphs written with confidence and sincerity should do the trick.

5. Remain courteous

Demanding favors, pressing for answers, spamming, and being rude, pushy, arrogant, or annoying will not strengthen your connection with a new acquaintance. You’ve got to build personal and professional credibility gradually, showing your contact that your relationship is beneficial for all the parties involved.

6. Don’t be a stranger

It’s not enough to acquire a new contact – you’ve got to foster and develop your relationship to get the most out of it. That means following up after they accept your invitation and keeping in touch to make sure they remember who you are.

If you would like more information about how to optimize your LinkedIn Profile so Recruiters and HR Professionals can find you check out our Professional LinkedIn Writing Services.

Let us help you land your next position by optimizing your LinkedIn profile and crafting the ATS optimized resume for you. Here’s more information about our LinkedIn Profile Writing Service and Resume Writing Services. Book a call today to speak directly with our CEO and Founder, Arno Markus!

About iCareerSolutions

iCareerSolutions, America’s #1 Executive and Professional Resume Writing Services, Reverse Recruitment, and LinkedIn Profile Development Company. 28X award-winning resume writers deliver professional resumes that get interviews. We have successfully landed our executive clients senior-level leadership positions at companies like Apple, Amazon, EA, Oracle, GM, Google, Facebook, DoJ, Gap, and 2U just to name a few. iCareerSolutions has 200+ 5-star reviews and offers a 60-day interview guarantee. Every resume template created is Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) compatible and highly customized to meet your unique needs.

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Pareena G.L.
I have had the pleasure to work directly with Arno Markus. Arno has tremendous expertise in helping clients build their LinkedIn profiles, sharpen their resumes and cover letters. He is excellent to work with and is a consummate professional. I strongly recommend Arno Markus.
Pareena Gupta Lawrence
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What is a resume used for – Arno taught me that my resume is not just a list of positions I have held. It helps me in finding the position I am looking for and is a document that assist potential employers see who I am.
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The work that iCareer Solutions does is great! They helped me improve my personal Brand, my resume and my LinkedIn profile and now I’m scheduling more interviews.
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Many thanks for your 1st drafts. They definitely are more impactful and executive in presentation and style!
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Arno Markus is a consummate professional and an excellent wordsmith. He did an amazing job writing my resume and cover letter capturing the essence of who I am, highlighting my strengths and showcasing my accomplishments. Simply put, his work is top notch!
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From the initial contact though the final resume Arno was exceptional. He is all business, and truly wants to promote your job and career. After receiving my final resume, it was sent out to recruiters and HR alike, the response was tremendous. When HR is commenting on your resume and responds with “after seeing your resume I think I need to revise mine”, you know it was done right. Arno also help…
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Hi Arno- I just wanted to circle back and let you know that I got what I needed on these documents. I think you did a fabulous job with my resume and I’m happy with your service and the end product. I could have been more timely in my responses with revisions, but this draft was very close, so I’ve made the final edits and was able to take this over the line. Thank you very much and I would …
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