Most of us have already done this: signing into LinkedIn, glancing at the ‘People You May Know’ box and then recognize a few important names. They may well be college friends, former colleagues or perhaps professionals you have never met previously, who all would make a useful contact.
If you are keen to establish connection with them, you should follow certain etiquettes. We acquaint you with some simple steps to make professional connections effectively and successfully on LinkedIn.
As we have checked, to request a new connection on LinkedIn you click ‘Connect’, and then choose the option of ‘how you know him or her’, before sending out the invitation with I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn’ boilerplate. Right! If you are indeed serious about establishing the connection, here is my first word of advice for you:
Never ever fire off an invitation to connect with anyone important to you without giving a personal touch to your message.
Here is why, let me tell you! Won’t you like to be regarded as a person who really values that particular contact by expressing your keenness to connect on a personal level?
Do your homework
Do not forget to do your homework before you seek a new connection. Before a job seeker appears for an interview, he or she tries to research more about the company. This also holds true for the exercise of connecting with a new person on LinkedIn.
Find areas of mutual interest
Browse his or her profile closely to get a fair understanding of who he or she is, including some key details like the current job profile, positions held previously, the LinkedIn groups the person belongs to, specific interests etc. This will help you have requisite understanding of the new contact.
It is important to find common ground with the person to initiate a conversation. You should look for a couple of mutual interests and common factors to strike a chord.
Create a special introductory note
Crafting a personal note certainly helps. Instead of an impersonal or standard message along with your LinkedIn invitations, combine the details above to create a special introductory note. Connecting on a personal level helps to break a barrier. This is imperative because people like to talk and do business with those they trust. Hence you must try to make them trust you right from the beginning.
These are essential practical steps that you should follow every time you are looking to make a new connection on LinkedIn.
