LinkedIn: Getting the Most Out of your Contacts

Having 500 LinkedIn connections is one thing, utilising those connections in a way that will enhance your job search is another. Successful networking isn’t just about building up your contacts, but about getting as much use out of those contacts as possible.

Your Summary

Apart from your name and display picture, the summary is the first thing everyone sees. Here’s what your summary should include;

• Your profession 
• Your current situation 
• What kind of role you are looking for – however, don’t be too specific i.e. a role in ‘digital marketing’ will attract more attention and be far more applicable to a wider audience than a role as an ‘Internet Marketing Analyst’.
• What you can offer a potential employer – include your main skills and achievements

Keep your summary short and interesting – no more than a small paragraph or two.

For further information on optimising your LinkedIn profile, see: Optimising Your Job Search Using LinkedIn.

Begin your Outreach

There are many ways that you can interact with your connections; however, one method really seems to stand out from the crowd – direct e-mail!

Review your connections and identify companies that are of interest to you. Once you have generated a healthy list, find the most appropriate person within that company to contact; the higher up in the hierarchy the better. The company themselves may not be openly advertising a position but that doesn’t mean they’re not thinking about it. 

Construct an e-mail in a similar way to your LinkedIn summary. However this time be sure to introduce yourself at the beginning and end your e-mail with a call to action. Likelihood is that many of your e-mails will go unanswered, however, there will be a select few that spark interest and you never know what will come of these until you give it a go!