How to Network

It’s not about WHO you know, it’s about how deeply the people you KNOW believe you will be SUCCESSFUL. It's not about asking a connection to help you, it's about PROVING you are valuable for them and their goals.

Here are 5 ways to get LinkedIn Connections to support you and potentially feel comfortable referring you for a job at their company. It takes more than sending a stranger a LinkedIn message.

1. Form an acquaintanceship through high quality conversation. 

• Don’t just ask a connection to refer you for a company job opening or ask them to review your profile. Ask about their experiences, background, profession; it’s how you build repertoire. You can ask for help once you become friends with them.
• Think: “What’s in it for THEM?”. What do THEY get out of helping you? Think of professional ways you could encourage them to WANT to believe in you.
• What do you have in common with them? Mention that you go to the same school/ organization, share a similar passion. Why do they resonate with you? Share that with them.

2. Work to build up a reputable story. Who are you, where do you come from, what do you want to become? 

• You can’t change what you did or who you were, but you CAN share where you’re wanting to go and what you’re wanting to achieve. Let people know what you’re moving towards! It shows that you’re driven and someone who people want to stand behind.
• Make sure your LinkedIn and resume are professional and polished up with your skills and experiences. Sometimes I don't accept connection requests when people reach out to me with an under-developed profile.

3. Prove that you’re dependable, timely, responsible, and organized. 

• If you’re able to get them to talk on the phone with you or set up time for coffee, be ready early, have pre-meditated questions ready to ask them. 
• Look and smell clean and presentable. Talk slowly and with purpose, don’t just blurt out everything that’s on your mind. 
• Actively listen to them by making eye contact and asking relevant questions. Don’t allow distracting thoughts to run through your mind. Focus on them and not the things around you.
• If you’re on the phone with them, go to a quiet place with a strong connection where you won’t be disturbed. Don’t check your phone for interesting things while they’re talking, they can hear clicking and strange sounds when you do that. 

4. Put in time 

• Perhaps they talked about an article or recommended you read a certain book. DO IT! Be on the lookout for ways to show you care about the things they talked about. Perhaps you could share an article with them that relates to something you two discussed. 
• Reach out to them in the weeks following showing that you applied something they shared with you to your own life and have seen improvements! 
• Try to reach out and say hello to them at least once every 4-5 months. 
• Understand that a connection isn’t wasted just because they don’t refer you for a job, think of everyone you meet as an opportunity for growth and learning in some area of your life. 

5. Consider backing off if they aren’t responding.

• We’ve all been in places in life where we’re too swamped to even care for ourselves. If someone isn’t willing or able to help you right now, don’t be discouraged! It may be best to give them time and reach out again in a few months. In the meantime, work on building up a professional connection with someone else. 

It’s not easy to connect with people on LinkedIn. It’s even MORE challenging to connect with people when you aren’t showing that you ARE or WILL BE professional, goal oriented, and ready to hit the ground running! I get hundreds of messages from people a week and I simply cannot respond to all of them; but I respond to the people who are professional, relate something back to me, and make me WANT to become part of their fan club. I hope the steps above help you land an incredible opportunity!

Good luck!