Get Connected in 2016

It's 2016.  Time to get yourself better connected on LinkedIn.

Don't tell me you don't have 500+ LinkedIn connections.  Why not?  What does it say about you?

Don't tell me you have not identified skills for which your connections can endorse you.  Why not?  What does it say about you?

First of all: perspective.  LinkedIn is not the only professional networking tool (Xing, anyone?).  LinkedIn's success has attracted competition with competitors focusing on everything from leads to jobs and general industry sharing.  But LinkedIn is king.

I strongly recommend exploring any and all networks - but LinkedIn remains a solid home base upon which to build.  I am writing this post to clear up a few minor issues regarding connections, recommendations and endorsements.

Connections: My prejudices

I will only speak for myself here, but I suspect I speak for others as well.  If you have fewer than 500 LinkedIn connections, the exact number of your connections will appear next to your name in your profile.  If you have fewer than 500 connections it speaks volumes to me and this is what it says, whether you like it or not:

1. You are not a people person
2. You are not well known generally and/or in your industry
3. You are not an effective networker - which may have implications for your ability to lead, sell or manage
4. You may be hostile, you probably are not friendly
5. You may work in a field where it is not in your interest to be widely connected - security, medicine, law, government
6. You don't understand the value of connections
7. You don't appreciate the power of networks and connecting
8. You are a snob and only connect with people you know, trust, have met

Networks and connecting may not be your bag, but not being connected speaks for you.  You should consider whether that is the message you want to communicate to the world.  I advise exceeding 500 connections - with "500+" next to your name on LinkedIn as a key success metric.

It's true that LinkedIn itself discourages connecting with people you don't know - ie. sending connection invitations to strangers.  But there are legitimate reasons to send connections to strangers and there are legitimate reasons to accept connection invitations from strangers.  But, either way, get yourself 500+ connections - even if it takes a couple of years.

Recommendations

Has someone you know lost their job?  Give them a recommendation.  In fact, if you find out someone is at risk of losing their job, give them a recommendation.

Potential employers do look at LinkedIn recommendations.  These people will look at three things:  quantity, quality, sincerity.  "I have always enjoyed working with Margaret," fulfills the volume criteria.  "Margaret led a development team in winning a program that helped the organization meet crucial revenue and performance targets," fulfills the quality criteria.  "Margaret helped one of my colleagues through a difficult personal crisis," fulfills the sincerity criteria.

Don't make it up.  Nobody is that good at faking these things.

Endorsements

Select a few skill areas where you excel within your LinkedIn profile.  These skills will show up above your name and picture and your connections can endorse you for these skills.  It's a minor thing, but its absence suggests you have NO skills.

LinkedIn will not find a new job for you.  But LinkedIn can help you improve your performance in your existing job or help you find a new job for yourself.  Just remember, potential employers and industry colleagues and headhunters are looking and watching and drawing their own conclusions.