Tips and tricks to effectively grow your network and in turn get job referrals.

How to add relevant people to your network.

1. There are many networking posts which says open to connect and with the tags #grow #network or #networking

2. Follow such hashtags and connect with people in such posts whom you think will add value to your network. Add rate is 95% from people in such posts.

3. Go to the page of company that you aspire to work, click on people who work in that company.

4. Filter out 2nd level connections.

5. Connect with - the HRs, people who are at leadership roles, with people who have relevant job title as you aspire. Add rate is around 50%, but still worth the effort.

6. Connect with people who are looking for job, by this mean you get all the job posts in your feed due to the engagement of #jobseekers

7. Make sure connection requests are sent with a personal message.

8. Frequently check the connection requests sent by you before 2-3 weeks and delete the requests. They are not open to connect or they are not active in this platform. We do not need such people in our network. 

9. Make sure you send 20 requests and delete 20 requests everyday.

Most of the people you sent request will add you to their network. Here is how to convert these connections to referrals.

1. Send a personal message on how you are glad to be connected. Mention you are looking to have a great network and ask them if they need any help from your side.

2. Engage on their posts, which does not mean liking all the posts. Don’t make it look inorganic. Comment on the posts which you can relate to.

3. Go through their profile and endorse them on the skills you think they are good at. This will make them look at your profile most of the time.

4. Never send your resume or ask for a referral without having conversed at least once. Nobody prefers responding to such messages and it just will not help. 

5. Create a cover letter and keep your resume ready. 

6. Once you have people with whom you have been connected and engaged for a while, wait for them to post a job update. You can prioritize people who are generally hiring and build this rapport with such people.

7. Since you have already conversed and had engaged you can send a message with your cover note, Job ID and resume when they post a job opening or request for a referral for a job posting in their company.

Every job referral request needs to have a basic structure. You should make sure to use that structure to create your message and change the actual request language to accommodate different situations.

1. A greeting. This can be informal when you know the person, or more formal if you don’t.

2. A line or two offering well wishes, and an acknowledgment that you’ve been following that person’s career and have been engaging on his/her recent activities.

3. Make sure to emphasize on any mutual acquaintance if any.

3. Let the person know that you’re aware of the job opening posted by him/her or an open position in the company and interested in interviewing for it.

4. Make your request. This request language will vary, depending upon your relationship with the referrer you have built over the period.

5. A statement letting the person know that you’ve attached your resume and cover letter.

LinkedIn is all about networking. Your net worth is your network.

Happy Job seeking folks.