Want to connect? Do these 5 things first so you're not ignored.

We've all heard of "vaccine hesitancy" in recent months. I have "connection hesitancy". I want to connect (otherwise why are we on LinkedIn?) but in order to build confidence in your request, we've got to see a few things first.

In a recent burst of growth on LinkedIn, I gained 1,000 connections over 48 hours. That is a substantial amount beyond what I normally see. We've set up our account to grow about 30-50 connections per day with organic growth and networking. The recent burst of growth forced me to consider who is I'm connecting with and why. With that added scrutiny, I started ignoring many connection requests. I discovered that it's the little things that turn people from "connect" to "ignore."

If you want to have someone consider you as a connection rather than just straight up ignoring your request, then do these 5 things, and you will be much further ahead. Plus, it will help you far more when future employers look you up on LinkedIn to check your professional profile. Honestly, this is nothing new, but it's still surprising to see the number of people who are not following through with these steps.

1. Banner Photo

The days of the standard LinkedIn blue banner are over. It is far too easy to create a new banner image and massively improve your profile. If you are out of ideas or need inspiration, head to Canva.com and sign up for a free account. Start a new design and search for "LinkedIn Banner," and you'll find a ton of options. If that still isn't enough for you, then upload an image of your city, town, state, or some idea reflecting your story. It is preferred if your banner image is somehow connected to you, your story, or where you're from - but then again, anything is far better than just the standard image.

2 - Professional Photo

Using a professional photo is a requirement these days. That does not necessarily mean a suit and tie, but a higher quality photo with a good background. The cameras in phones today have removed any excuse for us not having a great shot. If you have a professional-quality photo from your resume (or CV), then by all means, use that one. One tip here, please make sure your image is current. Having a recent photo is a must, especially if you are looking for a new career and we are checking you out on LinkedIn. It is far better to have a current photo as LinkedIn is your personal brand landing page for employers to look at and to research you. And honestly, with phone camera quality these days there is no excuse not to have a decent photo (or photo at all) on your profile.

3 - Hit the 500+ Connection Mark

I appreciate that some people will not consider this important, and there are generally two schools of thought on LinkedIn. Generally speaking, some are open to connecting with everyone, and then some only connect with those they know. For the former, it's a massive growth opportunity for their social media channel with a bit of risk as you don't know who precisely you are connecting. There are zero risks for the latter of the two. But there is also the argument of why you are even on social media if NOT to connect with people. I prefer somewhere in the middle and a healthy dose of skepticism.

If you want to improve your connection chances, then get your connections over 500. At that point, your connections only show up as "500+" on your profile. That "+" mark is vital as it does two things. One, it lets the other person know you've invested a bit of time and you care about your profile. Two, it helps build confidence. Because if your account hasn't been flagged as fake or spam in over 500 connections, then it feels more credible.

So get your connections up above 500 and consider it social proofing and a confidence-building measure.

4 - Use all available space

There was a time not so long ago where bullet points and resumes ruled the career advice world, and LinkedIn was merely an extension of this same advice. Get on LinkedIn and upload your resume, bullets, and all. Again, I believe those times have changed - or instead, evolved. LinkedIn is now a place for personal branding and where future employers (even current employers) look at your profile as it is still a professional networking site. As such, I recommend using the space to build your narrative and tell your story. Who are you, what are you doing, and where are you going are vital issues that you can expand on in your entire LinkedIn profile. Maximize every available space, such as the About section, and your Experience Section should tell the story of why you're in that position and your achievements. Even the Featured section should include your accomplishments such as research papers, articles, events, or photos that help to tell your story.

The point here is that connections will look and "connect"; they will not hire you just because of your profile. So fill out the profile to tell your story.

5 - Most Importantly - You Have to Invest Time (Activity)

There is no quick tip on this one. If you want to be considered a credible connection and worthy of accepting a connection request, you have to invest time to refine, shape, and build your profile. Even if you're on the free plan, you can still grow your account - albeit more slowly - than a paid account, but it is still very possible to do. Even sending five (5) connections a day will likely put over 500 connections by the end of three (3) months.

But you also have to be active. When employers look at your LinkedIn, we look at your activity as well. We can see what you like, comment, and share, and it gives us an idea of what you're thinking and doing. You don't have to be perfect in this regard and contribute articles, essays, etc. But what you can do is be human and look like you're engaging with your audience.

The bottom line here is to invest some time in your profile, it's free, and will dramatically improve your network and as a result - your opportunities.

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To my knowledge CBI is the only company I've come across to offer such a service. The insights and advice that Kyle was able to provide were invaluable and I would highly recommend that anyone seeking to branch into the field of international organisations makes the most of this bank of knowledge. The spirit that CBI works with and the sharing of advice to better others are both admirable. Thank you. - Tristan