When you’re job searching, promoting your business or trying to find new contacts, everyone tells you to reach out to people — connected or not — on LinkedIn. Heck, that’s simple, right? You can easily send a connection request to anyone you want from the mobile app on your phone or tablet. You don’t even need to create a message to send to the person because LinkedIn does it for you!
Stop. Right. There. If that’s all you’re doing to try and connect with people, your chances of doing so are slim. Being online doesn’t give you a pass to take it easy when it comes to relationship-building. Just as if you were at an in-person event where you would have a meaningful conversation with a person you just met, you must nurture an online relationship.
[See: 25 Best Business Jobs for 2017.]
Use their name. This is so obvious, yet gets lost both in email and LinkedIn messages. Use a salutation, followed by a first name or Ms. or Mr. Last Name. Addressing it to a person shows both attention to detail and that you cared to take one second to type their name. There is absolutely no reason not to do this, and it can make a positive first impression.
Identify why you want to connect. If all you want is a warm introduction to a company’s human resources team where the person works, dig deeper. You can almost always improve the relevance and quality of your cover letter and resume by knowing more about a company. Do you know what it takes to be successful at this company? Chances are, if you don’t know others who work there, you probably don’t have an answer to that.
Determine your approach. There are many ways you can ask someone for advice or help. Some methods are better than others. If you want to learn more about a company where you’ve applied or want to apply, you may want to ask the person if they have time for a 15-minute call or email chat to tell you about their experience. If they agree to a phone or email conversation, ask no more than three specific questions. Do not bombard them with a list of a million questions. You need to prioritize. They don’t have a lot of time, and if they’re generous enough to offer their time to you, use it wisely, as this may be your only chance.
[See: 8 Ways Millennials Can Build Leadership Skills.]
Do you have something in common? This is another seemingly obvious step: Take the time to actually read the person’s LinkedIn profile and check out their Twitter account. Did you grow up near them? Do you have the same favorite book? If possible, find something that you have in common and mention it in your note to personalize it. Be genuine: Humans naturally feel drawn to people with similar experiences and interests. At the same time, they will notice you took time to get to know them, which helps you stand out from people who send them generic connection requests.
Ask how you can be helpful. Relationships, whether professional or personal, are not a one-way street. You will get further with all of your relationships by giving. If you have a contact or several connections you think that the person could benefit from knowing, ask if they’d like an introduction to a specific person. If you read an article or hear a podcast you think they’d like, send it to them. There are many ways in which you can be helpful, even if you think someone is above you professionally! Don’t underestimate the power of giving.
[See: 25 Best Jobs That Don’t Require a College Degree.]
Follow up. If you don’t hear back from someone after a week or two, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out again. In that note, you can simply state, “I don’t want to bother you, so please let me know if you are too busy at this time and I will not write you again.” This is polite and direct, and gives the person the opportunity to easily tell you they aren’t interested.
While you’re definitely not going to hear back from everyone you reach out to, employing the above tactics will increase the probability that you will hear back from some people. LinkedIn is a powerful tool that you should be using to connect — whether you’re job searching, trying to meet new professional contacts, building your business or seeking professional services. You can make it work for you; it just takes a bit of time and personalization, and the possibilities are endless.
More from U.S. News
7 Ways to Crush a Phone Interview
The 10 Most Common Interview Questions
How to Get Replies to Your Messages on LinkedIn originally appeared on usnews.com
