#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – How to Use #LinkedIn to Add Cold Contacts…Your #Career is About Who you Know, Sure. But it’s Also about Who You can Get to Know. That’s where LinkedIn Comes In.
If you’re like most users, you’ve probably taken a laissez-faire approach to LinkedIn networking up until now, accepting connection requests from friends or former coworkers when they turn up in your inbox or maybe using LinkedIn’s recommendations to add some people yourself. But that means you’re missing a hugely underutilized opportunity: the network of professionals in your field who you just haven’t met yet.
Navigating that world of untapped connections with poise often brings uncertainty. After all, it’s arguably as hard to reach out to strangers online as it is in person. That’s exactly why we’re breaking down how to use LinkedIn to add cold contacts to three easy steps. Follow these and you’ll significantly up your LinkedIn game. Ready?
HOW TO USE LINKEDIN TO ADD COLD CONTACTS (3 STEPS)
1. FIND A SHARED LINKEDIN CONNECTION OR GROUP
Obviously, you won’t always have a direct personal connection with someone you’d like to meet, but that’s not the only way forward. Next up, check to see if you’re part of any of the same LinkedIn groups as the person in question. Perhaps you’re members of a professional association, or maybe you both graduated from the same university.
Finding common ground can quickly evolve a cold contact into a warm one. In fact, if you and the person are both members of a group, you can send them a message directly through LinkedIn without having to connect first. Think of it as cutting out the social media middle man.
Charm cold contacts with a personalized connection request. LinkedIn limits you to 300 characters here, but that’s still plenty of space to impress.
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2. PERSONALIZE YOUR CONNECTION REQUEST
LinkedIn allows you to send a connection request when you’d like to add someone new to your network. These potential connections will then receive a notification asking them to accept or decline your invitation. Because the process counts on their approval, without any type of background or explanation, many people are likely to decline an invitation from a stranger.
For this reason, under no accounts send the default “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” message. Trust us on this.
Instead, charm them with a personalized one. LinkedIn limits you to 300 characters here, but that’s still plenty of space to impress them with a short and sweet intro.
The Classic Approach
The Admirer Approach
3. SEND A FOLLOW-UP LINKEDIN MESSAGE OR EMAIL
Ask for either an in-person or phone meeting where you can gain more information. Here are some approaches:
The Classic Reach-Out
The Hybrid Reach-Out
BONUS: THE SINGLE BEST TIP WE’VE GOT
You read that right. That part comes later, long after a cold contact warms up. Treat this as your opportunity to ask instead for information and learn more about the person. Informational interviews are great relationship builders, which both expand your network and provide you with tons of helpful career advice and insight from others.
Adding cold contacts on LinkedIn takes more time and effort than simply hitting the “connect” button over and over, but you reap what you sow. Put the time into turning a cold contact into a strong connection that you can keep in touch with over time.
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