In all my speaking, training and coaching, this has to be the most popular question when talking about LinkedIn. To link or not to link…should a job seeker go after a high quantity of connections or focus more on the quality of connections? My answer – in short – is both. I am a strong believer and advocate that out of quantity comes quality.
Guy Kawasaki, of Alltop fame, says it best when talking about Twitter: “Nobodies are the new somebodies.” Albeit a different medium, I think that philosophy applies here. LinkedIn is the premier on-line professional networking site. And, just as you would network at a live event, the goal should be to get to know those you don’t already know. Moreover, following Kawasaki’s logic, don’t try to predetermine who can help you…those second and third degrees of separation with the most random of persons can take you places you never expected to go!
It’s essential to connect with likeminded people. A massive number of connections with non-networking types nets you “garbage in, garbage out.” Personally, I have used OpenNetworker to grow my network from under 2,000 connections to over 15,000 in just over a year. More importantly, 15,000 connections who want to network. This has been instrumental in helping me get the word out on what I do and the pain I address (more on this in a second). I don’t decide who needs to hear my message – I let the audience…my connections…decide what has value. They then make the introductions and connections accordingly.
For the job seeker in particular, you must have your message down. More importantly, your message (or, as I call it, Your Solution) isn’t that you are unemployed or that you are looking for work. It’s all about where you have consistently delivered value to employers in the past - painting the picture of what you can do for a future employer. When working with clients on their Solution, we get crystal clear on the problems (or pains) they solve. Fine tune the Solution, push it out as a clear message, attract those in pain (i.e. those who need what you can deliver) and then explore the fit (interview).
Can you do this with a small, closely knit network? Sure. But, chances are that your immediate network already knows your accomplishments. Your closest network would hire you if they could. But what about those “nobodies” who could just be the “somebody” that lead you to your new job? You owe it to yourself to connect with them sooner rather than later.
As always, I’d love to hear what you think!
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Great advice. I think that job seekers, like many of us, are hesitant to break out of our comfort zone... if for no other reason than fearing rejection. Or, because the seeker doesn't really know what to do or say.
Randy - great to hear from you, my friend! You are so right. That's why I always recommend that the reluctant networker (who I can relate to...since I consider myself one!) start out by asking others how they can help them. It not only sets the law of reciprocity into effect, but helps you better understand the person with whom you are networking. And, of course, it always feels good to help someone else
I have to say I disagree. Using LinkedIN is about connecting and networking with other professionals, and to help those you know or have worked with to connect others that you know. It doesn't do anyone much good to say "hey person I've never met or don't know, I'd like to introduce you to someone else I've never met and don't have any idea what they are like either personally or professionally, and see if you can help them find employment!" That's not the point. I only connect with people I've actually met, and therefore can make an educated introduction of value to both parties. My 2 cents....
Actually Randy,
I post some high quality jobs in the job sections of groups on LINKEDIN and get very few responses? However, I do get contacted frequently from people who find me, my identity, and associate me with an whole different industry that I had scuccess in the past, instead of the direction I am now working in? It is nice to be liked, but it is ironic? Job seekers check the job section of the groups please? If you are qualified respond? So quality?
Well intending,
anonymous agency recruiter
Elizabeth - excellent point and thank you for commenting! First, I totally agree with what you are saying regarding introductions. I occassionally get requests for introductions from people I don't know. While I wlil make them, I am clear that I don't know them...so the value is pretty much nil in my book. And then there are those who ask for recomendations that I've never met...but that is a whole other blog
. Less I digress...
But, I would propose that it doesn't have to be black or white. You can have a group of connections (some "loose" and some "real") which you engage at different levels. And, through getting to know the "loose" ones you can develop "real" ones - those who you tap for introductions, know well enough to recommend, etc..
Let's use this blog posting for example (which will be out in some LinkedIn Groups and is posted as an update from me). My network and the LinkedIn community will see it. It will either resonate - or not. For those with whom it does, then it becomes a way to share a little snippet of what I am about. As a job seeker, this is crucial in trying to differentiate in the marketplace. Everyone who is unemployed is looking...everyoe who is unemployed wants to find work. Neither of those gives good cause or reason to hire someone.
The broader your base - the wider your potential audience.
In the beginning I connected with people I knew or people from my groups who said they would like to connect. A group from India found me on LinkedIn and called me it was amazing. So as I used to tell my students re: should they concentrate on agency or cleint side marketing I said "all of it"!
The bigger picture is the way to go on LinkedIn. I try and apply my mentor's advice, "help can come from anywhere." Always have more than less. You never know who you can help and who can help you.
Last year I circumvented the on-line job application and used LinkedIn to track down a hiring manager at a media company.
When I started this "find the hiring manager project", I had no name. I used a two prong approach. I sent messages to my connections and also sent e-mail blasts to several employees from that company on LinkedIn. I got only one response. But that response started a chain reaction and I did get an interview.
The challenge though is that once you find that golden nugget inside connection one tends to go back to it repeatedly for future job openings.
You don't want to wear that person out nor get labeled as a nuisance. So you need to keep a growing list of people.
The challenge is managing our lives on the web and attending to our daily commitments.
I would go for quality. My approach using linked in has been to really exploit the "introduction" function. I have been conducting "Informational Interviews" which allow me to reach out to professionals in my area and ask for their thoughts on their industry and opportunities within it. Once they have then met me they feel comfortable introducing me to their contacts. I have had some great feedback.
Overall this has been a great networking experience and great practice for interviews too! Just by having a huge number of contacts in Linked in does not mean that they buy in to helping you. By actually taking the time to go out and meet people your request for help has more chance of being remembered.
I find LinkedIn very convoluted to use. Like the problems with social media in general, too many people trying to network, to connect, and to market to one another.
We all cancel one another out. We've all become promoters and spammers.
Too many superficial messages, superficial referrals, and superficial connections. Too many uninteresting, irrelevant and self-interested messages. Information overkill. People tend to tune out and stop paying attention after awhile.
I think LinkedIn and other social media will motivate people to return to old fashioned flesh and blood relationships within our homes and communites. This will again be of principal importance, not how many tens of thousands of electronic connections on can churn out on LinkedIn.
I'm leaning more towards Elizabeth's comments. I won't connect with someone unless I have met them, or have heard a lot about them from a friend/connection. My reason is so that I can pass a person along in my network with something to say. Because I am job searching, I have doubled my network in the last year, so it's not just people that have known me forever, but that base of folks are the ones I use to help my new job seeker friends connect across industries.
This is a great post that also carries over to Twitter. There's been much discussion about the numbers, and everyone seems to agree, quality is better than quantity.
Found some great info on marketing with Linkedin (and Facebook) on Naomi Trower's tweets.
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-powerful-linkedin-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses/
Thank you to everyone who has commented....and keep it coming. I love that you are all sharing tips, techniques (and some success stories!) on how you have developed and then harnessed your LinkedIn networks. Everyone has their own comfort zone and I am confident that, amongst all these great comments, anyone reading will find something that resonates with them.
I appreciate you taking time to share!
Have a great weekend,
Kevin
Thank you Kevin for respond to my question and for pointed me to this bog.
When I first joined linkedin, I joined because a friend of mine told me to do so. He said "It is a very powerful networking tool". I joined but was still unable to recognize the important of being part of linked in. Today, I do. Then my big question is connect, or not to connect? I think I derive an answer for that question today as well.
Personally, I don't like to connect to people just to connect so I can enlarge my networking circle. That is just a meaningless connection from my perspective. I connect, or accept a connection request to people who share similar interests, or knowledge. As a group, we can share and learn more from one another. Participating in group discussion, is a great way to learn more about the subject/topic and other people who participate in the discussion. So, connect, or not connect would be depend on your personal goal, preference, and business objective. If your products, or services that can benefit all category type of people, then your objective would be to connect/accept as many people as you can. If your interests are limited like mine's, then most likely you would accept/connect with people who share similar interest. Although you can opt to accept any connection request if you like that individual background and knowledge.
Hi Kevin,
I enjoy your blogs, and use some of the information as it apples to me. I am a mechanical designer.
I enjoy people and love to read what they have to say. I have associated myself with a few groups that
relate to my field. I am still looking for more groups, as there are thousands of them on Linked In. I have also associated my self with one group which is predominantly HR.
I like part of what the anonymous recruiter pointed out I do not send my resume to everyone, but to the jobs that pertain to my background. I often review the people who are posting jobs to find out where they are, if they will accept someone willing to relocate, and if they understand what it takes to do the type of work they are advertising. Thanks for your blogs, keep them coming.
I am an unemployed person trying to use the linked in network. I found that even when you use the site and request help from the mentors you have had and asked them for a reference they ignore it. I opened a linkedin account to help me make new connections through the people I knew because I was told that is how people are get better jobs these day. So, I built my profile did my reference request. I did my reference for them they requested from me but I did not get one in return. Bottom line is if the people that suggest you get onto Linkedin do not follow through and help you as they said they would it does not work the way it is supposed to. Currently I have been out of work for 5 months now sent linkedin Emails and regular email to my network friends or thought they were friends because I never got any replies back. So even if you worked with these people and they said Oh sure I will Help Don't count on it. The best thing I found to remember when you are dealing with a network like this is EVERYONE is for them selves and looks out for no one in this economic world except themselves. So we need to look out for a ourselves alone for those that get help they need great but it does not always happen. I know I will get another job somewhere down the road but I am not going to count on the People I network with to help me because Sometimes in reality it does not happen. People have busy lives and friends sometime slip through the loop and get forgotten. Please do not think I hate anyone I have networked with because they seem to have forgotten me because, I don't, I just think it is a shame that people persevering that this will be a big help to network to get a job when sometimes in reality it does not help as it was meant to do. So sorry, to sound so negative but, that is my reality people I thought I could count on to help in my time of need like I did for them they got there jobs but I am still looking everyday on every website and paper or article I find . There is a job out there for me but I am going to have to find it my self.
Is Linked In being used properly?
From all that I have ready here from all the posts here,I will have to say that for the most part the majority are from the Western Society of Life and Norms within them.
So let me take a a differnt apporoach to this issue:
How many of you really know your neighbour?
How many of you really know the guy next to you in your condo parking lot?
How many of you live in an apartment in where you are really feeling belonged?
If the answer is NO then it is because not that networking is the issue it is our sociey is very closed in comparitive to other societies in the world. For Example I have lived in Israel and I have being to South america as my better half is latin as well being to Europe inthese societies the concept of networking is more a way of life as these societies tend to be more open and approachable thus the network is within the culture as it is part of the enviroment that you grow up in that determines our behavior and approach.
In Israel I felt that once i moved into my apartment that all the neighbors were very friendly and welcoming that it felt that they were my family this is utmost not heard of in the North Culture, The ssame was for when I was in South America and Europe I felt more connected to the people as the senxe of caring was stronger. So is lionked in not being used properly ? I think it more an Enviorment issue as opposed to Networking.
Hi
when it comes to quality over quantity as I said in my last post, the key is in the enviroment that you live in.
The quality will always out weigh quantity. Yet this is done via critical mass, filtering out those who are not like minded as to to those whom are one by one, this is not a quick process it can take time to develop.
Once done the network will become real as trust is noticed in what you do rather than just what you say. This will then allow you whom you can actually turn to for the leads, rather than expect it to be all that you approach. This is also the same offline as the key here is behind every possible lead there lies the person not the digital text on line. We can not forget we want to be respected, thus how we are respected by others is how we will respect them.It is our essence of our existence that defines our purpose and being here. This is the sense we must take when we question is LinkedIn a proper sense or tool for marketting ourselves.
I also lean toward Elizabeth's and Theresa Moretti's comments. Having 10,000 Linkedin connections to me feels unwieldy. I imagine myself on stage before a group of 10,000 strangers saying, "I'm am an unemployed bookkeeper. what need can I fill for any of you(for money of course)?" Yes Randy that would be breaking out of my confort zone. I think Ron has a point, my message to most of the 10,000 would probably be ignored as superficial, uninteresting, irrelevant and self-interested.
I particularly liked the focus on what you can offer to the client. What is your solution. Many are still unemployed, but what is setting you apart from the others and why should an employer hire you! As a recruiting manager, I work with both clients and candidates and wish this message would be spread more as that new approach could change someone's career immediately!
My question is are you building a network or a database???
Networks are about quality of connections
Database is about quantity period not relationships.
It has been scientifically proven that humans can only handle about 120 relations at a time.
I feel telling job seekers to go for a database is a disservice to them. It is the same as telling them to send there resume to any and all jobs out there. It is a shotgun approach and it is not really effective. Not if you are looking for a quality job.
I know these are hard times and seekers are getting, if not beyond, desperate in their search. So as professional career advisors we need to be cautious in what we tell seekers. I know Kevin is like me and we want nothing more than to see everyone back to work. As a professional I try to find ways to make their connections more of quality and that will get them hired in the right job.
Kevin,
When I first started with LinkedIn I was extremely careful with the persons I was connecting with. I made certain I knew them or at least their work. Now I am connecting with everyone especially professionals trying to build up their own network. It is one way I can give a helping hand. I do make certain that there is a professional "likemindedness" and I am careful with spam. I have only received two request out of my 750 first degree connections that were questionable, one I reported as spam when a person was trying to sell some products. But it has been a blast communicating and exchanging ideas with people in my field of interest and meet new people who are innovators and who are helping me to think out of the box. It has been a great experience sharing my own recommendations and hearing back from my connection that my suggestion was a great help to them. I have recently received two job leads from people out of state that I would have never have heard from if I did not open up my connections. However, 7 months later I am still unemployed and I have stopped counting on my LinkedIn connections for leads because they are far and few between, but rather use it as a tool to keep active in my field of interest and to find those few people (out of the many) who are eager to give as well as receive. A mixed bag for sure. Linda
I have enjoyed reading all the comments posted thus far. I do not think there is a right answer whether to go for quantity or quality. I have experienced both in the past 7 months as I have grown my network from 7 unto over 800.
Firstly, I am sorry for those who have been out of work for a long period of time. Sometimes I have the impression at times from articles and bloggers that networking is the No 1 way of getting a career after being unemployed. I disagree as seeking a career should not putting all our eggs in one basket so to speak. Career seeking is a full time activity including networking and many other means of seeking employment.
Secondly, those who have sought help from people they have connected to but have not responded for any requests for help, if the request is only by email, why not try calling them or writing them using snail mail? Sometimes people are so inundated with technology that the technology becomes overwhelming. A few times I have asked people to introduce me to others in order to connect and I have never had success. So I only connect through various types of groups including open networking groups.
Thirdly, I don't believe in adding my email address to a list for anyone to connect just for the sake of having a lot of connections. That to me is what Facebook is all about, and has nothing to do with quality of networking. I hold strongly that a person needs to have a plan even in networking. The geographical areas, the career positions, the skills and the amount of activity. These are all part of the factors when accepting an invitation or requesting an invitation.
I hope of some of what I have said is helpful in some way. Thanks.