Building Your Network and Nurturing Relationships with the Right Professionals…
If you look back at most of the connection invites you’ve received, how many have been the standard message such as, “I’d like to add you to my network.” vs. those that have reached out with a personal note? Today, it’s even more important to reach out to professionals where you have commonality. What you have in common can be connections that you both share, skills, career pursuits, alma mater, or how you can be mutual resources.
Demonstrate that you’re not just building your connection count and that you’re interested in sharing with your network by implementing the following techniques:
- GET PROFESSIONALLY PERSONAL: Avoid standard, impersonal messages from the social network-the ones where you just hit a button to congratulate a connection. When career networking, send a personal note that means something to a relationship.
- MAKE INTRODUCTIONS: Reach out and introduce two connections if you determine they’ll both benefit from the relationship.
- SHARE YOUR CONTENT, SHARE THEIRS: When career networking, you share your content with your connections, but you can also help your connections out. Make a comment on their article and let them know you’re taking action to share their original content (blogs and articles, for example) with your network!
- RECOMMEND a connection without being asked-it makes a statement for building strong career connections. You can recommend first degree connections from within your profile.
