Learning LinkedIn - tips for students on building a network
You don’t get many children* on LinkedIn, so unlike other social platforms that you grow up with, LinkedIn is a place you tend to arrive at as an adult. Arriving fresh has the advantage of no embarrassing photos in the back catalogue but it also presents that challenge of building a network from scratch, with people you might not know yet. Here are some tips.
*You are welcome from age 13.
Why are you using LinkedIn?
Let’s presume you’re looking to create a network that will benefit your working life either now, or in the future. What that looks like, could be quite vague. You might have a sector in mind, based on your current study or interests. Perhaps you’re an entrepreneur creating a network to sell to. Either way, LinkedIn is about building a professional network. It’s daunting at the start but try to avoid sending multiple connection requests and build your network strategically.
Where to start with building your LinkedIn network
Don’t collect people that aren’t relevant to you, this avoids curating a stream of irrelevant content in your feed. Start by connecting with people you know in real life that you like or have something in common with. Try to customise your connection request with a message. You can do this by choosing to ‘add note’ within your connection invitation.
How to add a note, to encourage LinkedIn connections
Use the character count wisely to pitch a human and honest request to connect. For example:
Hi Sue - I volunteered with your group when I was in school. I’m new to LinkedIn and I’d really appreciate connecting with you - Best Sam :)
Think about people connected to your life that might be on LinkedIn and could be useful to you - customers you know from working in a pub or shop, people connected to volunteering jobs, academics from your college or university, friends of your parents and your peers. Once you’ve exhausted that group, move on to sectors you are interested in.
Sector-specific list-building in LinkedIn
Let’s say you’re planning to build a career around a specific area of expertise. Research some of the leading lights in that sector and try to build connections. Once you’ve secured a couple, you can leverage that in your connection notes. For example:
Hi Sue - I’m connected to Dr Saul Smith and Professor Jon James and now you’ve popped up as a recommended contact. I would love to connect with you. I’ve recently graduated and am new to LinkedIn, I’m building my network and would like to keep up with your work - Best Sam
Leverage the fact that you’re young and new to LinkedIn
Most people will understand that everyone has to start somewhere. LinkedIn builds traction the more you grow your network. Use the fact that you’re new to LinkedIn until you’ve reached 500 connections. At this point your network will start to grow more organically because you will be beginning to interact with more people and you will attract contacts more naturally.
Build relationships with your LinkedIn connections
To start with, keep your network small enough to manage, get to recognise the people that interest you. As soon as someone accepts your connection request, thank them. If you have your eye on certain people, perhaps as potential employers or customers, try to move the conversation to the next level over time. If you’d like to know about what they do, ask if they’d be willing to have a chat.
Build slowly, focus on quality, rather than quantity
By building a group of relevant contacts you’ll start to see stories, posts and opportunities that interest you. If you ask loads of people to connect in a short space of time, LinkedIn will probably stop you making connections for a short while. This is a feature designed to stop you randomly spamming huge groups of people you don’t know.
Be brave and find your voice, don’t be silent on LinkedIn
Start by liking and commenting on posts that interest you. If you have an opinion on a post, ‘quote and post’ with your thoughts. Share observations and original thoughts on newspaper articles and things that you spot in real life. You might not be in a career yet, but thoughtful commentary on university life, or things you’ve learnt from a part time job will still interest people.
Tips for good LinkedIn posts
Like any social platform, some people have awesome powers when it comes to LinkedIn. Funny, engaging content, posts that are heartfelt. What works for some, would fail for others. There are people that seem to say the same thing every day in a slightly different way, and that works for their audience. Like every marketing tool it’s about understanding who you’re talking to and why. After a while you’ll recognise who likes what.
Notice when people engage with your LinkedIn posts
People don’t use LinkedIn in the same way as other social platforms and the pattern of the working week has changed. Think about when people look at LinkedIn, days when people work from home and the morning and evening commute are good times to get attention. You don’t know everyone’s schedule, but there is a greater trend to work from home on a Monday and Friday.
Don’t be disheartened if it takes a while to create your ideal LinkedIn space, keep going and remember nobody likes humblebrags and a ridiculous amount of people like dogs :)
If you’d like some tips on growing your network, connect with me on LinkedIn and I’ll be happy to chat.