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How to make connections on LinkedIn?

I am new to LinkedIn and am wondering who I should add as a connection? I also am transitioning into a different career section, hopefully the non-profit, human service, or social service sector and am not sure if I should add old employees/supervisors from the insurance industry. #networking #linkedin #social-networking #career-change #linkedin-recruiter

networking linkedin career-change social-networking connections linkedin-recruiter
Thank you comment icon you can add your old coworkers so they can endorse you for your skills which looks good on your profile. Rachel
Thank you comment icon Thanks for your answer Rachel. I recently have added a few of my previous coworkers. Mounia
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Carolyn’s Answer

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Hi -- sure, you can start out by adding former supervisors & employees that you've enjoyed working with before, even if they're not in your target industry. That's how a lot of people start out when they first create their LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn connections (1st-level connections) will help expand the pool of 2nd and 3rd-level LinkedIn connections you can make with other people. After that, I would recommend that you search for people on LinkedIn who are working in your target career sectors. See if any of them publish articles or posts on LinkedIn, and like or comment on the posts that interest you ... it's a good way to learn about the industry and engage with people who work in the careers that interest you. Look at people's LinkedIn profiles -- if their career or activities interest you, you can send them an invitation to connect. I would recommend adding a short note in your invitation that says why you would like to connect with them (e.g., to learn more about their industry, because you enjoy reading their posts, etc.).

Carolyn recommends the following next steps:

Connect with former coworkers & supervisors
Like or comment on interesting posts on LinkedIn about your target career sectors
Connect with people in your target career sectors (include a personal note in each connection request that says why you'd like to connect)
Thank you comment icon Your answer is great Carolyn, thanks so much for sharing your expertise! At this moment there are more than 800 unanswered questions so I wanted to encourage you to keep going! So many students will benefit tremendously from hearing from you. Keep up the great work! Lindsey Manning-Djabbari
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Daniela’s Answer

Hi,


Take a look on this incredible article and discover!!


http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/work/10-ways-you-can-use-your-linkedin-profile-to-get-your-dream-job-98464


Good luck!!
Thank you comment icon Thank you! Mounia
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Blake’s Answer

Hey Mounia,

I would recommend adding people that you worked with as well as prior students you went to school with.

Thanks,
Blake
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Hanleigh’s Answer

LinkedIn is a great place to reach out to people that are in the field that you aspire to be in, and ask them questions about how they got to where they are. Also, utilize LinkedIn to connect with people that are already in your network: friends, family, church members, fellow alumni, friends or friends, etc. Most importantly, take your conversation outside of LinkedIn and schedule a phone call, meet for coffee, or chat via Skype or Zoom. Try to actually develop a relationship with the person, and may even offer ways that you can be of help to that person. It should be an exchange.
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Abigail’s Answer

I agree with the other answerers here, a specialized and personalized message is important! One thing I like to do is anytime I see a person speak - at a conference, on TV, or even in something like a YouTube video - who I was interested in connecting with, I would immediately add them as a connection with a message saying, "I really enjoyed your talk at XXX Conference! Would love to connect with another pro in the industry!" or something like that.


Sometimes they accept, sometimes they don't, but there's no harm in sending the message. And in the case where they do accept, this is meaningful when others are looking at your connections - suddenly you're connected with industry leaders and conference speakers, and that can give you a tiny leg up on the competition.
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Rand’s Answer

You should try to get as many connections as you can. You should connect with people who know you in any way. The larger your network is the better the search results.

Rand recommends the following next steps:

Always register all email addresses while you can still use them. By verifying those email addresses you are providing some proof that you really worked there.
For everyone you see that is in your field of interest, or company of interest, look at the groups that they are members and try to join them. Some are closed and may not let you.
Expand your network by connecting to anyone who has the letters "LION" in their name. LION meand LinkedIn Open Networker, and that person will always accept your request. These people have thousands of connections.
Also look for a group for a geography such as LinkedIn Seattle. Joining this group will get you networked with many people in your area.
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