Expanding your LinkedIn network puts you at an advantage. The more connections you have, the more likely you can land more opportunities, and your profile will appear on search results. You can follow many people on LinkedIn, but those who connect with you can be fewer. The question is, “how do you easily find and make connections on LinkedIn?“
Finding more connections on LinkedIn starts by increasing your network. Be active on LinkedIn, import contacts, and connect with profiles suggested by LinkedIn and those in LinkedIn groups. Still, when connecting with someone, ensure you are descriptive when sending a connection request and give someone a reason to connect with you. That way, each connection request will earn you a first-degree connection.
This guide begins by understanding why LinkedIn connections matter. Next, we will see the various ways of finding more connections and offer tips on how best to send a connection request to earn more connections.
Why Bother Getting More LinkedIn Connections?
LinkedIn is a platform that gives room for recruiters and job seekers to connect. A LinkedIn profile alone is not enough to put you at the forefront of getting opportunities. It would help if you created connections.
Here’s the kicker, LinkedIn has three categories of connections; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd connections. The good thing with creating a 1st-degree connection is that they help bring the other two. Moreover, search engines on LinkedIn give results based on first-degree connections.
In that case, the more 1st-degree connections you have, the more likely your LinkedIn profile will appear in search engines, and people can view your profile and hopefully connect or message you. So, if you want to get viewed by many people and get a better chance of landing big deals and opportunities, your LinkedIn connections come in handy.
How To Find Connections on LinkedIn
By now, you understand the benefit of having more LinkedIn connections. You must have an extensive network to get more connections on LinkedIn easily. That way, you can easily send connection requests to people on your network.
The below tips will help you find more connections.
Import Your Email Contacts
LinkedIn allows you to connect to your contacts that are on LinkedIn by importing them. The steps below will guide you on importing your email contacts.
- Log in to your LinkedIn account and click the My Network tab.
- Tap on Connections on the left.
- Below the Add personal contacts, click the More options.
- Enter the email address associated with your contacts.
- Click Continue.
- Sign in to your account when prompted, and your contacts will get listed, provided they have a LinkedIn account.
- Select the contacts you wish to invite, then click the Add Connections to send them invitations.
Hopefully, your contacts will connect back and create a 1st-degree connection.
Use LinkedIn Groups
Another reliable way of finding connections on LinkedIn is by joining various LinkedIn groups. You can search for a group based on keywords or the group’s name. Once you’ve joined the group and are active, you will eventually interact with more people. Eventually, you will connect with them and create a larger network.
Send Invitations Based on Search Results
If you know someone’s name, you can search for them on LinkedIn and connect with them. Moreover, you can look for various profiles on your LinkedIn network page, follow them, and send them a connection invite.
Use “People You May Know“
LinkedIn offers a “people you may know” section, and you can connect with them.
- Open your LinkedIn account and click on My Network.
- Click on Connections.
- Scroll down to the “People you may know” and click the Connect button to send a connection request.
Once accepted, you will have added more connections.
Be Active on LinkedIn
An active LinkedIn profile makes it easy for someone viewing your profile to follow and connect with you. Besides, when someone sends you a connection invite, you can easily view it when active and either accept or ignore it. Furthermore, by being active, you can view the suggestions and connect with them when you see people you know.
Tips For Sending a Connection Invite
Don’t send a connection invitation request without adding a catchy and descriptive note. When sending a connection request, explain how you know that person, why you want to connect with them, how you met them, and why connecting with them is beneficial.
Most people don’t accept connections from strangers, especially if the connection request doesn’t give them a reason to connect with them. So, ensure you add a note to your connection request and creatively utilize the chance to ensure someone accepts your request.
Conclusion
Finding connections on LinkedIn requires you to employ creativity for it to be successful. This guide has explained why connections matter and various ways of finding more connections on LinkedIn.
