Allow Me to Introduce Myself: Making the LinkedIn Connection
By Tess Curle Taylor, PHR, CPC
Some have called the Internet a double-edged sword. The beauty of having access to everyone with a social network account is that one person can connect with another no matter where the two are located in the world. However, this can also pose a disadvantage when it comes to introducing yourself to the person with whom you wish to speak.
Making the LinkedIn Connection
So, what are some excellent ways to break the ice for recruiters who wish to speak with candidates? One very effective method is to use LinkedIn for business conversations. The trick is knowing how and when to go about this process and make a positive connection. Here are some methods for accomplishing this.
Connect with Suggestions
One of the best features of LinkedIn is that the site will suggest people for you to connect with based on your current connections and your profile. Once you click on the profile of a suggested connection, send the person a message about yourself and ask to connect with them online. This will begin a discussion about your company and what it can offer them in terms of employment.
Browse Profiles of Connections
Another excellent way to introduce yourself on LinkedIn as a recruiter is to browse the profiles of your potential new connections. This allows you to learn about their connections to you and how your connection knows their connections on LinkedIn. (Wow, that’s a lot of connections!) You can then send invitations to these people, letting them know how you came across their profile, and what you are looking for in an employee.
Provide Connections for Others
A popular method for recruiters online today is to introduce their connections to each other. This helps all of your connections build their network. There are a couple of steps involved in this process, but we will discuss them for you so it can be done effectively.
First, find the profile of a connection in LinkedIn who might benefit from being introduced to your co-worker or supervisor. Click on that person’s profile and then the ‘share’ button, which is at the bottom left of their profile overview box. This next step is when you enter a name of a connection whom you think would benefit from being introduced to this person. You can enter someone’s email address or search for them in your LinkedIn connections.
The next step is to write a personal message. This should name the person you are connecting them to and let the person know why you think they should meet each other. This could be for a potential job, a promotion or anything else. When doing this step of the process you can select or deselect the option that allows the “recipients to see each other’s names and email addresses.”
If you are not sure if someone would be offended by providing their contact information, make sure this box is deselected. If you know it will be easier to share the info, then select the box and hit send. You have now introduced people to each other on LinkedIn.
Image Credit: © Andres Rodriguez - Fotolia.com
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