You’ve always been told, “More is better,” when it comes to LinkedIn. You strive for more recommendations, more endorsements, and more connections. But is more really better? When it comes to your LinkedIn connections, having lots of people in your network is always going to be helpful. In fact, when you reach 500 connections, you become viewed as a power user of LinkedIn. That said, if you systematically send out invitation blasts, you might get restricted by LinkedIn. “LinkedIn can tell when someone is trying to game the system,” said J.T. O’Donnell, LinkedIn Influencer and founder of CAREEREALISM.com. In addition, if you’re getting a lot of rejections, you might get flagged as a spammer. This will also get you restricted. Not cool! So, how can you develop a strong network on LinkedIn? Instead of risking it, J.T. suggests you do the following:
- Do your homework
- Make a Bucket List of companies that excite you
- Send out 5-10 well-crafted and customized requests to people in those companies
- Follow up with them
- Send them an article
- Put them in your rotation of people you want to touch base with
- Eventually ask them for an informational interview
- Get to know them