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How to Connect and Build Your Network Effectively

Significance of LinkedIn 

LinkedIn is one of the largest social platforms for job seekers and work-hungry professionals. Primarily used to motivate, educate, and connect individuals, LinkedIn allows for networking expansion to your personal work life.   

Providing professional-to-professional interaction, LinkedIn gives access to over 57 million companies throughout the world. Whether you are seeking a new career opportunity or looking to gain knowledge in your position through industry-specific groups, this social network holds limitless opportunities that have the potential to benefit your professional career.     

Why Building Your Network is Vital  

LinkedIn is the leading source for connecting potential hires and business partners. With the increase of remote work this past year, knowing who to connect with is crucial for successfully building a strong community.   

According to HubSpot, LinkedIn was named a top social media platform with active users totaling 740 million in 2021. As growth rates climb, the concept of understanding how to network on LinkedIn becomes vital to make sure you are broadening your connections to allow for significant growth and potential opportunities.     

How do you successfully build your LinkedIn network?  

Building Your LinkedIn Network  

  1. Follow Companies and Organizations of Appeal 
  • Search for companies/organizations of interest  
  • Follow professionals within the companies/organizations you choose to follow  
  • Expand your internal network allowing for more opportunity  
  1. Connect with Industry-Specific Profiles  
  • Join specific groups, allowing for your visibility to increase to networks beyond yours 
  • Find local recruiting groups 
  1. Seek Professionals You Know  
  • Connect with current or past employers, employees, friends, neighbors… anyone you can think of that is a part of the LinkedIn community 
  • Frequently engage with current connections 

These three concepts are crucial factors to assist in developing a substantial amount of new network connections. 

Summary   

Developing your network is an essential feature integrated into one of the main purposes behind the creation of this social platform. LinkedIn provides a great way to stay relevant to the latest trends and allows users to interact with other people within their professional field. The sooner the networking begins, the quicker opportunity will arise and future growth will unfold. Make sure to reach out to different groups, companies, and extended connections to perfect your networking skills.     

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