Thursday, December 15, 2011

LinkedIn: Connect with the Right People

A holiday gathering was the setting of an introduction to the owner of a talent placement company. Over cocktails he told me a about a man he was trying to help find a job. The would-be new hire said his goal was to have 500 followers on LinkedIn by the beginning of the New Year. Hearing this nearly caused me to do a spit-take, though it’s not an uncommon philosophy.

For some reason the unemployed individual was certain that number would be the catalyst to multiple job offers. His methodology was akin to sending everyone in the phone book his resume. A more strategic approach would be to grow his LinkedIn contacts so that he creates a rolodex full of targeted decision makers and supporters.

The process for self-promotion is the same for businesses, products or services. Your message is lost on those who don’t hold your same values or interests. One should spend time on attracting a targeted audience, and providing content that interests them. In fact the more specific your niche, the better off you’ll be.

More fans, followers and alike won’t necessarily bring you job offers, or anything else. A targeted approach toward generating an organic audience base will serve you well. Focus more on the quality of your efforts rather than increasing the quantity of contacts and success will follow.