Should You Connect with All Recruiters on LinkedIn?


In the job market in 2014, social media is king. People routinely cull their Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter feeds to find jobs and figure out who is hiring, where to look, and how they can get into the career of their dreams. With that, then, come strategies and options for picking up job offers using these social tools.


As you might expect, LinkedIn is maybe the most popular social tool when it comes to seeking out and finding job options in your realm and in your world. Specifically, connecting with recruiters and corporate headhunters on LinkedIn can help your chances of getting a job if you do it right, and take into account some simple ideas and parameters.


Have Your Niche In Mind


First, you should not connect with every single recruiter on LinkedIn, no matter what. Have some idea about what you can do for a company, what niche you fit into, where you strengths are, and how you can help a specific organisation and department. If accounting is not your strong suit, it will not do much to help you connect on LinkedIn with an accounting recruiter who cannot pitch you to a corporation or help you get an accounting job at a company.


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Do Not Connect Until Your Profile Is Ready


Avoid connecting too early. Be sure your profile highlights your work experience, your background, your education, and everything else that you need to have ready to go to show yourself off to potential employers. Have a picture, contact information, a resume, your work experience, your education background, and more all ready to go, so that once a recruiter does see your page, they can pull the trigger on hiring you and bringing you into their fold.


Be Ready to Figure Out How You Can Help Them


It is not enough just to connect with recruiters on LinkedIn, how can you make their jobs and their lives easier? That is one of the most important questions that you can ask yourself, and one you should do every day. Can I help this recruiter truly fill a position and make their lives easier? If you are not adding value to those you connect with, they are not going to remember you or use their network to get you where you want to go. Ask one simple question, and it can get you far in the business world -- how can you help somebody else, and in turn, help yourself?


A Big Network is Never A Bad Thing


That being said, and all of these warnings heeded, having a big network is never, ever a bad thing. Once you are sure that your profile is ready to roll, making it a point to connect with a lot of people can only help your network, and help you get to where you want to be. Reach out to those around you, you may be surprised at how much you can achieve and how far you can get if you just ask how you can help, and if they can help you!


RELATED: How to Get the Most out of Your LinkedIn Profile

 

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