A Step-By-Step Guide To Turn LinkedIn Connections Into Job Opportunities

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You’ve probably heard about how LinkedIn is like a gold mine for job opportunities. While it holds true, the “gold” is only exclusive to those who know how to mine it.

You may have connected with many people and grown your network. Perhaps you’ve even reached out to them to start a conversation.

But how do you turn that into actual job opportunities?

We interviewed Cindi Wirawan, a career coach with almost 7 years of experience and sought her advice on how we can turn a LinkedIn connection into a potential job opportunity.

We broke it down into 3 parts so that it is easier to follow and clearer to execute.

Step 1: Connect on LindIn

When you’re networking, keep in mind you’re not just asking something from somebody. You don’t start a connection request saying “I want a job. Let me connect with you.” That is a good way to turn people off.

The first step would be expanding your network. There’re a lot of ways to do that on LinkedIn. Once you have a network, decide who you want to network with and how you want to approach them.

Step 2: Value add before asking for a favour

Between getting the connection and introducing your ask, there’re a few necessary steps that you should practice.

Never make your ask the priority.

Instead, offer value in ways that makes the exchange mutually beneficial. That way, there is a higher chance of you succeeding in your ask.

Here are 3 simple ways you can value add to your connection.

1) Share with them useful and relevant articles

Do your due diligence and find out what might be useful to them. It can be personal or work-related. This is a simple gesture that serves as an effective ice-breaker while providing value to the other party.

2) Share their work

Whether it’s a product, an article, or a service – give a genuine compliment about how their work benefited you or the people you know. Then, share their work with your network.

Chances are, there should be some level of alignment between your interests and the person you are reaching out to. Use this as an opportunity to establish common grounds before proceeding with your ask.

3) Offer to do something you are good at

It can be as simple as fixing a minor tech issue, introducing a new client, or even writing a piece of content for their business. This way, your connection will feel like this exchange is mutually beneficial, and your chances of engaging them will significantly increase.

Note: Keep in mind these are mainly used to build rapport – not to make them feel obligated to return your favour.

Step 3: Set up an informational interview

With stronger rapport, it is easier for you to proceed with your ask – an informational interview.

An informational interview is like an informal chat with an employee of the company. You just have a casual chat about their career path, their achievements, how they got there, and what are the projects they’re working on.

It’s not just to get your foot in the door, it can also help you understand if that is really what you want, and whether the job is right for you.

It’s usually not more than 30 minutes, but in some cases can last over an hour. So it depends on how good you can build rapport with them.

During the interview of course they don’t go in saying “I want a job.” You have to build a relationship with that person. Once a solid rapport is established, they are very likely to reach out to you in the future with job openings that suit you.

Or the next time you see a job opening in their company, reach out to ask more specific questions – or even request for a referral if you’ve built a strong relationship.

To stay relevant, you have to keep up with what’s relevant. Get onto LinkedIn today and apply these tips to turn LinkedIn connections into job opportunities.

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Check out a related article to level up your LinkedIn game:

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