“Howdy Dirk” and 10 other mistakes to avoid when virtual networking through LinkedIn: tips from someone with 25K+ 1st level connections.

“Network, network, network” – virtually!

This seems to be the core recommendation from career coaches and other experts on how to keep your business going or get a job during Covid-19 crisis.

And people must be listening.

I’ve received 364 Linked Invitations to connect since the pandemic started, 340 of whom I have never met or heard of.

I thought it would be helpful to track and share the characteristics of the 44 (13%) that I accepted and why I ignored (deleted) the rest. My hope is that this helps with your own networking efforts.

Of note, I am well aware of the fact that that there are fake LI profiles used by scammers, etc. I’ve kept this review focused on invitations that I believe are from real professionals intending to connect.

Professional Profile Picture

I don’t accept anyone that doesn’t have a picture of themselves in their profile. Period. This eliminated 37 (10%) of the invites. Linkedin is NOT the time to get creative. Also hitting the trash bin:

• People wearing dark sunglasses (x 2)
• Holding wine or beer (x 3)
• Group Pictures or Picture with Spouse (x 3)
• Picture of a Cat (x 1)

Role / Title as Headlines

Headlines (the key bits of information under the picture that travels with you) fell into 6 broad categories:

1.   Role (e.g. Founder, CEO) (About 80% of total)

2.   Expertise (e.g. Telehealth Specialist with….)

3.    Employment Status (e.g. Looking for a Job; Self-Employed)

4.    Company Tagline (e.g. New Innovations for New Standards)

5.    Accomplishment (e.g. World’s Longest Living XX Survivor)

6.    ---------- (Missing Headline) or typos (health and beuty (sic))

I tend to keep Categories 1 and 2 and mostly delete Categories 3 – 6

Include a Message – Only 16% of People Did!!

You’ve certainly heard that including a message in your invite increases the chances of connecting. And, for me, it’s true! Remarkably, only 59 of the 364 invites (16%) included a Message. This is probably the most surprising finding here.

Like you’ve read, I accepted invites with Messages at a much higher rate than those without. Now, let’s break these Messages down further:

Salutations in Messages – Be Respectful

“Howdy Dirk…” took the cake in the Are You Kidding Me?! Salutation category. I get mostly “Hi Dirk” or “Hello Dirk”.

My preference is just my first name, or a formal business salutation. Dr. Schroeder gets the closest look.

Message Content

I’m looking for just three things in a message: (1) that you’re NOT going to instantly try to sell me something, (2) that you actually took 30 seconds to look at my profile and interests, and (3) that you have given a few seconds thought to how being connected to you could bring ME value. 

To be ruthlessly honest, I am busy and not that open to how it will benefit YOU, at the beginning. I tell my students over and over – how can you bring something of value to the person you are seeking to network with. (Students and early career folks often tell me that they don’t have anything of value to offer – WRONG! I’ll cover that in detail in a future article.)

Back to this analysis of the 59 Messages and how to reach out: 

Examples of Message Content:

NOT GOOD

• “I hope you are doing well during this Covid-19 pandemic, my company sells technology solutions for….”
• “I’m expanding my network. Let’s connect and get acquianted (sic)”

BETTER

• "I see we have a large common network, we share UNIVERSITY, COMPANY and INTEREST area – I’d value connecting”.
• “Linkedin kept suggesting I might know you, so I checked out your profile. I see we are both working in the areas of A and B and, like you, I am also passionate about C.

BEST

• “Dr. Schroeder: I see you are doing a lot of work in innovation, technology, and healthcare. I’ve just written a paper on this topic for my graduate program at X University. I’d be happy to share it with you. In the meantime, I’d like to be connected.
• “Bob X (common colleague I ACTUALLY just spoke to) suggested I reached out to you. I see you’re working on ABC. I have some experience in this area and would love to connect”.

 Other Characteristics of Who I Accepted to Connect with

Some of these are obvious:

• High number of mutual connections, BUT ONLY if the person works in a field that is relevant.
• CEOs, Founders, Executive Titles, BUT I also will accept students, graduate students, managers and directors who share my interests and I can see have “potential” to positively impact the field.
• People that work at innovative companies I admire 

Summary

In sum, if you can put together a professional picture, headline and profile and reach out to me with a message that shows that you actually took at least ONE MINUTE to understand what my interests and passions are, you are about 20X more likely to get a positive response to connect. About 10% of the invites met this fairly low bar, so the odds are actually pretty good if you do.

I hope this helps your virtual networking.

Stay Safe. Stay Well.

Dirk