LinkedIn - Tips to engage better

I have been on LinkedIn for a while now - maybe 7 years or even more. Of late, I see a lot of students and young professionals use LinkedIn for job searches, reaching out to peers or industry executives for help on various projects, with mentoring requests etc. This is a healthy trend that points to the community being on LinkedIn. But apart from keeping tabs on various job openings, does reaching out to senior industry professionals with referral / job requests really help? I believe for a large majority, the answer to that question would be a big "No". Is it because the individuals are not ready to help? Or is it that they are not being approached in the correct manner? I believe it is the latter.

I receive requests for help at-least 3-5 times a day from the vast student/young professional community on LinkedIn. I do try to help as many people as I can, at least with a response. From the patterns that I see, let me share my 2 cents on what "could" plausibly increase your chances of a meaningful engagement with who-ever you are approaching for help.

• Do not spam : Most LinkedIn messages read like spam starting with "Hi Sir/Mam". If you expect a response, take the time and effort to address the person by name at the very least.
• Do your homework : Several times I have been approached by people who want to be "fund managers" or "equity analysts" and work at Bloomberg. This betrays the fact that you have not done your home-work well enough - you have not taken the time to understand what Bloomberg does and what could be the profiles on offer - is it even a relevant organization to apply into. Without exception, I never respond to such messages - if you don't have time to research, I can't be bothered to help. I would imagine not many others would respond to such messages either.
• Go through the careers section : Most multi nationals and Indian companies have a transparent application process. Most of the jobs are highlighted in the careers section. Make it a point to go through it and the job description. See if the profile and experience requirements fit your profile. Reach out to relevant people only if all these boxes are checked off.
• Do not ask for favors : I receive many requests like "can you please send my resume to your HR" or "can you please use your contacts to get me a job". You must understand, the person you are approaching does not know you. Why would you expect them to put their credibility on the line to help a stranger? Have a meaningful dialogue, then proceed if a relationship is made.
• Be succinct : A long drawn out saga of your struggles does not move any-one, unless you are a great writer. Frequently these tales are interspersed with spelling mistakes and grammatical mistakes that only serve to reduce the other's confidence in you. Be short, be precise. Value the other's time.
• Don't make small talk : In particular, I get annoyed by messages like "Hi sir, how are you?" or just "hi". You are not my buddy and I have better things to do than to chat to strangers with that as an opening line. Come to the point.

In the end, if you can build a connect with the other, you stand a better chance of being helped. Some students/young upstarts have done a great job in connecting and building a healthy professional relationship with me. I would go the extra mile to help these contacts on LinkedIn. However, building connect is not easy. It requires effort and not every one is good at it. But not making an effort is not an excuse and it's not going to get you a response. Not from me anyway.