LinkedIn Networking for Beginners: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Success

Whether your brand new to LinkedIn or planning to become more active on the platform, having a strategy for networking is essential.

If you’re looking to grow your career, LinkedIn is still the best social media platform to do that.  Sure, there’s opportunities on all of the other major platforms, but LinkedIn still has that aura of professionalism to it.

With the right approach to building your network, you can go from being brand new to a respected voice in a relatively short period time if you follow the steps we’re going to go through.

What You’ll Learn from This Article:

·         Why LinkedIn is the best social media site to grow your career.

·         How to build a network on LinkedIn

·         Best practices when it comes to LinkedIn networking.

Let’s take a minute get a background on LinkedIn and why it’s the place to be.

What You Need to Know About LinkedIn

·         Professional Networking Hub: LinkedIn is the world's largest platform for professional networking, connecting over 900 million members globally.

·         Digital Resume & Branding: Your LinkedIn profile serves as a live resume, showcasing your skills, experience, and achievements while helping you build your personal brand.

·         Job Opportunities: LinkedIn provides a dedicated section to search and apply for jobs, connect with recruiters, and explore career opportunities tailored to your interests.

·         Content & Engagement: Sharing posts, writing articles, and engaging with content can highlight your expertise and expand your professional reach.

·         Learning & Skill Development: Through LinkedIn Learning, you can access courses to boost your knowledge and career-related skills.

Now that you have a little background on exactly what LinkedIn is, let’s get into how to network.

The Ultimate Guide for Networking on LinkedIn

Step 1: Create a Unique Profile

Before you do anything on LinkedIn, your profile should be filled out as much as possible.

Think about your Profile as your resume, cover letter, and marketing page all rolled into one.  This should give other people on LinkedIn all of the information they need to know exactly who you are and what you do.

What are the most essential parts of your profile that should be completed?

1.      Your picture: Your picture should be a professional shot showing only you and putting you in the best light possible.  You should be in the center of the photo, and nothing in the background should distract from you.

2.      Your Headline: This is where you really need to stand out.  Your headline should grab the attention of someone reading it and not be general.  The more specific you can get, the more success you’ll see when trying to make connections and network.

a.      Example: Here’s a boring headline: “I am a professional writer.”  Now, let’s spice it up a little bit….” Professional writer crafting engaging content that drives sales and boosts revenue.” 

3.      Your About Me Section: You can make this section as long as you want.  Try and optimize it for words you want to be searched for with.  If you’re an Accountant or want to be one, make sure you include wors in the accounting industry (I can’t give you any suggestions there because I didn’t do well in any accounting class I took.)

4.      Your Experience: This is an obvious one, but a tip for you here, take the best bullets from your resume and put them under each job and only use about 3 bullets as it should just be a taste of what’s on your resume.  Also, you should include skills you acquired at each job in this section as well.

5.      Your Skills Section: In this section, you should include as many skills as possible.  The more skills you add, the more search friendly you’ll make your profile.

There are other sections like Volunteer Work, Licenses and Certifications, Recommendations and Interests that can all be included as well but making sure you start with the 5, I mentioned is crucial to having a well-rounded profile.

Advanced Tips:

·         Optimize for SEO: Use keywords that your target audience or recruiters would search for. For example, instead of "Marketing Professional," use "SEO Strategist Specializing in Content Marketing." Tools like Google Keyword Planner or LinkedIn’s own search bar can help identify trending terms.

·         Background Banner: Use a professional banner image with branding elements—like your company logo, industry-related graphics, or a motivational tagline. Tools like Canva offer free LinkedIn banner templates.

·         Multimedia Additions: Include portfolio links, videos, or presentations in the "Featured" section. For instance, if you're in sales, upload a short video introducing your sales strategy.

·         Headline Formula: Combine your skills, value proposition, and credibility. Example: "Data Analyst | Delivering Actionable Insights | Trusted by Fortune 500 Companies."

·         Personalized Summary: End your "About Me" section with a call to action, like "Let’s connect if you’re looking for expertise in digital transformation."

Step 2: Start Adding Connections

Having a respectable number of connections is extremely important when you’re trying to network on LinkedIn. 

What is a respectable number of connections?

While there’s no magic number, the more connections you have, the more legitimate your profile will look.  Let me give you an example.

I’m constantly getting LinkedIn connection requests from people who’ve been on the platform for a number of years and have less than 100 connections.  That tells me either they don’t use LinkedIn much or they are a spam profile.

The fact is, it makes me not want to connect with them and I’ll usually decline.

So how can you make your profile legitimate even if you’ve just joined LinkedIn? 

The key is to invite people to connect with you who you’re already connected with in your email address book.

Here’s how you can do it:

1.       Log in to LinkedIn: Go to your LinkedIn account.

2.       Navigate to "My Network": Click on the My Network tab at the top of the LinkedIn homepage.

3.       Click "More Options": Below "Manage My Network," find and click "More options" or "Add contacts."

4.       Import Your Contacts: Enter your email address when prompted and allow LinkedIn to sync your contacts.

5.       Grant Access: Approve access to your email account (e.g., Gmail, Outlook).

6.       Review Connections: LinkedIn will display a list of people from your email contacts.

7.       Select or "Add All": Choose individual connections or click "Add All" to send connection requests.

8.       Optional: Customize the invitations for high-priority connections to make them more personal.

Advanced Tips:

·         Segment Your Outreach: Categorize your contacts (e.g., colleagues, alumni, industry leaders) and craft personalized messages for each group.

·         Example: “Hi [Name], I noticed we both attended [University] and are in [Industry]. Would love to connect and share insights!”

·         Leverage Open Profiles: Search for users with the “Open to Connect” badge. These people are typically more willing to accept invitations.

·         Use LinkedIn Events: After attending virtual events or webinars, connect with speakers or attendees. Mention the event in your message: “Hi [Name], I enjoyed your presentation at [Event]. Your insights on [Topic] were impactful.”

·         Engage First: Before sending a connection request, engage with their content by liking, commenting, or sharing. Your name will stand out when you request to connect.

This should really make your profile look professional and now you can move on to step 3.

Step 3: Start Posting Consistently

Sharing your expertise, interest and insights is a great way to show others who you are.  The great thing about LinkedIn is that your posts can be seen by anyone on LinkedIn, not just your connections.

Before I get into how to give your posts the best chance at getting the most eyeballs, let’s make sure your settings are correct:

1.       Log in to LinkedIn and go to the homepage.

2.       Click "Start a Post" to create a new post.

3.       Check Audience Settings: Before publishing, click the dropdown menu under "Anyone" (visible near the post box).

4.       Select "Anyone": Ensure "Anyone" is selected for maximum visibility. This setting makes your post visible to your network and beyond.

In terms of the content of your posts and strategy, aim to post on a schedule that you can handle.  If it’s once a week, stick to once a week or if it’s five times a week, stick to that.  The most consistent you are, the more of a chance your posts will get good engagement.

When you’re posting, keep in mind, you want to post things that are going to add value to LinkedIn.  That’s what the algorithm likes.  Less pictures of you sitting at your desk playing solitaire, and more insights on how Excel users can use more features on pivot tables (if that’s the kind of thing you’re interested and knowledgeable in).

Advanced Tips:

·         Post Formats: Experiment with carousel posts, videos, and LinkedIn newsletters. Carousels (multi-slide PDFs) often get higher engagement.

·         Trending Hashtags: Use 3–5 relevant hashtags in every post. Find trending ones by typing a keyword into LinkedIn's search bar. For example: #CareerAdvice, #LinkedInTips.

·         Engagement Strategy: End posts with open-ended questions to spark engagement. Example: “What’s your go-to strategy for improving productivity?”

·         Time Your Posts: Post when your audience is most active. For LinkedIn, this is typically Tuesday–Thursday, early morning (7–9 AM) or early evening (5–6 PM).

·         Collaborative Posts: Tag colleagues or industry peers in your posts to increase visibility and engagement.

With a consistent posting rhythm and a top notch profile, you’re ready for step 4.

Step 4: Start Connecting with “People You May Know”

These are an easier group of people to connect with as they are people LinkedIn recommends to you based off your current connections, companies you’ve worked for, your college and anything you may be interested in.

You can find these people simply by:

1.       Log in to LinkedIn.

2.       Click on the “My Network” icon next to the “Home” icon.

3.       The “People You May Know” will show up underneath any invitations or connection requests.

It’s recommended when you go to connect with any of these people (or anyone on LinkedIn for that matter) that you personalize your connection request.

This can be as easy as saying “Hey Jim – I noticed you’re a Duke alum like me, I’d love to connect to learn more about what you’re doing now at Microsoft.”  Something along those lines should get you responses from this group of people.

Advanced Tips:

·         Prioritize Quality Over Quantity: Focus on connecting with people who align with your career goals, rather than inflating numbers.

·         Leverage LinkedIn Filters: Use LinkedIn’s search filters to find specific connections (e.g., location, industry, past companies). For example, search for “Marketing Managers in Chicago” if that’s your target audience.

·         Mutual Connections: Before reaching out to someone, ask a mutual connection for an introduction. This adds credibility to your request.

·         InMail Strategy: Use InMail (for Premium members) to reach out to high-value connections. Keep the message concise, and offer immediate value: “Hi [Name], I’m researching [Industry Topic] and saw your expertise. Would love to hear your thoughts.”

You’re now becoming a seasoned LinkedIn veteran and building up your connections and even gaining some followers because of your valuable posts, let’s move on to the next step in the process of your networking journey.

Step 5: Join Groups and Attend Events

These two go hand and hand because they focus on connecting with groups of people.

LinkedIn groups are a useful tool if you’re looking to connect with like minded people.  Maybe you’re a Software Engineer and you want to see how your peers are handling the challenges of integrating AI; there’s probably a group for that.

Join as many groups as you can, and don’t be a ghost, post and interact with the members, they’ll like that, and you might even be able to form some bonds outside of the group.

The same goes for events.  Try to attend some events if you can because it will give you the opportunity to speak with people in a virtual setting rather than hiding behind a screen and keyboard.

I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a number of networking events where I’ve gotten to speak to small and large groups about my background.  It was intimidating but also a great experience meeting new people.

Advanced Tips:

·         High-Quality Groups: Choose active groups where members engage regularly. Look for groups with at least 1,000+ members and recent activity.

·         Thought Leadership in Groups: Post original content or engage with existing threads by sharing insights. Example: “Great question            n! In my experience with [specific issue], I’ve found that [solution].”

·         Event Follow-Up: After attending a webinar, follow up with the speakers or attendees on LinkedIn. Mention something specific from their talk to personalize your connection request.

·         Create Events: Organize your own LinkedIn events, like a Q&A session or a discussion panel in your niche. Invite connections to join and share the event within relevant groups.

Anyway, enough about me, let’s move on to the final and most difficult aspect of networking on LinkedIn…. The Final Boss…aka the 3rd connection.

Step 6: Connect with 3rd Connections

Whether you’re trying to network for a job or you’re just looking to make a name for yourself in your industry, connecting with a 3rd connection can be difficult because they are more than likely a complete stranger.

How can you network with these people?

Essentially, you have to come up with a connection request that catches their attention, offers them value, shows interest in them and is NOT ASKING THEM FOR ANYTHING.

If you want to take a dep dive into how to do this, check out this article about LinkedIn networking strategies.

You may not be able to connect with every 3rd connection that you reach out to, but if done right, you should find some success.

Advanced Tips:

·         Mutual Interests: Identify shared groups, industries, or posts you’ve both engaged with. Reference these when sending a connection request:

·         “Hi [Name], I noticed your comment on [Post/Topic], and I completely agree with your point about [Insight]. Would love to connect!”

·         Content Approach: Engage with their content first by leaving thoughtful comments. Then, reference this interaction in your connection request.

·         Value-Oriented Outreach: Offer something useful upfront, like a relevant article, tool, or insight. Example:

·         “Hi [Name], I came across this article on [Topic] and thought you might find it interesting based on your recent post. Let’s connect!”

·         Advanced Search: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Boolean searches for targeted outreach. For example, search for “(Industry OR Role) AND Location.”

Becoming A LinkedIn Master Networker

Using this guide will put you in a great position to have success networking on LinkedIn.  It may be difficult at times and sometimes frustrating, but LinkedIn can be a great tool for your career.

If you need some one on one help with LinkedIn, your friends at Your Career Strategy can help.  You can schedule a free 45 minute discovery call to see how our coaches can guide you through your journey.