This document provides tips for building and using a LinkedIn professional network. It recommends connecting with past coworkers, bosses, friends, and others from community groups. It also suggests connecting with recruiters and targeted contacts from companies of interest. The document outlines how to search for and manage these connections on LinkedIn. It advises sending status updates to connections to stay in touch, provide information on one's career goals, and offer to help others in their job searches.

1. Building a LinkedIn
Network:
How to Build and Use
Your Connections
Mark W. Biersdorf
MSR Solutions
July 17, 2012

2. LinkedIn Use
• Access to decision makers, recruiters
• Interviews – bios on interviewers
• Be found by recruiters
• Manage contacts that you meet
• Send follow up notes – status updates
• Paying it forward – help others to access your
contacts

3. Who Should be in
Your Network?

4. LinkedIn – Who to connect?
• Start with past co‐workers, bosses
• Neighbors
• Friends
• Community & religious group members
• High School, College friends

5. LinkedIn – Who to connect?
• Industry and corporate recruiters
• Targeted company contacts – by title, direct
network referral
• Association contacts; Toastmasters,
Association of IT Professionals, etc.

6. LinkedIn

7. Using your LinkedIn
Network

8. Contacts at Target
Companies
• Set Search field to “People” (not
companies)
• Type in target company name
• Search will look for contacts from your
network that either worked at company
or know targeted people.

9. Your Connections
• First – directly connected
to you
• Seconds – connected to
your contacts
• Groups – people in your
groups
• Thirds – people connected
to your 2nds, connected
to your 1sts

10. First Connections
• Firsts – at target company
– Deliver your resume
– Introduce you to hiring managers
– Do company research
• Firsts – not at target company
– Ask the to introduce you to key target contacts
– Do company research

11. Using Other Connections
• 2nd ‐ Electronic introductions
• Groups – directly talk to other members,
sometimes hiring managers
• Thirds – Generally ignore

12. Manage Contacts
• Add Tags, label contacts
• Note to identify how you met them
• Review their contacts for people you know
• Continue to add more contacts

13. Send Updates
• Mail status updates to your connections
– 50 connections at a time
• What is in your letter
– Ask for more network connections
– Tell what you are looking for
– Offer to help others

14. Sample update
I hope you have a nice weekend planned as we head into the fourth of July.
In addition to business consulting, starting a second Toast Masters chapter, self‐education, and teaching managers
effective use of Social Media in a job‐search, I am still searching for a full‐time IT management position or work as
a project management contractor. Contracting positions of particular interest would include Social Media, cloud or
virtual desktop projects, although I am flexible. My favorite position involves working closely with the organization
stakeholders. I am also looking for additional networking contacts, particularly in medical, consulting and higher
education.
I have been networking very actively in both the city and suburbs. Please let me know if you would like to be
introduced to any of my connections.
For more details on my background, you’ll find director and project management resumes and Social Media
presentations on my LinkedIn profile in the Box.net account.
Thanks.
Mark
‐‐‐‐
Mark Biersdorf
847‐366‐3377
biersdorf@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/markbiersdorf
http://www.twitter.com/mark_biersdorf

15. Questions?