- LinkedIn profiles with photos get significantly more views than those without, so users should include a professional but casual smiling headshot as their profile picture. - When connecting with others on LinkedIn, focus on building genuine professional relationships rather than just accumulating connections. Reach out to others in a thoughtful manner rather than quickly asking for favors. - LinkedIn users should take advantage of the full character count allowed on their profiles to provide a detailed overview of their professional experience and qualifications.

1. LinkedIn Do’s and Don’ts
Photo’s get 14 x more views
So Don’t use a holiday snop or your Tinder profile Even
LinkedIn is a now more that just a job site — — your profile
pic still matters. And according to Williams, unprofessional
and inappropriate photos are hugely common.
“Unless you’re a pediatrician, there shouldn’t be a picture of
you and your kid,” she says.
Your best bet is a smiling photo that communicates your
energy and enthusiasm. It needn’t be a professional headshot.
“You’re 11 times more likely to have your profile looked at if
you have a photo,” adds Williams. “It’s kind of like dating
online — you’re not going to pick the guy without the photo.”
Don’t expect everyone to network like you do
Setting rigid networking expectations can be a source of needless frustration
and can actually prevent you from building relationships with some pretty
great people. Here are some of the common issues that arise:
 Different people have different standards for connecting. Don’t judge
them — they’re doing what’s right for them.
 *People might have perfectly good reasons not to allow other people
to browse their LinkedIn connections list. People may have their own
reasons for keeping things private.
 Not everyone responds in a timely manner. It just means the people
you’re trying to contact are busy.
 Some people are bad with names. Unless you’re 100 percent certain
that she will recognize your invitation, contact her via e-mail or phone or a
LinkedIn introduction request before sending a connection request.
 Relationships aren’t always reciprocal. Don’t expect every favor to be
returned in kind.
 Not everyone networks just to network. So don’t assume everyone
should.

2. Go for Quality not Quantity
According to LinkedIn’s career expert Nicole Williams, the
site’s primary purpose is to cultivate “legitimate professional
relationships” — which, she says, is a shift from the mentality
of other social networks.
“This isn’t Twitter or Facebook, where the name of the game
is numbers,” she says. “It’s not a popularity contest.”
So instead of clicking on names willy-nilly to rack up
connections and build a huge network, focus only on those
you know and trust for professional
support.
And since members aren’t notified when their request is
rejected, you should never feel obliged to accept requests
from those you don’t know well — or at all.
Don’t treat it like your 3rd
date
It’s possible to establish new relationships over the network —
but only if you approach them with the same care and
sensitivity as you do offline.
“I think the biggest mistake people make is that they tend to
ask for too much too soon,” says Barbara Safani, founder of
Career Solvers, a Midtown East career management
firm.“Sometimes people [online] suspend the etiquette that
they would use in the real world.”
In other words, if you wouldn’t ask someone for a job an hour
after meeting them at a networking event, you shouldn’t pitch
a perfect stranger via a LinkedIn message.
“You have to build rapport and trust first,” says Safani, who
recommends that you start following that particular connection
and joining the groups that they are in. “It’s always about

3. making the lead warmer. Otherwise, it’s kind of like opening
up the phone book and picking a name out.”
. . . but DON’T be afraid to reach out
While the Blazek brouhaha might suggest otherwise, it’s
actually not poor etiquette to reach out directly to hiring
managers on the site.
Jennifer Biehn, a Colorado-based executive recruiter with
Witt/Kieffer, says job seekers request to connect with her “all
the time” — and far from being off-putting, it can actually put
you on recruiters’ radars.
“We’re in the business of networking and connection,” she
says. “So if someone sends me a request to connect with a
thoughtful note and a little background on themselves, I’ll put
that in my notes.”
DON’T forget privacy settings
You don’t need your boss or colleagues to know when you’re
on the lookout for another job — and a recently revamped
LinkedIn profile is a surefire clue that you’re revving up to
change jobs, says Safani.
She recommends updating your privacy settings so your
network isn’t notified when you edit your profile. And if you are
following certain groups that you don’t want the world to see
— say, a recruiting firm or your direct competitor — it’s easy to
hide those, too.
DON’T worry about ‘stalking’
One of the most alluring aspects of the network is the
opportunity to see who’s viewed your profile. The flipside is
when you look up that exec you’re trying to land a meeting
with, they’ll be notified you visited their page.
Afraid you’ll come off as a creep? Don’t be.

4. “People are used to and expecting it,” says Williams. “For the
most part, people are going to presume your interest in them
is professional.”
You have 20000 characters… Do Use them
One of the most infuriating aspects of creating a resume is
distilling your professional history into one page. And even
though there are no length limits on LinkedIn, Williams says
many users don’t take advantage of the extra space.
“You’re never going to lose a hiring manager for having too
much information,” she says. “It’s at their discretion — they
can go as deep as they want.”
Do go stealth. Happy news, creepers: You can make it
so people can't tell when you're lookingat their profile.
Go to privacy & settings and change "select what other
see when you view their profile" to "anonymous."
You're welcome.
Don't broadcast every profile change you
make. If you're ready to hit the job market and realize
you haven't updated your profile in forever, PLEASE
DO THIS: Before you save any changes, alter your
privacy settings so "only you" can see the activity on
your page. This way, your boss won't notice that you're
A) dusting off the old resume and B) telling the world
that you actually do half the work she's supposed to be
doing.
Do take the 10 seconds to fill in that summary
line. "It makes you so much more searchable—

5. a summary of 40 words or more makes you more likely
to turn up when someone's looking for job candidates.
A good tip is to also ensure your summary includes
keywords featured in desirable job descriptions related
to your field." —Catherine Fisher
Don't endorse people you don't really know for
skills you're not sure they have. It's weird.
Don't accept every single invite you get, no
matter how much of a leg up you think it'll give
you. "Building a strong network of professional
connections is not a numbers game. You want to
establish and cultivate quality connections with people
you know and trust professionally." —CF
Don't be one of those people who sends a
generic LinkedIn connection request. "When you
send a request or InMail message, customize your note
to your connection, such as same college, former
employer, or where you met in person, so they know
they actually know you." —Lindsey Pollack
Don’t spam
One person’s networking is another person’s spam. There are plenty of ways
to use LinkedIn productively without getting a bad rep as a spammer. Here
are some basic rules of etiquette:
 Don’t post marketing messages or connection-seeking messages as
Status Updates.
 Don’t automatically subscribe your connections to your newsletter.
 Don’t send connection requests to people you don’t know.