LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools available to you as a job seeker, especially if you are looking for a career in tech. The platform enables you to quickly connect and communicate with hundreds of millions of people, in addition to sharing your professional brand with the world.
3 Tips To Write A Networking Message That Gets Responses
In this article, I share how to write a LinkedIn networking message that grabs the attention of employers along with tips to increase your chances of hearing back from recruiters on the platform.
1. Start your message off on the right foot.
Begin your networking message with the recipient’s name. This may seem like a simple step, but it’s an important one when networking in today’s saturated job market. You want to avoid coming across as a spammer who is messaging dozens or hundreds of contacts. Sending generic networking messages is the quickest way to end up in the spam folder.
Then, immediately highlight your reason for contacting the recipient. This is akin to what they call ‘not burying the lede’ in journalism. In other words, you need to concisely explain to the recipient why you are contacting them in the first place.
2. Include a clear call to action.
One of the biggest mistakes I see job seekers making is not including a clear call to action (CTA). With this in mind, always incorporate a CTA that lets your reader know what action you want them to take after they receive your message.
If you are looking for an introduction to a contact, for instance, be specific about the type of person you are looking to connect with. If you are requesting more insights about a company culture, share how you are hoping to glean that information.
The following are a few sample CTAs to inspire you.
- Who do you know who is a Director of Engineering at Meta and may be open to walking me through the interview process?
- Would you be willing to spend 20 minutes on the phone sharing your experiences working as a technical recruiter at Google? I am interested in learning more about the company culture.
- When is a good time to discuss the Chief People Officer opening at your organization?
3. Keep your LinkedIn networking message concise.
Business professionals are incredibly busy. They are receiving more emails, messages, and pings than ever before. Consequently, you want to keep your message short and to the point. I encourage job seekers to aim for a message that is a maximum of three sentences in length.
While three sentences may seem short for a networking message, you want to make it as easy as possible for the recipient to respond to your request. Many people will stop reading if they see excessive lines of text. Additionally, you want to save your elevator pitch for when you speak with them over the phone, via Zoom, or in person.
Important: These networking approaches can be effectively applied to platforms beyond LinkedIn. My clients will often use these strategies to reach out to recruiters, hiring managers, and other decision makers via Twitter, Instagram, Discord, et al.
Regardless of the platform, know that you will not hear back from every person who receives your networking message. This is normal. There are tons of reasons why people do not respond to networking requests. Keep at it, and you will land informational interviews in no time. You’ve got this!
Here are additional LinkedIn resources to support your job search efforts:
How To Write A LinkedIn Headline When Looking For A Job (With Examples)
