What do you say when there is someone on LinkedIn you know can help lead you to an opportunity to work at a certain company? The most tempting message you can send is, “Hi, I noticed your company is hiring and I have attached my resume for your review.” While that is the most tempting statement you would like to use; it is also one of the worst, if not the worst. It is suicidal. It will probably get you nowhere. Saying that will probably terminate your chances of anything with that company through that particular avenue. That person will think you are just one of the hundreds of other people searching for a job. The least that person will do is forward your resume to the human resources department, if anything at all. Don’t do it. This will not differentiate you in the least bit.
Set the stage and allow things to flow naturally. A professional and optimized LinkedIn profile will begin to attract your target audience. Be active on LinkedIn to allow you and your profile to come across these key decision-makers. Make it a daily habit of commenting on your feed, as well as on group posts. The groups you belong to should be related to your target industry. Everything you do on LinkedIn should be done with a purpose and a strategy.
It is about them, not about you.
One of the best, if not the best strategy to use when contacting key decision-makers or anyone else is to focus on them, not on you. Make it about them. Tell them what drew you to them. Express what you found interesting about them. Complement a recent achievement they had or an article they wrote. If there is a problem you know their company or department is facing, share one or two ideas of how to solve their problems. This builds a connection between the two of you.
Show credibility
Continue by sharing a couple of reasons why you were attracted to the action this person took. Maybe they wrote an article about oil companies in Texas and California and you happen to have worked in one of the major oil companies as a global communications advisor for 7 years. This conveys credibility to your contact.
Call to action
If your target contact and you happen to live in the same area, the call to action can be meeting for lunch or coffee on a specific date you would propose. If not, you can use other means of live communication, such as a Skype video call or a simple telephone call. Be proactive and aggressive in this way. For instance, “I hope we can meet next Friday, (date) at 1:00pm for about 30 minutes or on Monday, (date) at any time between 9 and 12:00am. Would you happen to be available any of those days?”End with an aggressive call to action and include a specific date. Proposing to meet on a specific date creates a sense of urgency, which usually leads to action. You might just be arranging your own interview.
Once you begin to schedule a few encounters, be sure to dress professionally. Business casual would be appropriate.
Networking Avenues
If you find an interesting article about a company you follow and happen to have a connection with a key decision maker within that company, send them a brief message mentioning the article and a couple of points you found interesting. Follow the guide above. End the message with a question to initiate a response / conversation.
You can apply this strategy to a group member by sending them a private message about an article or post you both commented on. The private message can be a continuation of the group message thread. Keep in mind the busier your contact is, the shorter your message should be to avoid it being skimmed or ignored.
These are examples of how to network (communicate) with key decision makers on LinkedIn. It is an art folks. Communication is an art. Saying, “Hi, I noticed your company is hiring and I have attached my resume for your review” will more than likely not help you and it will surely not allow you to be remembered. Communicating and initiating thoughtful conversations on a mutually interesting topic can inevitably lead to a good opportunity without you even asking for it.
From Networking to an Opportunity
Eventually, of course, you might be asked for your resume. At this point, after personal investment and relationship building, you do not want your resume to be the culprit for the end of what seemed to be a good opportunity. Your resume needs to further impress the reader, in this case, your contact. Your LinkedIn profile, your message exchanges, letters, and resume must all be of high caliber. These are your marketing documents. They will stay with the receiver and speak on your behalf while you are not present.
Have you had success in developing thoughtful conversations with key decision-makers on LinkedIn? If so, share how you initiated the conversation so we can all gather fresh ideas!
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